As if Mall of America isn’t big enough already.
Canada-based Triple Five Group, which owns the 4.8-million sf enclosed mega shopping center and mixed-use complex in Bloomington, Minn., submitted plans to the city for a $500 million, 1.1-million-sf addition that’s dubbed The Collections at MOA.
The Minnepolis Star-Tribune reports that the expansion calls for 580,000 sf of new retail and mall space on three floors that would target luxury shoppers, a 180-room luxury hotel, 120 full-time residences atop the hotel, and 168,000 sf of office space. A health club is also a possibility.
The proposal also includes a third parking structure with between 600 and 650 more spaces in two underground buildings.
Ryan Cos. US Inc. is the general contractor for this project, which is Ryan’s first involvement in Mall of America. The architect DLR designed the addition. If approved, work would begin next April with an opening scheduled for October 2018.
The plans show the enclosed areas bathed by natural light through at least three large skylights. This expansion would come on the heels of a $325 million “front door” project—known as Phase 1C—on the Mall’s north side that is still under construction, and includes a new seven-story office tower, a 342-room J.W. Marriott hotel, and specialized retail.
The first part of Phase 1C—a new food court on the third floor—opened to the public last month. The first and second floors won’t been accessible until next year.
TripleFive’s latest proposal is the first step of a grander plan whose second phase reportedly would include an even larger, 2-million-sf addition for retail, hotel, and entertainment space. If all of these various phases are ever completed, the Mall would encompass 8.8 million sf.
Mall of America, which opened in 1992, currently attracts 40 million visitors a year, two-fifths of whom are tourists. It houses more than 520 stores, and hosts more than 400 events annually.
Related Stories
| May 23, 2014
Top interior design trends: Gensler, HOK, FXFOWLE, Mancini Duffy weigh in
Tech-friendly furniture, “live walls,” sit-stand desks, and circadian lighting are among the emerging trends identified by leading interior designers.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 19, 2014
Why e-commerce won't kill 'bricks and mortar' retail sector
Despite emerging structural challenges and newly-announced store closings, such as those of Radio Shack and Office Depot, the U.S. retail sector has continued on its solid recovery.
| May 13, 2014
19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials
The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.
| May 11, 2014
Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.
| May 6, 2014
'Ugliest building in New Jersey' finally getting facelift
After a decade of false starts and mishaps, the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands may finally get built.
| May 5, 2014
8 modern trends in student dining
Creating a dining experience for the modern millennial requires not only a deep knowledge of good design, but also an understanding of what makes today’s students tick. Culinary designers and consultants provide insights into what trends are transforming the campus table.
| Apr 30, 2014
Visiting Beijing's massive Chaoyang Park Plaza will be like 'moving through a urban forest'
Construction work has begun on the 120,000-sm mixed-use development, which was envisioned by MAD architects as a modern, urban forest.
| Apr 29, 2014
Best of Canada: 12 projects nab nation's top architectural prize [slideshow]
The conversion of a Mies van der Rohe-designed gas station and North Vancouver City Hall are among the recently completed projects to win the 2014 Governor General's Medal in Architecture.
| Apr 29, 2014
USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard
The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.