Mall Speculators Love Apple’s Logo

If you’re a mall developer trying to sell a new project, there is nothing more attractive than an Apple logo on your architectural renderings. Many times the appearance of the logo is entirely speculative, but other times the logo or other details indicate that an Apple store will eventually appear at the new mall. The latest mystery is the redevelopment of the huge and historic Myer Emporium store in downtown Melbourne (Australia). The Myer Pty. Ltd. company wants to demolish, redesign, build and re-build a set of buildings dating back to the late 1800s. The construction will leave some façades intact and renovated, but will replace other buildings with new and contemporary architectural designs. Among the new buildings is an angled, all-glass structure at the southwest corner of Caledonian Lane and Lonsdale Street. A close look at the rendering for this corner shows an Apple logo in its usual second-level location. However, in this case a notation states the log is “indicative only,” which means the architect included the logo only as a sample of what might appear at the site. If the redevelopment is approved by city officials, it could be completed by 2012. Check the renderings after the break.

Here is the site plan for the Myer Emporium redevelopment. The southwest corner of the site is where the Apple logo appears on renderings.

Here is the elevation of the Lonsdale Street side of the complex, with the Apple logo barely visible to the left, in a new building.

Here is a closer view of the rendering, clearly showing the Apple logo on a store façade to the left. A notation, barely readable on the rendering posted on the Web for public review, states that the logo is "indicative only."