JPRA ARCHITECTS
Sep 1, 2006 12:00 PM
Retail design is changing right before our eyes. Developers and shoppers alike are demanding an alternative to the enclosed regional shopping mall. The “one-size-fits-all” approach is a thing of the past; the lifestyle and mixed-use, open-air centers of today are bringing about the future of retail, and JPRA is at the forefront of this trend.
The Domain, and its subsequent Phase II Development, Domain Crossing, located in Austin, Tex., developed by Simon Property Group, is a premier example of an open-air, fashion-anchored, mixed-use center. Scheduled to open in 2007, The Domain will provide visitors with 700,000 square feet of retail, cafés, restaurants, office, entertainment and residential space. The 57-acre development will house the area's first Neiman Marcus, as well as Macy's and an upscale Main Street Shopping District.
The master plan uses the sloping site to full advantage. Macy's and Neiman Marcus anchor two ends of a 1,500-foot-long Main Street with more than 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurants at street level. Several “vias” allow passage between buildings from Main Street to grade and also to elevated parking structures, thus dividing the street retail into blocks. Several blocks feature three to four levels of loft apartments totaling 400 units above the street-level retail. One block provides for an 80,800-square-foot office building on two floors above the retail. The linear street has diagonal parking along its length. The entire Main Street layout was planned around an orchard of existing trees, many of which were over 100 years old. One giant oak tree is centered on an “events” plaza surrounded by restaurants.
The strategy for leasing a diverse tenant mix coupled with the loft apartments is echoed in the buildings architecture. Proceeding from Macy's to Neiman Marcus, building materials change as price points and rents increase, from brick, wood, painted steel and concrete to stone, painted steel, galvanized metal, stucco and aluminum. The architecture is contemporary reflecting the traditional hill country style.
Contact Info
JPRA Architects
31000 Northwestern
Highway
Suite 100
Farmington Hills, MI
48334
Phone: 248.737.0180
Fax: 248.737.9161
Website: www.jpra.com
Size of Firm: 85
Year Established: 1978
Key Contacts:
James P. Ryan, Chairman
James Grigsby, President
William J. Beitz, Jr.,
Executive Vice President/COO
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