Local • Art Filled • Resort Retail
Park West is an open-air entertainment/ retail center located in Peoria, AZ one exit north of the Phoenix football and hockey sports center. Phase one is 355,000 sf and offers 9 restaurants, 54 specialty retail stores and a 14-screen movie theater. It is part of a mixed use land development that includes multifamily housing.
• Green field development
• Acquired during initial construction
• Three month full redesign and City approval
• Redesigned to address new Leasing strategies:
– accommodate community and national retailers
– elevate brand identity and uniqueness
– improve customer amenities
– add shading
– elevate brand identity and uniqueness
– improve customer amenities
– add shading
• Redesigned to resolve technical issues:
– add adequate power, disposal and services
– reduce facility maintenance and lifecycle concerns
– accommodate changing lease agreements
– accommodate expedited procurement and construction schedules
– reduce facility maintenance and lifecycle concerns
– accommodate changing lease agreements
– accommodate expedited procurement and construction schedules
Site Plan
Park West is an inherited plan. GGP bought the properties with the foundations in place for most of the buildings and utilities started. Over a three month period we redesigned the building finishes and details, some structure, utilities, and amenities and obtained a revised City review and approval. The process was expedited and full of challenges.
Unique to this project is a public right of way in the middle of the project. It is devised to provide access to adjacent multifamily units and to share development costs with the City. For retailers and customers however it is a real challenge. The City requires a center island with an art display, street parking and increased street lighting. Most of the retail parking is in the rear of each retailer with a passageway access walk. The distance of travel and back of house esthetics are excessive. The solution is to make features of these issues, addressed pedestrian transitions and use visual cues such as paving colors and palm trees assist. Many feature and art installations are designed improve unattractive planning issues.
Local . Art Filled . Resort Retail
Park West is an open-air lifestyle center located in Peoria, AZ one exit north of the Phoenix football and hockey sports center. Phase one is 355,000 sf and offers 9 restaurants, 54 specialty retail stores and a 14-screen Harkins Theatre. It is part of a mixed use land development that includes multifamily housing.
To set this property apart from the ubiquitous community center designs found throughout Phoenix we introduced local flavor, installed art elements throughout and designed features that replicated resort living.
Neighborhood Design
A place for retail. A place for living. Design is that just that much better when it facilitates community.
Local . Artful . Inspiring
Park West is an open-air lifestyle center located in Peoria, AZ one exit north of the Phoenix football and hockey sports center. Phase one is 355,000 sf and offers 9 restaurants, 54 specialty retail stores and a 14-screen Harkins Theatre.
Park West is an open-air lifestyle center located in Peoria, AZ one exit north of the Phoenix football and hockey sports center. Phase one is 355,000 sf and offers 9 restaurants, 54 specialty retail stores and a 14-screen Harkins Theatre.
Local artists groom the space with contextual art in the tradition of Native Americans and Spanish design.
Shopping to discover and share
The adventure begins with exploring and spending time with family and friends. The reward is a lifetime of memories. Places matter.
A Neighborhood oasis for Desert dwellers
Finding Inspiration
Art has a way of inspiring direction without dictating solutions. It has also proven useful to focus creative teams and clarify a philosophical direction. Many in the industry create collages of previous solutions to describe the direction they are advocating. This typically leads to copied solutions however. I have found that it is a lot easier to step outside what is known and discuss what can be when you're looking at an impression.
Underwater
Luxury leisure living in the desert instinctively includes water in some form. The sensation or even the perception of water balances out the harshness of the desert. The juxtaposition of the two is primal, understood by all and predictably works to calm our spirit.
This artwork is part of my early exploration of this phenomena. They are literal representations of cacti under water. I found it interesting how similar they were to sea life. I also found it interesting how classic and nostalgic the images felt. These helped ignite the philosophical framework for making decisions on Park West. They directly influenced the final Agave logo and graphic pylons. And they helped inspire the classic western movie undertones in the final building solutions.
Innovation
In the center of the project is a public right of way required to access the associated multi-family housing on site. As part of the agreement this drive needs to meet city street standards which includes angled parking and a wide center island. To mitigate the imposing width of the street and encourage shoppers to cross we widened and paved the cross walk areas with brick pattern, set up palms along the edge to designate the walk, extended building canopies out to the parking, and landscaped and lit the island to coordinate with the centers landscaping.
We also went a step further and created a cost effective sculpture garden in this island. The visual interest shortens your attention focus and eases the perceived width. You still see the stores beyond but now you have something to engage with along the way. The visual trick works.
It also works driving the street. You enter at the the monument sign with a lit agave graphic cube. As you progress through the site along the main access additional cactus cubes appear in a graphic planting of cacti. All of the street light poles and utilities fade away.
Initial Entrance Monument Design
I grew up watching 60s and 70s westerns. When tasked with finding a unique esthetic for Park West I looked to that context and the natural environment. Most centers in Phoenix play off the tan and pink adobe heritage. This approach uses a strong, warm dark tone with warm accents and than water tones. The solution above packages the esthetics of 60s westerns in bold, modern lines. The graphic element at the end adds both water and desert texture. And most importantly this esthetic is a cost effective solution that is translatable to a many applications.
Development and Leasing took issue with the height of this application and thought it was too understated for its location. The final design below addresses their concerns.
Innovation
In the center of the project is a public right of way required to access the associated multi-family housing on site. As part of the agreement this drive needs to meet city street standards which includes angled parking and a wide center island. To mitigate the imposing width of the street and encourage shoppers to cross we widened and paved the cross walk areas with brick pattern, set up palms along the edge to designate the walk, extended building canopies out to the parking, and landscaped and lit the island to coordinate with the centers landscaping.
Main Entrance Monument Sign
Similar to the initial design this solution adopts a western esthetic and an Agave-water element. The Agave is an organic geometric pattern that looks as though it is sprouting from the sign. It stands 16' tall, attracts from down the street, marks the main entrance, and begins procession into the project and City required art feature.
To save money on the final installation we changed the base from stone to cast in place concrete with a form liner. Instead of printed glass we used a vinyl on the inside of acrylic. The overall effect still works and the change in quality isn't perceivable to motorists.
Iridescent Cacti
In these images cacti become iridescent similar to that of underwater coral or sea creatures. Sometimes to find a new solution you have to explore and play with ideas. This effort led to a cost effective solution for a City required art display. It is interesting how well they represent both desert and sea environments.
Graphic Lanterns
Lighted graphic lanterns dot the center drive aisle as part of a geometric planted cactus garden. Similar to the entrance monument we chose to use a vinyl on the inside of acrylic to achieve the graphic effect and save cost. These features are accessible to automobile traffic only. During the day they serve as accents to the landscaping but at night they glow with cactus patterns as features. This solution proved to be a cost effect way to meet the City's requirement for art in the center drive aisle.
Graphic Lanterns
Lighted Graphic lanterns dot the center drive island. This along with geometric cactus planting layouts meets the City's required art display.
Graphic Lanterns
Lighted Graphic lanterns dot the center drive island. This along with geometric cactus planting layouts meets the City's required art display.
PARK WEST Inspiration Art
A living space that adapts
to your needs and moods
PARK WEST Inspiration Art
PARK WEST Inspiration Art