Alongside the iPhone 16, Apple is also set to open a brand new building at Apple Park today: “The Observatory.” An exclusive report from Dezeen offers our first at the “subterranean” building, which will be used for “launch events and to showcase the brand’s latest technology.”

The Observatory is built into a hillside on the Apple Park campus near Steve Jobs Theater. John De Mario, Apple’s global head of design for real estate and development, elaborated on the design of The Observatory:

“When we built Apple Park, we wanted the entire campus to be seamlessly integrated into the landscape, and this building follows that same approach.

With its stunning views of the campus greenery and the mountains ringing the horizon, The Observatory truly is an extension of Apple Park, showcasing the best of California and the best of the natural environment around us.”

De Mario added that The Observatory integrates elements from the rest of Apple Parts, such as the stone, terrazzo, and wood elements of Steve Jobs Theater.

To enter the building, visitors travel down a curved path that leads to a domed entrance hall topped with a circular, three-metre-wide oculus, which is open to the sky.

From this antechamber, a stone sliding door leads to the main events space, which opens onto a large terrace with a “portal-like opening” that frames a view of the Apple Park landscaping and the mountains beyond.

The Observatory is set to open today, presumably following the iPhone 16 announcement. Apple will likely hold post-event product briefings in this building and offer more hands-on time with new hardware.

You can find more pictures of The Observatory over at Deezen.

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