The only problem with a building with floor-to-ceiling glass walls is that they can be darned hard to see (an observation the birds of the 21st century are well familiar with). Humans, however, are also not immune to those dangers—a lesson staff at Apple’s new headquarters would be wise to learn.
Apparently, Apple’s new Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California, isn’t just an architectural beauty, but it’s also a little bit dangerous. Reports are coming in that employees keep walking into the structure’s glass walls and hurting themselves.
According to MarketWatch, at least two incidents required the calling of emergency services. Luckily, the injured employees only suffered minor cuts and didn’t need a trip to the hospital. Those two occasions aren’t isolated, though. Anecdotal reports on Twitter suggest that the first day Apple Park opened, at least seven employees smacked into the structure’s glass doors. Untold others have likely smacked into the glass as well, escaping with only bruised egos and covert looks to ensure no one else saw their mishap.
Ironically, many of these instances may be happening because employees’ eyes are glued to their iPhone screens as they walk around. To fix the issue, some began reportedly using colorful Post-its to better mark the locations of walls and doorways. These were removed, however, “because they detracted from the building’s design.” But if the glass walls and doorways aren’t evident enough, it’s possible that Apple could be violating California law.
While you’ll have to take a trip to the Apple Park Visitor Center to get a feel for how gloriously translucent these glass walls really are, we can get a peek at what Apple’s campus currently looks like. For a view of Apple Park from above, you can check out this drone footage shot earlier this month.
Apple is still putting the final touches on the $5 billion building‘s architecture and landscaping, but numerous employees are already at work in the circular structure. Staff now work from five of the building’s twelve sections. And this building will eventually have it all: Offices, an indoor fitness center, a theater, a visitor center, and even a medical center. You could potentially smack into a wall and then get any necessary stitches—all without leaving the office.
H/T the Verge