For all of its fancy engineering and architectural accolades earned since opening in October, Michigan Avenue’s glassy new Apple store is struggling with an apparently unexpected adversary: Chicago’s wintery climate. According to a report by The Verge, frozen chunks of snow and icicles sliding off the riverfront building’s gutter-less, laptop-esque roof pose a serious threat to pedestrians. The dangerous condition forced Apple employees to close-off portions of Pioneer Court with caution tape and deploy signs reading “Watch for falling snow and ice.”
Falling ice wasn’t the only winter-related issue facing the Foster + Partners-designed flagship store this week. According to pictures posted to the discussion forum at Skyscraperpage, Chicago’s recent cold snap caused at least one of the store’s glass panels to develop a crack. Considering the structural glass is comprised of thin sheets laminated together like plywood, its replacement likely won’t come cheap. And while this week saw temps dip below zero, it was nowhere close to record lows for the city. It’s possible that even colder weather will cause other pieces to fracture. READ MORE
