Apple HQ among most expensive structures on earth

The new corporate headquarters of Apple in Cupertino, California is one of the costliest architectural designs on the planet. According to a new report issued earlier this week, the company spent more than $427.5m to construct the main ring alone at Apple Park.

The BuildZoom report studied building permits for all 15 major structures at the firm’s new HQ.

The Steve Jobs Theatre, valued at more than $179.4m, is the second most expensive structure onsite. According to the BuildZoom website, its projections are based on minimum costs, excluding temporary structures, demolitions and public infrastructure upgrades. The actual costs, the firm claims, would have been much higher.

The two largest parking facilities, which boast solar panels on the rooftop like the main ring, cost more than $113.7m in construction costs. The Visitor’s Centre at Pruneridge and Tantau came in at $109.7m, while one of the office buildings at the intersection of 280 and North Tantau is approximated at a cost of $115.4m.

Apple also forked out huge amounts on what might under normal circumstances be regarded as niche expenditure. The dedicated gymnasium cost in the region of $16.7m to construct — and the “central plant”, which houses a substation, water storage, backup generators and housing fuel cells, probably cost more than the $35.6m minimum cost calculated by BuildZoom.

The historical Glendenning Barn, which was converted into a landscaping supplies and maintenance store, was also estimated at a cost of around $360,000.

The total cost has previously been valued at $5bn, which means this is one of the most expensive projects anywhere on earth. It was one of the last Apple projects in which Steve Jobs was involved. He reportedly insisted on extraordinary design features such as the curved glass exterior of the ring.

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