Apple Park Headquarters ("The Taiji Ring")

Why was it built this way? Steve Jobs, deeply influenced by Zen and Eastern spatial philosophy, conceived Apple's roughly $5 billion headquarters with Jony Ive as a continuous Perfect Circle about 1.46 kilometers around, rising just four stories and designed by architect Norman Foster. On June 7, 2011, Jobs presented it himself to the Cupertino City Council, his last public appearance. He died on October 5, 2011, before it could rise. Construction began in 2014 and the first employees moved in in April 2017. At the heart of the ring lies a central park of about 30 acres with a pond, and the whole site holds some 9,000 trees of more than 300 varieties, including orchards that recall the old Santa Clara Valley. Curved glass canopies inhale cool breeze so the building operates without mechanical air-conditioning for nine months of the year.

The Unbroken Feng Shui Thread: Viewed through International Yang Dwelling Feng Shui, Apple Park is a masterwork of the Taiji Circle (Metal element geometry signifying unity, focus, and unceasing circulation). Because the facade curves continuously, there is not a single aggressive sharp corner (Jiao Sha) or dead-end corridor anywhere; Qi and 12,000 engineers circulate smoothly around the ring. Crucially, the vast green courtyard and pond at the heart of the circle serve as an Internal Bright Hall (Nei Ming Tang), nestled within the protective mountain bowl of the Santa Clara Valley to gather and retain creative vitality.