Apple Is Opening a Gorgeous, Floating Store in Singapore's Marina Bay

Apple stores are well known for being clean, bright spaces lightly filled with pretty, precisely placed products, but the company’s latest store is truly a place where you’ll want to hang out all day.

Apple announced on Sunday that the company will be opening a brand new store in Singapore on the waters of Marina Bay. The Apple Marina Bay Sands store is the first to actually sit on the water, connected to land via a dock and walkway.

In addition to its unique location, the store is also designed to resemble a giant dome, almost a bubble, that offers 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline. The all-glass dome is self-supported, comprised of 114 pieces of glass connected with only 10 narrow vertical bars. At the apex of the dome sits an oculus that is “inspired by the Pantheon in Rome,” and floods the space with light. But it also, apparently, doesn’t get too blindingly sunny either, since the dome is lined with custom-shaped baffles, or panes that are built to counter certain angles of sunlight and even help light the space at night. Around the perimeter of the store are trees and greenery to provide extra shade, according to a statement by Apple.

“We couldn’t be more excited to open the breathtaking Apple Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, building on our commitment to this special place that began more than 40 years ago,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People, in a statement. “Our passionate and talented team is ready to welcome this community to our new store and deliver the care and support that our customers around the world love.”

As with other stores around the globe, visitors can enjoy checking out Apple products and speaking to the store’s Geniuses (who will speak over 23 languages combined) for their various needs. There is also a forum with a video wall, which will serve as a space to highlight Today at Apple sessions and feature local artists. The lower floor of the space is actually underwater, where entrepreneurs and attend professional events in the store’s “Boardroom.”

The new store will open in Marina Bay on Thursday, Sept. 10. As with its other locations, the store is implementing health and sanitation policies in order to keep customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic, including mandatory masks, temperature checks, and offering time in-store by appointment only.