Apple Campus 2 Site to Include Preserved Historic Barn [Mac Blog]

Apple's spaceship-shaped campus under construction in Cupertino will include a spot for a historic barn, reports the San Jose Mercury News . First constructed in 1916, the Glendenning Barn is a historic Cupertino site left from a time when the city was still a sprawling orchard.

During the teardown of the existing HP campus, Apple dismantled the redwood barn plank by plank and made careful notes on its construction because the company pledged to relocate the building to another site.

It was initially unclear whether the barn would remain on the campus, but it appears it will indeed stay on Apple's property, nestled among the many fruit trees the company plans to build around its spaceship-shaped building. The barn, according to the Mercury News, will be used as an equipment storage facility by Apple and will be located directly adjacent to the employee fitness center.

Glendenning Barn, courtesy of the Cupertino Historical Society (via Mercury News).

To protect the structure during construction, Apple carefully dismembered the barn, numbering it piece by piece -- every plank, nail and crossbeam -- so it can be rebuilt just as it was, says Donna Austin, president of the Cupertino Historical Society. The company has even stockpiled redwood salvaged from an old grove in case any damaged planks need to be replaced.

Under Apple's care, it will be a working barn for the first time in decades, storing sports equipment and the landscaping supplies the company will need for the thousands of trees that will shade the campus.

Apple's second campus was designed in part by former CEO Steve Jobs, and one of his main goals was to give the site a more natural look and feel, returning many of the native plants and trees that grew in the area before it was turned into an office site by former owner Hewlett-Packard.

Apple's growing focus on the environment is fully evidenced in the new campus design, which includes 80 percent green space, a central garden with outdoor dining areas, and more than 300 different species of trees. The campus was also built to use efficient water and landscaping and it will get 70 percent of its energy from solar and fuel cells.

Construction on Apple's second campus is well underway, with the foundation complete and walls beginning to take shape. Apple plans to finish the campus by the end of 2016, and construction crews work at the site almost around the clock to keep the building plans on schedule.