Moshe Almani, Final Project. Instructore Dr. Yasha Grobman

Over two third of the Israeli public prefer to shop at the mall rather than at the market or at the city

streets. Although shopping malls provide only 17 percent of all Israeli retail area they hold about 40

percent of total retail income. They are identified as a place that provides a comfortable shopping

experience that is of high quality, fun, and easy to perform. Moreover, shopping malls are viewed as

a welcoming and safe place, enabling a versatile social interaction.

Due to the process of mall popularization, the streets are being deserted and no longer serve as a

place for commerce and public activities. The success of the “mall paradigm” results in the plans for

dozens of new shopping malls building in the near future. At the end the public has spoken:

shopping malls are better.

The shopping mall method has immediate advantages that dictate public preferences. Unlike the

traditional public space, the mall does not belong to the public but to its owners. It is a controllable

space and thus can be used to manipulate its visitors by creating a pseudo-social experience for the

sole purpose of encouraging shopping. Shopping malls are built in a very systematic manner

resulting in a uniform synthetic-like monotonous design. Additionally, unlike a retail street that

brings leverage to its surrounding, the shopping mall is a closed building acting almost as a “black

box” such that its success doesn’t contribute at all to its surrounding area.

Bringing back the public to city centers is a great challenge, which may be overcome by combining

shopping mall advantages with the qualities of street urban spaces. The urban mall creates a new

environment that performs as a merger between the mall and the street while acting as an

alternative superior to both. By planting the urban mall in a city fabric we create a place which

merges with its surrounding, and like a street it serves as a connection between different

destinations. Additionally, the urban mall maintains the dynamic nature, openness, and neutrality

of the street. On the other hand, being a different shopping region, the urban mall preserves the

comfort and security that are desired by its visitors. At the urban mall you will find the accessibility

to all the stores of an average shopping mall next to various stores at the surrounding streets that

will not be reached during a visit to the traditional mall.

Moshe Almani, Final Project. Instructore Dr. Yasha Grobman Architecture and Town planing, Technion 2008

The basic idea of an urban mall is the usage of abandon pieces of urban fabric and non usable or neglected areas. Hadar neighborhood is a good example of an abandon public space. The Hadar area

lays on a planar topographic step between down town Haifa and the Carmel neighborhoods. It is an historical center of the city. During the ninety nineties urbane processes of aging of the population

in Hadar has taken place along with a deterioration of the infrastructure and the accommodation conditions. These changes brought people to leave Hadar over the years. As a result, many areas in

Hadar have turned to be trading places of low quality merchandizes. Nordau and Hertzel streets are central trading places in Hadar, which also connect between two large parks. An urban mall, which

is placed along these two streets will be an anchor point and a linking factor to the whole area.

The Chosen Site

Foot print – 14000 sq\m

Buildings Foot print – 6000 sq\m

Herzel St

Nordo St

Life styleLeisureFashion

The structure is divided into three malls; each has its own theme:

fashion, lifestyle, and leisure; however these malls are connected

visually and physically along the path. In that way there are various

possibilities to wander through the design: either to choose one mall, or

to combine several malls together. By that the urban mall provides a

variety of paths each with different length and different experience.


Functional flow



Enterance sites and walking distances

35 50 105 75 50

70

160


In a traditional mall there are

several floors that are stacked one

on top of each other, while there is

a hierarchy of stores according to

floors. The urban mall system is

different such that there is no

similar space hierarchy. The

structure is divided into three

separated malls which combine to

the same level at every entrance.

Main Enterance


Side Enterance

Movement Promenade

Leisure

Lifesyle


Fashion

ParkingThe structure is divided into three malls; each has its own

theme: fashion, lifestyle, and leisure; however these malls are

connected visually and physically along the path. In that way

there are various possibilities to wander through the design:

either to choose one mall, or to combine several malls

together. By that the urban mall provides a variety of paths

each with different length and different experience.

Strolling patterns of shopers in the

mall.


Strolling habits of shopers in the mall

Length of typical shopping journies


The relative height and the distance between the three

malls and between the malls and the buildings constantly

changes and thus creates an interesting non-repeating

space.

Natural light enters the building through the linkage between the malls, flooding the passages with light.

Density

Lighting

Spatial relations


The urban mall grid is set by the negative space

of the buildings and by this it uses their

orthogonal grid and forms a new grid for the

structure. Therefore, the urban mall structure is

smooth and organic, and has a unique shape

which is why it is not assimilated completely in

the surrounding. The urban mall structure stands

independent like a bridge between the buildings

and does not use their structure.


The main entrances regions provide stay areas, in

which the vertical elevators and the rest rooms

are present. These spaces are in contrast to the

wandering space of the malls.


The rear façade of all the buildings of the two streets are sealed and at specific spots along the path

some existing former residential or office spaces inside the surrounding buildings are used as stores

that are part of the mall. The sealed areas are used for commercial properties. The stores in the urban

mall are free to have their unique designs, and themes, such that each store has a singular impact on

the way it is combined with the mall.

The bridge structure of the malls is laying on pillars that are disguised

by the surrounding buildings, and thus, while watching the urban mall

from Herzel street it seems like it is floating mid air.






Model

THANKS FOR CHOOSING

Herzel Facade

Documents

Moshe Almani, Final Project. Instructore Dr. Yasha Grobman