Would you consider living in a place like this?

If you were in charge of design, what would you do in our own Arnot Mall?

I was going to say I could live in one of these small apartments until they said no open flames. I want my stove lol.

Sears area would be the apartment suite, im betting you could get quite a few good sized 2/3 bedroom units in there, would likely install skylights in the roof above along with solar panels to help keep utilities in check, at least for the hallways to keep the building light and "airy", however many exterior entrances there are would be key card or buzz-in only as with the interior opening into the rest of the mall.

use part of the sears parking lot for storage sheds to be included with the rent, maybe some covered parking with solar panels on those roofs

1 minute ago, ADAM said:

Sears area would be the apartment suite, im betting you could get quite a few good sized 2/3 bedroom units in there, would likely install skylights in the roof above along with solar panels to help keep utilities in check, at least for the hallways to keep the building light and "airy", however many exterior entrances there are would be key card or buzz-in only as with the interior opening into the rest of the mall.

use part of the sears parking lot for storage sheds to be included with the rent, maybe some covered parking with solar panels on those roofs

Sears portion is privately owned and not part of the mall ownership. I believe it operates as a rental area for boats, RV's and such

2 hours ago, Ann said:

I was going to say I could live in one of these small apartments until they said no open flames. I want my stove lol.

Thats an insurance issue I'm sure but honestly in a complex like that it would not be needed.

10 hours ago, KarenK said:

Sears portion is privately owned and not part of the mall ownership. I believe it operates as a rental area for boats, RV's and such

Okay but we’re talking a hypothetical blank slate, to do anything you want with here.

12 hours ago, Ann said:

I was going to say I could live in one of these small apartments until they said no open flames. I want my stove lol.

The solution is simple: electric ranges.

Residential

I would at least utilize all of the former anchor stores on the outer perimeter, and perhaps every thing outside of the red lines, as apartments first, offering 1 or 2 bedroom options with small living/dining areas, bathroom and kitchen.

The residential sections would have both interior and exterior access, with the interior limited to residents only. In addition to apartments I’d perhaps add some perks for residents such as a private gym and maybe a “community room”.

Such a large parking lot around those areas would be unnecessary so a lot of it could be converted to garden areas, as well as a solar array.

Commercial

The movie theater could stay, with access to the public from the current entrance.

Everything inside of those red lines, with some give or take if necessary, would be open to commercial space as the market demands. Focus would be on both the public as well as residents, the latter perhaps taking advantage of businesses such as a bookstore/newsstand, coffee shop, maybe a convenience store as well as business that would appeal to the general public. The focus should be on smaller and locally owned as much as possible.

The food court would remain, although perhaps renovated to accommodate at least one nicer sit down restaurant in addition to whatever other food offerings the market allows. Perhaps a pub of some kind. ( Locations such as Ruby Tuesday and Mooneys, which have exterior access, could also be considered for continued use and open to the public. )

Center court would remain largely as it is, albeit with more plants aping, making it almost an indoor “town square” offering space for indoor farmers markets, holiday and other events.. whatever the imagination can dream up.

11 hours ago, KarenK said:

Thats an insurance issue I'm sure but honestly in a complex like that it would not be needed.

I would need a stove to bake, cooking…meh 😂

I like the idea of housing that facilitate “built in” customer traffic (that the events and exhibits in the corridors used to do). 

But I’m doubtful that this concept would really be suitable or practical for most malls. Specifically Arnot Mall would probably need major structural renovations to accommodate housing. 

Off the top of my head I'd say the first obstacle is windows. 

The narrator does mention limited windows and notes that they’re important for “natural light”...and then she says “usually, only the exterior facing retail spaces are suitable for housing.” 

She’s on spot that natural light is essential. I’ve worked in large facilities with windowless interior office space. No matter how spacious or well-lit they may be, it feels claustrophobic and soul-sucking to endure for just 8 hours.   

But I’d say there’s a lot more to it than that. Besides “natural light”....it’s just unsafe to have a residential unit with no secondary egress (and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal is most jurisdictions). 

Other than perhaps a few fixed display windows near anchor store entrances, Arnot Mall in particular has almost no windows.  So even exterior facing stores aren't ready to live in.

At best, those few fixed windows could be retrofitted with windows that open. Even in that case, I feel like fire code only considers a window as an acceptable secondary egress if it’s a certain distance away from the primary exit.

Any real windows that meet code would likely require taking down and replacing exterior walls since just busting through concrete and rebar seems like a bad idea.

Edited June 20Jun 20 by MsKreed

“…add exterior windows.”

Got it. 😀