In 2017, Sice Previt was general contractor of the works aimed at the opening of the new Apple “flagship store” on the Champs-Élysées, designed by the renowned architectural firm Foster+Partners.
Sice Previt’s primary task was therefore to define the construction project in all its details, including the plant engineering, based on what was imagined in the architectural drawing provided by the Client.
A very different project from the – almost contemporary – Milan flagship, since it did not result in the construction of a new building, but carved out a large store from a historic building on the famous Parisian shopping street. In this case, the works coordinated by Sice Previt therefore consisted mainly of restoration and building adaptation works, which nevertheless required major structural engineering works.
In particular, the courtyard of the Haussmanian-style building was covered with a veranda to make it a hybrid space between open and closed, usable as an integral part of the shop. The design and construction of this roof was one of the most challenging aspects, together with the design of a suitable air-conditioning system for this covered courtyard and for all the interior rooms of the seven-storey building.
Particularly delicate at the structural engineering level was also the creation of the void designed to house the new stairwell, which required the installation of large support beams on all seven floors, as well as the design of back-structures with special anti-fall hooks, which were essential to fix the large stone panels chosen by the brand to cover walls, floors and ceilings.
Finally, on the strength of its decades of experience in the restoration of prestigious buildings, Sice Previt also dealt with the restoration of the building’s historic monumental staircase.
