When is a shopping mall considered community-centric and socially relevant architecture? How does it blend the function of retail that requires economically efficient use of space with the function of community center that, in contrast, does not directly generate profit? One Mall Valenzuela presents a bespoke integration of retail into the community sensibilities. Both program and form is planned and designed based on the parameters governed by its stakeholders and context. Situated on a 7,570-square meter plot of land along Gen. T. de Leon Street- a considerably narrow two-way street, and the North Luzon Expressway- a major limited-access road, it carries a challenge to be both a soaring icon on one side and a congenial community mall on the other.
Answering the call for open spaces in the urbanized city North of Metro Manila, One Mall Valenzuela provides an accessible, functional, and safe open space for the community. It is programmed to maximize the potential of its 7,570-square meter plot area to provide a breathing space that the district currently lacks. The familiarity of greeneries amid a dense urban center is spread in the building through a link of green open spaces. Flanked with scandent community plaza from the street to the sky, it invites the community to explore its surprises. As a result, it allows permeability from ground up – creating a space that integrates retail with relaxation and community interaction. More than functioning as a place to shop, it becomes a place to mingle, relax, and linger which is consequently good for enterprises in terms of foot traffic.
