Suddenly sophisticated A vertical expansion transformed an industrial fortress into a fashion-conscious town center at Santiago, Chile's Plaza Vespucio. Originally constructed as a single-level, dumbbell mall, the shopping center resembled an off-price warehouse. But after a renovation and image enhancement, Plaza Vespucio boasts a lively neighborhood setting. In the category of Renovated Enclosed Centers, Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, Atlanta, received an honorable mention for its design work on the project.
An exterior plaza was created to link the mall with a new subway station being built adjacent to the site. Lined with restaurants and sidewalk cafes, the plaza will become an active entertainment street that extends through the mall to engage the food court and the cinemas.
Adding a second level to Plaza Vespucio doubled the mall's GLA and transformed the mall's dark interior into a light-filled space. Ornamental trusswork supports the skylit, vaulted roof in a continuous span to create a grand and unifying volume. A palette of soft, neutral colors provides the interior warmth, elegance and a new level of sophistication that complements the mall's new fashion image.
AWARD RECIPIENT THOMPSON, VENTULETT, STAINBACK & ASSOCIATES Atlanta * tvsa.com J. Thomas Porter (senior principal); Mark Carter (principal/studio principal); Jose Montalvo (project architect); Patricio Silva (consultant architect) of DeGroote Molina, Silvia, deFierro Arquitectos; Donna Childs (senior associate/senior interior designer), Lucy Aiken-Johnson (interior designer) for TVS Interiors, Atlanta
Product Manufacturers/Suppliers: Theo Kondos Associates, New York (lighting design); Innovative Marble & Tile, Hauppauge, N.Y. (marble flooring)