Development of Adelaide’s Rundle Place started in late 2011. The finished structure will hold some 85 retailers, according to AdelaideNow, though I’m guessing when the plans were first drawn up, no one envisioned an Apple Store being one of those retailers. A revised — and rejected — plan for the building’s ground floor suggests the developers are keen to accommodate the consumer giant… if only Apple’s design for the store front wasn’t so darn “unimaginative” and “generic”.
These are the words of Philippe Mortier, chief architect for South Australia’s Planning Department, his comments directed at designs for the mysterious store with the plain façade above (you can click the image for a non-cropped version). The plan, along with the government’s assessment, can be found in this document, though the AdelaideNow has kindly pulled out the meatier part of Mortier’s statement:
In his own submission to the DAC [Development Assessment Commission] against the changes … Philippe Mortier criticised the building design as putting “the manicured world image ahead of local amenity” and that it was an “unimaginative and disappointing slavish application of generic corporate style”.
No one’s confirming that the shop front is an Apple Store, but you don’t have to be an architectural genius to recognise the design. The document also mentions that the revisions were made to “respond to specific requirements of the tenant within their branding guidelines and design philosophy”. This tenant is described as an “international brand” and “significant drawcard”.
Hardly damning, but there aren’t a lot of companies that fit. Rundle Place isn’t set to open until 2013, but Apple and the developers will want to get a wriggle on if they’re keen for SA’s approval.
[ifoAppleStore and AdelaideNow]