815 Boylston Street
Owner/Developer: Apple, Inc & Elaine Alexander, Heritage Legacy, LLC
Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Construction Manager: Shawmut Design & Construction

In the mid- to late-nineteenth century Boylston Street marked the edge of Boston’s Back Bay and was a lively commercial throughway.  The tradition continues today, and it is on this historic street within the Back Bay Architectural District that Apple Inc. chose to open its largest retail store in the United States. 

To help Apple and its architects, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, navigate a difficult site, Boston permitting and Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) regulations, it turned to Shawmut Design and Construction, McDermott, Quilty & Miller, LLP, and Boston Affiliates, Inc.  Fifteen months of review led to construction, as well as some unique challenges.  The resulting cutting-edge building within the Back Bay District represents a victory for Boston’s permitting and design review process.

Apple’s worldwide design concept was for a completely “transparent” all glass building that would express in its horizontality the functions within it.  The BAAC worked closely with Apple’s Boston team to incorporate vertical elements respecting the traditional rhythms of Back Bay buildings without compromising the innovative nature of the store.  It features two floors of retail and one of technical support service organized around a three-story glass staircase. This is held within a cantilevered glass curtainwall façade that is one of the most advanced structural storefront systems in the world and includes advanced materials from France, Germany, Italy and Japan. With a living green roof for eco-friendly insulation, the new Apple flagship in Boston is one of the most innovatively designed Apple stores in the world.  

Photo courtesy of Shawmut Design & Construction