Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Santa Monica Place

This is a project by The Jerde Partnership and it is located at Santa Monica, CA, United States. Project's program: Specialty retail, department stores, dining deck, plaza and open space. There are fourteen images for Santa Monica Place.

: © Macerich

Project details

Project name: Santa Monica Place
Location: Santa Monica, CA, United States
Program: Specialty retail, department stores, dining deck, plaza and open space
Area: Site Area: 10 Acres • Gross Leasable Area: ~550,000 sf
Year: Construction: 2008 • Completion: 2010
Client: Macerich
Project by: The Jerde Partnership
Team: Principal Designer: David Rogers

Project images

Designer's statement

In a coastal city best experienced outside, the new Santa Monica Place takes the mall out of the mall and keeps with the city’s outdoor orientation and intimate scale. By removing the roof and gutting its interior, the project extends the vibrancy of Third Street, connects to existing pedestrian paths, and creates public plazas, maximizing the site’s potential with an open-air footprint that seamlessly integrates all four sides with the surrounding community. The project’s streetscapes reflect each particular context — intimate Third Street Promenade to the north, the serenity of the ocean to the west, the formality of the Civic Center the south, and urban Los Angeles to the east — and are enhanced with terra cotta, glass, stone, brick, and stainless steel elements integrated with unique patterns, varying dimensional openings, and lighting.

Pedestrian paths merge at the center with a new public court plaza that creates a distinct communal experience. This grand plaza is a signature element of Santa Monica Place, acting as the project’s heart on the main level while providing a vibrant gathering space for performances, art installations and other local events. Its elliptical shape, combined with the offset orientation of the two upper retail and dining floors, maximizes sunlight through all levels.

In addition to the grand plaza and pedestrian paths, on the third level is the signature Dining Deck featuring trees, an outdoor fireplace, cabana-style lounging cubes, and indoor/outdoor common area seating. The Deck is one of the few places where people can relax and enjoy views from the ocean to the mountains without having to enter any private or stand-alone facility.

The new Santa Monica Place is being considered for LEED Gold certification for adapting the enclosed center to an open-air facility with solar panels for energy efficiency; increasing pedestrian connectivity and connections to public transportation; using reflective roofing materials to reduce the heat island effect; and incorporating water-efficient landscaping and other conservation measures.

When the property re-opened in August 2010, the new complex — consisting of approximately 524, 000 square feet of gross leasable space across three levels — was 92% leased and 97% committed, attracting an estimated 200, 000 people on grand opening weekend alone. Designed to become a complementary extension of Third Street Promenade, businesses along Third Street have reported a positive ripple effect including record sales on the day of the center’s grand opening, and increased real estate property values. As economically and socially evident, the new Santa Monica Place highlights a successful retail repositioning, delivering a dynamic urban experience and communal space for gathering and interaction.