SAJO collaborated with Foster + Partners on Building an Iconic Flagship in Brooklyn

Among the APPLE projects undertaken by SAJO, the one situated at 123 Flatbush Avenue at Fort Greene, Brooklyn in New York City evokes special pride. SAJO’s role in design-assist and its contribution to the procurement and installation of diverse and specialized infrastructure systems yielded high client and user satisfaction.

The store’s opening took place in December 2017 and was Apple’s second retail location in Brooklyn, the first having opened in Williamsburg in July 2016. It was also APPLE’s 11^th store in New York City, and its near 500^th worldwide. 

Although Manhattan’s famous Fifth avenue glass cube remains APPLE’s landmark store, the giant glass-sided triangle of the latest Brooklyn retail store bears its own mark of distinction. Its unique angular design and 30-foot high walls of heavy slabs of glass commands the attention of passersby and enhances the architectural landscape of the surrounding commercial, residential and cultural district. The latter, known as the BAM Cultural District, bears the name of the oldest arts center in the borough, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), established in 1908. Over time, the district became host to a wide variety of prestigious cultural institutions, organizations, and associations. Its acclaimed artists, vibrant festivities, world-class performances and exhibitions, account for the attraction of the urban setting as a unique, thriving, and leading arts and culture destination. The Brooklyn APPLE store stands tall amidst it all.

In its design-assist capacity, SAJO took great pride in working with the APPLE design specialists and their architects, the renowned Foster + Partners, who designed the Fifth Avenue APPLE store, among many others worldwide. SAJO was responsible for implementing the building’s vibrator isolator systems within key structures, such as the stainless-steel columns, the raised floor system, the quartz walls, and the wood ceiling, all of which served to counter subway vibrations. SAJO also designed crack-resistant concrete slabs, reinforced with carbon fiber as well as a raised floor slab in accordance with strict site weight restrictions. Other designs included the framing and leak detection systems for perimeter trench units, framing systems for floor diffusers and the revolving door entrance as well as a custom-made 304 stainless sidewalk drain.

The notable features of the structure which attest to SAJO’s accomplishments as GC, include an air distribution system entirely emanating from the floor, the coordination of a monolithic glass installation, a floor-embedded and radiant heating system, an automated sunshade system geared to reducing heat exposure from the glass walls, a vibrator isolator system enveloping the entire store, and a light weight floor system designed to protect the tenant below the premises. 

Overall, SAJO performed on an expedited schedule and ensured quality and on-time delivery to the client’s praise and satisfaction.