Dome

Detail, base of glass cube inset into granite plaza with drainage grates; Apple has built several stand-alone "flagship" stores in high-profile locations. Apple has received numerous architectural awards for its store designs, particularly its midtown Manhattan location on Fifth Avenue, whose glass cube was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Several Apple Stores feature glass staircases, including the Fifth Avenue spiral glass staircase. The New York Times wrote that these features were part of then-CEO Steve Jobs' extensive attention to detail. The first glass staircase received a design patent in 2002 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with Jobs' name first, followed by several others, while the staircase design itself received a design patent, and the complex glass and hardware system received a separate technical patent. Apple worked with architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and engineer Eckersley O'Callaghan Structural Design in designing the staircase. The store occupies the underground retail concourse of the General Motors Building, with the 32 ft. glass cube entry from the plaza level above. By day this functions as a skylight, at night the lighted cube is a sign. Source: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson [firm website]; http://www.bcj.com/ (accessed 7/11/2012)