I read somewhere about a father-son pair that travels to each Apple retail store opening. If I had the money and time, I'd travel to Osake this fall:
Apple's Osaka retail store to sport suspended spiral staircase
Continuing to raise its profile overseas, Apple Computer is proceeding with plans to open its second store in Japan in Osaka during the fall of 2004. The flagship store will be large enough to sport a number of architectural advancements that won't be found in any of the company's U.S. locations, sources tell AppleInsider.
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The Osaka location is reportedly spacious enough to allow Apple to adorn the store with a wide, spiral staircase that otherwise would not be ideal in its North American stores. According to sources, the stairs will mostly consist of glass panels, while the stringers (the sides of the stairs that hold up the treads) will likely act as primary support for the structure.
Current plans indicate that the staircase will descend from the second story, suspended from its landing at the top. "The structure will not reach the floor below, and instead will be suspended off the first floor by the height of one riser, completely hung from the floor above," one insider said. "You couldn't really do a staircase exactly like this in most parts of the US because in most jurisdictions there, you can't have open risers on your stairs any more due to life safety codes." [ more ]
Posted by ronn at April 21, 2004 10:19 PM