Shopping mall Weidevenne
Certain factors in designing shopping centres are always of interest as was for the shopping mall Weidevenne. The shopping area, the atmosphere, the logistics, parking, and the supply and export of goods are all essential for the operation. The quality of the environment however is equally important. The centre area is largely determined by the quality of the shopping area while the quality of the centre area in turn contributes to the quality of the district Weidevenne.
Therefore, the connections between shopping, facilities and location are very important. During workshop sessions, various models, using different scales, for the location were tested. These sessions with all involved parties proved to be very effective in order to get a clear and realistic picture of the possibilities for this site. One of the first questions that had to be answered was the following: should the mall have an open character, such as conventional shopping areas have, or a closed character, like a market hall or shopping mall traditionally has? There are arguments on both sides. In an open mall weather plays a major role in the consuming behaviour of people. Sunshine is fun and rain is unpleasant. An indoor shopping area has a consistent quality of shopping, but has the disadvantage that openness and contact with the outdoors are missing. Accessibility is another concern. In an open mall the shops can be reached by day and by night. In a shopping mall this is regulated. How would the alternatives contribute to or diminish the degree of social supervision and what is the atmosphere of a desolate area at night?
The shopping centre designed by us has the shape of a triangle. The shops are placed on two sides of the triangle, thus creating a square. At the same time the roof functions as parking: it provides sufficient parking places for all visitors, so the ground floor can be free of cars. The roof has a large opening in the middle, making the square partly roofed and partly open. Due to the shape of the square and the slope of the roof, the shopping area opens itself up to the surrounding housing and neighbourhood facilities. There is a partly absorbed terrace on the entrance side, with restaurants and shops next to it. This area strengthens the contact with the water and the open atmosphere. The shopping centre is connected with the rest of the centre area by two bridges.
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