IIDA Perspective - Summer 2019 - 28

because it creates a place for people to connect," Coss
says. "We are listening to our customers and providing
what they want by creating social spaces that enrich their
experience and provide opportunities to connect with one
another," he says.
Ivanhoé's efforts to merge retail and entertainment
don't end there, however. Last June the company
announced it would be introducing the first-ever mallbased family entertainment center from the Cirque
du Soleil at its Vaughan Mills mall in Toronto. The
24,000-square-foot (2,200-square-meter) immersive space
will include a wide variety of acrobatic, artistic, and other
Cirque du Soleil-inspired activities such as bungee jumping,
aerial parkour, wire and trampolines, mask design, juggling,
circus track activities, and dance.
This idea of malls as destination centers is inspiring how
new developments are being planned as well. The American
Dream mall, set to open later this year at the Meadowlands
in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be 3 million square
feet (278,709 square meters) of entertainment and retail
space. A product of Canadian-based developer Triple
Five, the center's entertainment offerings will include
a Nickelodeon Universe theme park, an indoor snow
park, an aquarium, and a water park. Culinary options
will include over 100 eating establishments, including a
gourmet food hall and a kosher food hall. On the retail side,
this new destination mall will include flagships from such
brands as H&M and Zara. Inspired by the high streets of
the world, the design for the shopping area of American
Dream will have an outdoor atmosphere that is indoors,
allowing for a year-round environment.
"We are redefining the future of retail and
entertainment and reshaping the customer experience,"
Don Ghermezian, president and CEO of American
Dream, said in a recent interview with WWD Studios.
"We are creating an environment that is customized to
meet the needs of our tenants and their brands to be
successful in the new retailing environment as well as
presenting our visitors with a 'must see/must experience'

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perspective

iida.org/perspective

destination that provides every convenience to make
their visit fun, easy, and carefree. People can come for
an hour or stay for three days-each visit will be unique
for them."

Revitalizing More Than Retail
Giving new life to these dead or declining spaces also
means thinking bigger than just the mall itself. "It's
important to think long-term about what the community
needs," says Galina Tachieva, managing partner at DPZ
CoDesign in Miami, and author of Sprawl Repair Manual.
For example, there is a big push to make communities
more walkable, especially among millennials who are

The key is rethinking [the mall's]
core purpose and expanding beyond
shopping to focus on memorable
experiences and connecting to the
community." -Derek Coss

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IIDA Perspective - Summer 2019

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