Santa Monica Place Mall, Los Angeles Retail Center, LA Shopping Design, Image

Santa Monica Place Mall : Los Angeles Shopping Center

Retail Development by Omniplan in LA, California, USA

Aug 12, 2010

Santa Monica Place

Santa Monica Mall

Design: The Jerde Partnership

Program: Retail ; Entertainment ; Redevelopment

In a coastal city best experienced outside, the new Santa Monica Place takes the mall out of the mall and keeps with the city’s outdoor orientation and intimate scale. By removing the roof and gutting its interior, the project extends the vibrancy of Third Street, connects to existing pedestrian paths, and creates public plazas, maximizing the site’s potential with an open-air footprint that seamlessly integrates all four sides with the surrounding community.

The project’s streetscapes reflect each particular context—intimate Third Street Promenade to the north, the serenity of the ocean to the west, the formality of the Civic Center the south, and urban Los Angeles to the east—and are enhanced with terra cotta, glass, stone, brick, and stainless steel elements integrated with unique patterns, varying dimensional openings, and lighting.

photos © Macerich

Pedestrian paths merge at the center with a new public court plaza that creates a distinct communal experience. This grand plaza is a signature element of Santa Monica Place, acting as the project’s heart on the main level while providing a vibrant gathering space for performances, art installations and other local events. Its elliptical shape, combined with the offset orientation of the two upper retail and dining floors, maximizes sunlight through all levels.

In addition to the grand plaza and pedestrian paths, on the third level is the signature Dining Deck featuring trees, an outdoor fireplace, cabana-style lounging cubes, and indoor/outdoor common area seating. The Deck is one of the few places where people can relax and enjoy views from the ocean to the mountains without having to enter any private or stand-alone facility.

The new Santa Monica Place is being considered for LEED Gold certification for adapting the enclosed center to an open-air facility with solar panels for energy efficiency; increasing pedestrian connectivity and connections to public transportation; using reflective roofing materials to reduce the heat island effect; and incorporating water-efficient landscaping and other conservation measures.

When the property re-opened in August 2010, the new complex—consisting of approximately 524,000 square feet of gross leasable space across three levels—was 92% leased and 97% committed, attracting an estimated 200,000 people on grand opening weekend alone.

Designed to become a complementary extension of Third Street Promenade, businesses along Third Street have reported a positive ripple effect including record sales on the day of the center’s grand opening, and increased real estate property values. As economically and socially evident, the new Santa Monica Place highlights a successful retail repositioning, delivering a dynamic urban experience and communal space for gathering and interaction.

Santa Monica Place – Building Information

Project name: Santa Monica Place
Client: Macerich
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Program: Specialty retail, department stores, dining deck, plaza and open space
Area: Site Area- 10 Acres ; Gross Leasable Area- Approx 550,000 square feet
Year: Construction- 2008 ; Completion 2010
Project by: The Jerde Partnership
Team: Design Principal – David Rogers
Text: Courtesy of The Jerde Partnership
Images: Courtesy of Macerich and The Jerde Partnership

Santa Monica Place images / information from The Jerde Partnership

The Jerde Partnership

Aug 12, 2010

Santa Monica Place Mall

Frank Gehry’s Santa Monica Place Mall Deconstructed in a Green Renovation by Omniplan

Shopping mall takes its top off; renovation is part of a “de-malling” revolution that replaces windowless shopping centers with neighborhood-friendly, open-air retail districts.

pictures : Babak Bassir

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Santa Monica Place a 1980 design by the renowned architect Frank Gehry, has been radically repositioned with a green renovation that opened Friday, August 6, announced Dallas, Texas-based architecture firm Omniplan. Executive architect Omniplan revamped the mall in association with Jerde Partnership; the formerly enclosed structure is now an open-air retail building that is integrated into the surrounding urban environment.

The 500,000-square-foot, three-story shopping and dining destination features upscale retail more suited to the neighborhood than the previous tenant mix, as well as new amenities such as a third-floor Dining Deck with views of the Pacific Ocean. Removing the roof and adding environmentally friendly features has also allowed developer Macerich, which acquired the property in 1999, to target LEED Silver certification.

“Our goal with Santa Monica Place was to connect it to its surroundings,” said Tipton Housewright, FAIA, LEED AP, Omniplan Principal. “The new structure is open to the neighborhood on all sides and the public areas remain accessible 24-7. We’re thrilled to be part of creating this exciting new retail destination in Santa Monica.”

Santa Monica Place is located two blocks from Santa Monica Beach along the popular pedestrian Third Street Promenade, one of Los Angeles County’s premier retail destinations. The Gehry-designed mall, which underwent basic renovations in 1991 and 1996, reflected the completely enclosed retail style of its time. Because it interrupted the natural flow of pedestrian traffic, it became increasingly out of sync with Santa Monica’s lively outdoor culture.

pictures : Babak Bassir

Enclosed malls have fallen out of favor, with open-air malls becoming the preferred standard for communities, particularly as retail moves back to urban centers. Just two enclosed regional malls are currently under construction in the United States. The redevelopment of Santa Monica Place took into account the community’s concerns in its openness, adaptation of the original mall structure, and environmental friendliness. The redesign reflects the wishes of Santa Monica residents and transforms the facility into a true, green regional asset.

About Omniplan
Founded in 1956, Omniplan is committed to elevating the quality of communities’ built environments. With offices in Dallas and Phoenix, the firm has worked in 38 states and 6 foreign countries and focuses on the commercial and institutional arenas with special emphasis on large-scale commercial retail and mixed-use developments and facilities for institutions of higher education, especially those related to science and technology. Omniplan was named 2000 Firm of the Year by the Texas Society of Architects and recognized as the Firm of the Year by the American Institute of Architects, Dallas Chapter, in 2009.

Frank Gehry

image of the architect

Location: Santa Monica Place, Los Angeles, Southern California, United States of America

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