Drawing inspirations from a floating lantern, Apple on Thursday opened its unique store in Singapore’s Marina Bay that sits directly on the water. This is Apple’s third retail location in Singapore.

Apple’s Marina Bay Sands store is entirely surrounded by water, and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the city and its spectacular skyline.

The sphere is a first-of-its-kind, all-glass dome structure that is fully self-supported, comprised of 114 pieces of glass with only 10 narrow vertical mullions for structural connection.

An oculus is located at the apex of the dome provides a flooding ray of light that travels through the space, Apple says oculus is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The interior of the glass is lined with custom baffles, each uniquely shaped to counter sun angles and provide a nighttime lighting effect.

With trees lining the interior of the dome, the green garden city of Singapore flows into the store, providing additional shading and soft shadows through the foliage.

During the daytime, the new Marina Bay Sands store appears to look like an odd spacecraft of some sort or perhaps some form of futuristic theater. But at nighttime, when Singapore’s iconic skyline is lit in all its glory in the background, the store really comes alive and you can tell the company clearly designed it as an evening fixture best viewed in the dark.

According to  LiveMint