Drone eyes Apple spaceship
campus as new GC team steps in

by ROB McMANAMY | Sep 7, 2015

Project pulse checks and progress photos are a whole lot more thrilling nowadays.

Check out this Sept. 1 drone footage by independent filmmaker Duncan Sinfield, showing Apple's new $5-billion headquarters complex now rising in Cupertino CA. The footage was shot with Sinfield's DJI Inspire 1 drone. "Featuring descriptions narrated by late Apple founder Steve Jobs, himself, this video will hopefully teach you something new... about the world's largest corporation," writes Sinfield.

Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the 2.8-million-sq-ft spaceship Campus 2 complex has been under construction since 2011, and it is still targeting 2016 for completion. This despite many design scope revisions and a major building team shakeup two months ago, when Apple replaced the joint venture general contracting partners, Skanska USA and DPR Construction.

In a June 5 press release, Skanska said the team was "not able to come to an agreement with the client during negotiations for the revised scope of work. Accordingly, the client has elected to terminate the contract for its own convenience. As a result, Skanska USA Building will reduce the order bookings for a total of about $800 million in the second quarter 2015."

At that point, Apple turned project management over to a new joint venture of Rudolph and Sletten, Redwood City CA, and Atlanta-based Holder Construction. Both contractors already had been working at the complex in specialty roles, focused on delivering the interiors and complex MEP systems. Now, the pair's responsibilities --and no doubt, the pressures-- have increased exponentially as this highly visible mega-project enters its last year of construction.

Stay tuned...

For '51 Facts About the New Apple Spaceship HQ', click here.