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Highlights |
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Westfield San Francisco Centre - Gerry Hutchings, manager of Cwmbran Shopping Centre, was particularly taken with the very first official stop – the Westfield San Francisco Centre, an enclosed, downtown mall - where a $440 million development project was completed last year. More … |
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Santana Row in San Jose - Santana Row in San Jose was the next stop – described as “one of the best examples” of the USA’s new generation of mixed use, open lifestyle centres by 3DReid’s Tom Hewitt. More … |
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Westfield Southcenter, Seattle - Another city, another Westfield! After flying north to Seattle, our first port of call was Westfield Southcenter where a $240 million, 400,000 sq ft extension opened in the summer (July 2008), bringing the centre to a total of 1.7 million sq ft in total. More … |
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Bellevue Square - Bellevue Square in Bellevue (8 miles to the east of Seattle) was a highlight for Don Nugent, who was particularly impressed with the hands-on management ethos of the centre, which has a number of things in common with the Dundrum Shopping Centre in Dublin where he is centre director. More … |
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University Village, Seattle - The final stop on the Seattle leg of the tour was University Village, located just north of downtown, close to the University of Washington campus. An open, single-storey ‘lifestyle’ centre, it was originally completed in 1957 but renovated and extended to 440,000 sq ft in 2003. More … |
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Las Vegas - It’s 870 miles from Seattle to Las Vegas, but the two cities are a world apart. Las Vegas seemed to amaze and excite, enthral and appal the tour group in equal measure. Many came expecting it to be completely over the top and it certainly didn’t disappoint, but there were also some unexpectedly positives. Carol Cooper from Land Securities’ Clayton Square Shopping Centre in Liverpool loved Vegas – particularly The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Forum Shops at Caesars Place - which she felt were “beautifully done”. More … |
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Fashion Show Mall, The Strip, Las Vegas - Also on The Strip, Fashion Show Mall impressed CBRE’s Mark Disney and clearly demonstrated the luxury of space that was so evident in most of the centres we visited in the US. At 1.89 million sq ft, it is one of the largest enclosed malls in the world. Fashion Show Mall represents a new generation of modern malls in Vegas. Themed yes, but around fashion, which relates directly to its retail function. And, using highly contemporary signature architecture – in the form of the 128-foot high, 480-foot long ‘Cloud’ canopy – to create a strong presence amid Vegas’ many distractions. More … |
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Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas - Several people – including Kelly Reed from Merry Hill, Adrian Price from BDP and Trevor Colman of Colman Architects - were impressed by the Fremont Street Experience – where dramatic light & sound shows displayed on 90-foot high, four block long barrel vaulted canopy, surprise and delight visitors on a nightly basis and are acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of Las Vegas’ historic, pre-Strip town centre. More … |
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Town Square, Las Vegas - Moving to the southern end of The Strip, away from the pulsating noise and bright lights, took the tour to Town Square – the final open, lifestyle centre on the trip. More … |
Westfield San Francisco Centre
Gerry Hutchings, manager of Cwmbran Shopping Centre, was particularly taken with the very first official stop – the Westfield San Francisco Centre, an enclosed, downtown mall – where a $440 million development project was completed last year.
Westfield San Francisco Centre now combines the 1980s-built San Francisco Shopping Centre with a redevelopment of the adjoining, long-vacant Emporium department store to create a 1.5 million sq ft, 9-level mixed-use scheme which includes Bloomingdale’s West Coast flagship store as well as a 350,000 sq ft Nordstrom, 190 shops, a nine-screen multiplex as well as offices and a satellite campus for San Francisco State University.
Gerry Hutchings was impressed by the way in which the redevelopment had retained many elements of the original period Emporium building – notably the front façade and the landmark dome – and impressively converted and extended it into an upmarket and architecturally beautiful retail destination.
Also, perhaps because of its downtown location and for the convenience of the people working and living in the city centre, it was the only scheme one to have a fresh food grocery offer in the “wonderful” Bristol Farms store (www.bristolfarms.com/locations/sanfrancisco.html).
The high quality food court at the Westfield San Francisco Centre – entirely leased to locally owned operators – was another highlight of the scheme. |
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Santana Row in San Jose
Santana Row in San Jose was the next stop – described as “one of the best examples” of the USA’s new generation of mixed use, open lifestyle centres by 3DReid’s Tom Hewitt.
Completed in 2002, Santana Row was intended to be North California’s answer to Rodeo Drive and with a tenant line up that includes Gucci, Burberry, Max Azria, Salvatore Ferragamo and Brooks Brothers it is in the top 4 malls in California by sales per sq ft.
The scheme also includes 20 restaurants – which act as a major anchor – as well as upmarket apartments, spas and salons and a 213-room boutique hotel. It has been designed – almost as a Hollywood set – to create a Mediterranean street atmosphere. It features a variety of building façades inspired by traditional architectural styles of Spain, Italy and the South of France, pavement dining on extra-wide sidewalks and street medians planted with mature trees, shaded courtyards and (artificial) lawns. There is even a genuine 19th century, neo gothic chapel façade (imported from France), overlooking an early 20th century fountain from Barcelona.
There is no doubt that Santana Row sparkled in the sunshine on the day we visited, upmarket and stylish, definitely a great place for lunch. But, to jaded European eyes it also felt rather superficial and – despite its valiant attempts to recreate a truly a Mediterranean atmosphere – somehow uniquely American. As Kelly Reid from Merry Hill commented “Santana Row, wow! Dogs in pushchairs and doggy educational events - only in America.” |
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Westfield Southcenter, Seattle
Another city, another Westfield! After flying north to Seattle, our first port of call was Westfield Southcenter where a $240 million, 400,000 sq ft extension opened in the summer (July 2008), bringing the centre to a total of 1.7 million sq ft in total.
The redevelopment at Westfield Southcenter has added 75 stores, a stunning new atrium and dining terrace, five new restaurants, a multiplex cinema and two new multi-storey car parks.
Many of the ‘tourists’ were unsure about aspects of the mall layout and interior design. The new atrium created a dramatic entrance feature and perfect home for a great food court on the upper levels, with acres of glass to make the most of the mountain views complimented by a natural wood structure and furniture to respond to the ‘outdoorsy’ lifestyles of the people of Washington State. However, beyond that, the design and quality of the new space was rather underwhelming and there was little relationship between it and the perhaps surprisingly stylish, gracious proportions of the original mall which opened in 1968.
Three key features of Southcenter have, however, stuck in the minds of those on the trip, most particularly:
• The fabulous play area and family changing/rest room facilities - brightly decorated and complete with TV and play area - are quite unlike anything seen in the UK.
• Comfy mall seating – armchairs and sofas – located around TVs showing local sports and news channels, encouraging people to hang out in the centre rather than just shop.
• And last, but by no means least, Southcenter provided a master-class in creating and exploiting income-generating advertising and promotional opportunities. The mall TVs and family areas were all sponsored, the interior of the new atrium had been given over to the promotion of Vespa (including advertising panels around the soffits on all levels and even under the escalators) and huge H&M banners ran along either side of old mall. And, there were RMUs everywhere – too many for some people, who felt they blocked sightlines and competed with full tenants – while others were impressed by the more unusual offers, self service ice cream anyone?
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Bellevue Square
Bellevue Square in Bellevue (8 miles to the east of Seattle) was a highlight for Don Nugent, who was particularly impressed with the hands-on management ethos of the centre, which has a number of things in common with the Dundrum Shopping Centre in Dublin where he is centre director.
Originally opened in 1946, Bellevue Square was one of the oldest centres we visited. It now stands at a total of 1.3 million sq ft, following various extensions and refurbishments over the years - including a $40 million renovation project which is currently in progress.
It is still owned and operated by the Kemper Development Company, the same local, family-owned real estate company – now it its fourth generation – that developed it in the 1940s and also owns the adjacent Lincoln Square, to which it is linked by a sky-bridge, as well as Bellevue Place and The Bellevue. The result is a charmingly paternalistic, community-focused style of ownership.
Anchored by Nordstrom, Macy’s and JC Penny, Bellevue Square is a commercial success story, attracting 16 million visitors per annum and delivering spend of more than $600 per sq ft. |
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University Village, Seattle
The final stop on the Seattle leg of the tour was University Village, located just north of downtown, close to the University of Washington campus. An open, single-storey ‘lifestyle’ centre, it was originally completed in 1957 but renovated and extended to 440,000 sq ft in 2003.
U-Village, as University Village is known locally, comprises two key elements – a flower-bedecked, pedestrianised street lined with small boutiques and cafés – and an upmarket shopping park with larger units surrounding well landscaped parking areas. Tenants include Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, Gap, Talbots and Apple.
David Fraser of study tour sponsors Harrison:Fraser complimented this centre for it’s “soft hands” approach to customer experience management. The scheme demonstrates that US shopping centre proponents often seem to have a far better understanding of the relationship between public and private spaces and the way in which that impacts on visitors than their UK counterparts.
At U-Village, clever architectural design and detailing successfully fuses a complex combination of different spaces, creating places specifically designed for the way customers want to live their lives. From the outdoor café in the Apple store, where customers sip coffee while consulting with the technicians or sales staff, via free umbrellas for shoppers to use, to having easily accessible key cutting and shoe repair kiosks in the car park. |
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Las Vegas
It’s 870 miles from Seattle to Las Vegas, but the two cities are a world apart. Las Vegas seemed to amaze and excite, enthral and appal the tour group in equal measure. Many came expecting it to be completely over the top and it certainly didn’t disappoint, but there were also some unexpectedly positives. Carol Cooper from Land Securities’ Clayton Square Shopping Centre in Liverpool loved Vegas – particularly The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Forum Shops at Caesars Place - which she felt were “beautifully done”.
One of the most surprising things about Las Vegas was the sheer extent of the retail offer, which is becoming an increasingly draw – as much part of a trip to Vegas as the casinos and the shows.
BDP’s Adrian Price was surprised a how well-connected public realm between the casinos is and by the strong sense of place the city has - in it’s own unique way of course!
The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Forum Shops at Caesars Place are part up market shopping centres, part tourist attractions and very Vegas. And they are among the most successful malls in the USA.
The 636,000 sq ft Forum Shops was the first destination mall on The Strip and is now the highest grossing mall in the USA. More than 160 shops and 13 specialty food shops and restaurants are arranged along malls that simulate ancient Roman streets – including fountains, statues, façades and even a Trojan horse - while the ceiling painted as the sky is lit so as to go through a 24 hour day every 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, the 500,000 sq ft, 90-store Grand Canal Shoppes features 90 stores in a recreation of Venice – complete with a ¼ mile long canal and serenaded gondola rides, cobbled streets, Disney-style remakes of St Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and the Doge’s Palace – and attracts some 20 million visitors a year. |
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Fashion Show Mall, The Strip, Las Vegas
Also on The Strip, Fashion Show Mall impressed CBRE’s Mark Disney and clearly demonstrated the luxury of space that was so evident in most of the centres we visited in the US. At 1.89 million sq ft, it is one of the largest enclosed malls in the world. Fashion Show Mall represents a new generation of modern malls in Vegas. Themed yes, but around fashion, which relates directly to its retail function. And, using highly contemporary signature architecture – in the form of the 128-foot high, 480-foot long ‘Cloud’ canopy – to create a strong presence amid Vegas’ many distractions.
With seven anchors - including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdales – and more than 250 stores, Fashion Show Mall is shopping on the grandest scale. Originally opened in 1981, a major expansion/refurbishment completed in 2003 added 500,000 sq ft of new space including an 11,000 sq ft food court. While the old and the new look and feel very similar, the differing site levels have resulted in what some people felt was a rather confusing mismatch where they join, with one mall seeming to come to an end in mid air.
At the heart of Fashion Show Mall – both physically and conceptually - is the fabulous catwalk that emerges - amid clouds of dry ice, pumping music and dramatic lights - from the mall floor in the Great Hall at regular intervals to play host to stunning, paid-for runway shows and other promotional activity that also acts as a major footfall driver in its own right.
The developers’ willingness to commit the level of budget required to create this feature, as well as its very active and high professional ongoing management (with a team of technicians, choreographers and stylists), impressed and surprised many of those on the tour. And also raised the question as to whether UK retailers would be willing to pay to be part of in-centre fashion shows.
Meanwhile, outside the mall, on banks of TV screens located under The Cloud, iPod’s iconic advertising provided pulsating music, visual excitement and another great example of successful commercialisation.
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Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas
Several people – including Kelly Reed from Merry Hill, Adrian Price from BDP and Trevor Colman of Colman Architects - were impressed by the Fremont Street Experience – where dramatic light & sound shows displayed on 90-foot high, four block long barrel vaulted canopy, surprise and delight visitors on a nightly basis and are acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of Las Vegas’ historic, pre-Strip town centre.
Fremont Street was originally established in 1905 at the heart of the original Las Vegas. It was the site of numerous firsts for the city including the first Nevada gaming license (issued to the Northern Club in 1931), the first elevator (in the Apache Hotel in 1932) and the first high rise (The Fremont Hotel in 1956). However, as the newer casino resorts along The Strip increasingly began to define Las Vegas for most visitors, the Freemont Street area declined.
In the mid-1990s, the Freemont Street Experience – complete with 12.5 million LED light modules and a 550,000 watt sound system with 208 speakers – was created above a pedestrian promenade and overlooked by casinos, retail units, kiosks, restaurants and cafés to create a major tourist attraction aimed at providing a much needed economic boost to the area.
Paul Truman of Chapman Taylor was also surprised and excited by the sheer scale of the canopy and the drama it creates, but this was tinged with disappointment that this was “old town” Vegas – a significant piece of American social history which had effectively been papered over.
The dramatic economic changes that took place during the trip, and have continued, caused Richard Cripps and Andrew Reaveley of Chapman Taylor to question the longevity of the project. “Perhaps the best example of the USA’s ‘blow the cost’ approach is the Fremont Street Experience. Spending $70 million to build a 0.5km long entertainment screen in the belief that visitors will be prepared to stray from The Strip is probably only feasible in Las Vegas” they comment. |
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Town Square, Las Vegas
Moving to the southern end of The Strip, away from the pulsating noise and bright lights, took the tour to Town Square – the final open, lifestyle centre on the trip.
Arranged around a network of streets and comprising 1.1 million sq ft in 150 shops, 20 restaurants and an 18-screen cinema complex, Town Square seeks to recreate a traditional American downtown environment.
The architects Development Design Group travelled across the USA to gather ideas and insights that would enable them to create an authentic rendition of a town centre that has developed over time. The result is 22 buildings and 70 different façade treatments each manufactured to look like original materials such as marble, stone and hand painted plaster. Arranged as city blocks the buildings radiate from a central ‘village green’ complete with babbling brook – which is used as an events space for regular promotions.
The green is also home to a fantastic 13,000 sq ft children’s playground – with hedge maze, 25-foot high tree house and stage – as well as kiosks selling ice creams, snacks and cold drinks.
Town Square has won numerous awards. However, set in the middle of a car park just off the freeway, with no residential included in the scheme or in the immediate vicinity, many people found that Town Square seemed to lack the soul of a real town centre.
Tenants include H&M, Apple, Abercrombie & Fitch, Sephora and Lucky Brand Jeans. |
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