Tvsdesign partners with Mall Plaza to repurpose garage into retail

Antofagasta, Chile -- Atlanta-based tvsdesign said Monday it has partnered with Mall Plaza to repurpose the ground level of a parking garage into a high-end retail destination in Antofagasta, Chile.



The new retail destination, with tenants ranging from Roxy to Umbrale and Saville Row, opened in late 2011.



Mall Plaza wanted this new project to be an extension of Aires, a branded environment created by tvsdesign in 2010 and featuring a resort-like shopping district originally located in Plaza Vespucio.



According to tvsdesign, its goal is to transform a dark, single-level, column-filled parking garage into an open and inviting fashion district. The challenge to accommodate the client’s goals is threefold: how to adapt the Aires brand to fit into such an unusual location, how to bring the outside indoors and how to develop a design language that speaks to high-end shoppers.



In answer, “we made a conscious break from the traditional double-loaded corridor of most malls to create a new more intimate shopping destination that connects the shopper both visually and physically to every store.” said Donna Childs, principal at tvsdesign.



Chilean-based architecture firm, Luis Villanueva, developed the project construction documents. In addition to Antofagasta, tvsdesign is working with Mall Plaza’s Egana, an environmentally sensitive mall to be completed in 2013.