A major renovation and expansion project has transformed an aging property into a contemporary shopping mall in Surrey, B.C.
Guildford Town Centre is a prominent regional shopping centre that is currently undergoing a $280-million three phase redevelopment. It is one of the largest shopping centre redevelopment projects in Canada.
The revitalized centre will feature a blend of many new-to-market and fashion retailers, services, amenities, facilities, eateries and entertainment.
Opened in 1966, the mall has undergone a number of renovations since 1970.
Owned and managed by Ivanhoe Cambridge, the ambitious project to modernize the mall began in June 2010. Phase 1 included a brand new 165,000-square-foot Walmart Supercentre and a two-level parkade (1,800 parking stalls), completed in October 2011. Phase 2 and 3 began in September 2011, with the second phase expansion opening at the end of August.
The expansion to the south side of the existing mall involved the construction of a 405,000-square-foot, two-level building to accommodate a new food court and more than 80 new stores.
The new cast-in-place concrete structure required approximately 18,200 cubic metres of concrete and 910,000 kilograms of structural steel. The exterior is a combination of brick veneer units, glazing, and an exterior insulation and finishing system (EIFS).
When the project is completed in summer 2014 by Ledcor Construction, the centre will comprise 1.9 million square feet, making it the largest regional shopping centre south of the Fraser River.
Currently, the focus of the work is on finishing renovations in various areas, and completing the final realignment of the mall and surface parking improvements.
“We’re now doing the interior realignment, which is renovation work that could not be done until the new building was opened,” says Ledcor construction manager, Dana Buchart. “We will also be demolishing the north wing adjacent to Sears in January.”
The redevelopment plans have been on the boards since 2001/02, with a site plan approved by Ivanhoe in 2005. The mall required a new facelift to meet the needs of the growing area.
“Our goal is to position Guildford Town Centre at the cutting edge of design and retail trends,” says Daniel Fournier, chairman and CEO of Ivanhoe Cambridge. “As one of the largest development projects in our portfolio, this endeavour drew upon our company’s vast range of professional expertise to pull it off.”
Designed and master planned by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership Architects (MCMP), the 63 acre property has been a long standing project for the firm.
“Our firm has been a part of the renovations of this mall for a long time, including the design of the iconic glass pyramids,” says Celso Stifelmann, principal at MCMP. “With this current renovation, the main goal was to update and upscale the mall with a modern fresh look, while respecting its history and its importance to Surrey.”
The design concept was inspired by nature and the fact that Surrey is known as the “city of parks.” A new green, tree-like motif is reflected throughout the interior and exterior, as well as a renewed brand for the mall itself.
“We tried to bring that idea of green and parks inside the mall,” says Stifelmann.
That was accomplished primarily through the incorporation of massive interior and exterior green walls (more than 60,000 plants) and water features throughout the mall, among other design features.
Two beautiful exterior living walls, designed by Green over Grey, have been installed on the east and west sides of the pedestrian overpass that spans over 104th Avenue. At 10,000 square feet, it is the largest of its kind in North America and the highlight of the mall’s new landscape features.
Built from 100 per cent recycled materials, the walls feature 120 different plant species in a hydroponic, soil-free environment.
In the new spacious centre court, two 1,500-square-foot green walls with 59 unique plant species frame a waterfall.
“In total, we have almost 5,000 square feet of green walls and water features distributed within the building,” says Stifelmann.
He adds that four other green walls exist on the south and west facades of the mall, which use a slightly different technology.
The green walls also contribute a number of environmental benefits such as mitigating the urban heat island effect and improving overall energy efficiency.
The living walls are just one of several green features in the mall’s redesign.
The goal is for the mall to be the “new benchmark in sustainable development for eco-friendly shopping centres in Canada,” says Roman Drohmirecki, Ivanhoe Cambridge’s executive vice-president, Western North American, portfolio and portfolio services.
The new expansion is pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification, which will make Guildford one of the first shopping malls in Canada to achieve this status.
“In retail it’s very difficult to achieve such a certification,” says MCMP’s Stifelmann. “But Ivanhoe has a firm policy to meet the highest LEED standard possible.”
The design addresses sustainability in the key areas of transportation, energy, water and materials. The shopping centre’s new green features include: bicycle storage and change rooms for retail tenants and staff; electric car charging stations; an organic garbage collection system in the food court; low-flow water fixtures; and waste heat recovery. During the redevelopment, 75 per cent of the waste was diverted from landfill, and regional and recycled building materials were used where possible.
The mall features a high albedo (reflective) thermoplastic polyolefin single-ply (TPO) roof. The skylight system was replaced with a high-end performance glazing system, which will reduce heat gain and cooling loads.
“The large skylights provide generous amounts of natural light,” says Stifelmann. “(And) the lighting was completely redesigned with efficient fixtures – light coves, pendants and chandeliers.”
In addition to new lighting, the existing mall underwent extensive renovations and now features new floors, ceilings, railings and soft seating. Five new entrances were added while another five were renovated. There are now eight new sets of escalators and two new glass enclosed elevators. The glass elevator in centre court has a stunning water feature on its exterior glazing.
Another notable water feature is the one that runs along the exterior grand stairs that connects 152nd Street to 150th Street.
During this massive redevelopment, the mall remained open for business as usual. Keeping the mall operating and functioning smoothly was the single greatest challenge on the project, says Ledcor’s Buchart. Crews were on site 24-7 and renovation work took place at night with crews required to finish by 7 a.m. each morning.
Buchart credits the project’s success to good relationships and collaborative team work – both especially critical in a renovation project of this scale.
Working closely with Ivanhoe, MCMP and the tenants through mall operations, Ledcor was also able to reduce the construction schedule by approximately 18 months.
With its striking transformation, Guildford Town Centre Mall is now set to deliver a modern and unique retail experience in B.C.’s fastest growing city.
Phase 3 will see more than 20 retailers opening in stages throughout 2014, with more top national and international brands.
