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Filed under: Retail

Georgetown Apple Store to move forward after redesign is approved

ifoAppleStore has an update on the battle between Apple and Washington D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission: A new design for the Georgetown Apple Store is close to approval, and includes a subtle Apple logo and trees growing inside the building.

The ANC's objections, ranging from rejecting an all-glass storefront to requiring a two-story masonry facade had been the reason for so many design submissions from Apple. While Apple wanted to maintain consistency among all its stores, the ANC wanted to make sure the Apple Store fit in with the other, older buildings on that street.

Most interestingly is the rear 20 feet of the store: It has a higher ceiling and skylights to accommodate two living trees inside the building.

This isn't the final design, however: The ANC is requesting additional minor changes, and has wondered aloud why there isn't an actual second story behind the two-story facade. Even so, locals suggest the plan is likely to be approved today. If it is, the store will likely open in 2010.

In other retail store news, MacNN notes that stores are planned or in progress for:

  • Churchill Square in Brighton, UK
  • Rideau Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada
  • Hamburg, Germany (Thanks, Steffen!)
  • and Greensboro, NC, which we mentioned in July.

[Via MacNN.]

Update: Commenters Brad and Chris noted that in a meeting last night, the Georgetown board rejected Apple's plans even after the ANC approved them. So much for that. Thanks, guys!

Filed under: Software, Mac Pro

ArchiCAD 12: Multi-core architectural powerhouse

ArchiCAD 12 Curtain Wall Tool
I have several consulting clients who are architects, all of whom use ArchiCAD to create stunning designs and manage the process of documentation. They're going to be very happy architects in July, since Graphisoft is providing multi-core support in the upcoming release of ArchiCAD 12.

In addition to divvying up those rendering duties to all 8 cores on your Mac Pro, ArchiCAD 12 has a slew of new features including:
  • A new tool for designing and documenting curtain wall systems
  • Partial structure display for sharing design info with engineers
  • Enhancements in the StairMaker tool
  • New fill management capability and translucent fills
  • 3D "Nudge" feature for moving elements
  • Align and distribute elements along a path or in a pattern
Graphisoft and ARCHVISTA Building Technologies are hosting a webinar on June 18, 2008 to demonstrate the features of ArchiCAD 12. While you'll need to contact an ArchiCAD reseller for pricing details, you can slice $500 off of your next ArchiCAD license by ordering the new software before June 30, 2008.

Thanks to Michael for the tip!

Filed under: Software, iWork

Apple profiles iWork@work for small businesses

While iWork isn't exactly at the top of everyone's wishlist of Apple software, it still offers a fairly strong set of Apple-esque tools for creating gorgeous presentations and documents. Since the company already has a fairly thorough iWork product page aimed at the general audience, it seems only natural (if a bit long-time coming) that Apple focus on the business customer with a new set of iWork@work Profiles. Through case studies that delve into the daily duties of a photographer, a historian and an architect, Apple highlights how iWork (and iLife, of course) helps them all get the job done.

Naturally, these profiles are filled with quite a bit of Apple fluff, but I think it's interesting to read some of the finer details and features that iWork offers people who are actually running businesses with it. Yes there are plenty of complaints against iWork - it's missing a spreadsheet, it doesn't do this, it messes with that - but these profiles are a nice read if you're willing to set all that stuff aside for a moment and investigate what Apple's productivity suite has to offer.

Filed under: Retail, Bad Apple

Architects asleep at the wheel at Miami Beach store


Granted, I've never really been a fan of the architecture in Miami, but this has gone too far. Instead of the sleek minimalist aluminum monolith we have all come to know and love from our Apple Stores, the Lincoln Road store breaks the mold with its bold facade featuring a metal Apple centered in a square of corrugated metal. Yes, corrugated metal, such as one would find in a shanty town. Now, I understand if the community wanted a more low key design, but why didn't Apple go with something tasteful like its SoHo store?

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have some high-and-mighty castle-on-a-hill vision of how all Apple Stores should be. But even so, the design doesn't reflect any of the design sense we have come to expect from Apple, and that is certainly a disappointment.

Photo and story via ifoAppleStore

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