Foster + Partners unveils Apple Store in Parisian apartment on Champs-Élysées

A kaleidoscopic solar roof tops the courtyard of Foster + Partners’ latest Apple Store, which opened on the Champs-Élysées in Paris over the weekend.

Located on the corner of Champs-Élysées and Rue Washington, the store has been built within what is described by Foster + Partners as a “quintessential Parisian apartment”.

The store is designed to carefully blend the surviving original detailing with new contemporary and light-filled interiors.
Entered via a 19th century Parisian passage, with display spaces on either side, customers arrive within a newly revived courtyard dotted with large mature trees.

The courtyard is sheltered by a Kaleidoscope solar roof-light made up of mirrored pyramids that reflect dappled sunlight onto the internal facades and floor below.
When viewed from below, the solar panels that cover the roof reflect fragmented images of the surrounding buildings, which the architects said is a reference to the Cubist tradition.

The reflections change throughout the day and night as customers move through the building.
The courtyard will play host to Apple events, which will include entertaining and educational talks and lectures by experts from various fields.

“The courtyard pulls the vitality of the historic promenade deep into the building, creating a unique interior experience that is full of life and energy,” commented Foster + Partners.

When viewed from below, the solar panels that cover the roof reflect fragmented images of the surrounding buildings, which the architects said is a reference to the Cubist tradition.

The reflections change throughout the day and night as customers move through the building.

The courtyard will play host to Apple events, which will include entertaining and educational talks and lectures by experts from various fields.

“The courtyard pulls the vitality of the historic promenade deep into the building, creating a unique interior experience that is full of life and energy,” commented Foster + Partners.