The first italian Apple flagship store opens today in Milan

The city of Milan has a rich heritage of both classic and contemporary architecture and a city that has been able to fuse the two in a harmony unparalleled by most modern metropolises. One need only look at the late great architect Zaha Hadid's influences on the face of the city or the modernist dream of Porta Nuova to see how modern architecture can be beautifully incorporated into a cityscape of such deep history. Today sees the unveiling of a new piece of architecture that will surely become a new attraction for the city, a brand new Apple flagship store will open its doors in the center of Piazza Liberty, a stones throw away from Duomo.

Designed by the firm Foster + Partners, the building is an example of how an austere design can be incorporated with impact and subtlety into an already busy cityscape and do so with minimal beauty. Though related to one of the absolute biggest brands on the planet, the building doesn't scream Apple commercialism, rather produces a refined and clean architectural manifestation of the ethos that is the Apple brand.

At first glance one wouldn't even immediately detect that this is, in fact, an Apple store, apart from the symbol of its bitten apple discretely applied to one face of the structure, there are no signs of iPhones, iPads or MacBooks in sight. They are instead hidden on the floor two stories below ground in an especially design space with an aesthetic that has become a symbol of the Apple flagships. Created completely in Beola Grigia stone, at the entrance one is met by a gently sloping stairway that leads to what can closest be characterized as an incased infinite water fountain installation which like a jungle waterfall, lures the visitors to enter a cave within. The role of the space has been described more as a space for people to meet, spend time and interact than a commercial retail outlet. Open 24 hours a day, it will become much more a venue for a multitude of cultural events, including workshops on design, filmmaking, and photography as well as a preview place for film screenings.