In the UK, a growing number of developers and shopping centre owners have begun to recognise the benefits of offering a fully rounded consumer experience as a means of increasing footfall and dwell times. Yet while this generally involves adding aspects to an existing complex such as a cinema, a food court or a gym, one German shopping centre has pushed the boundaries in terms of what can be offered in terms of leisure facilities.
This week, it was announced that German architectural studio J Mayer H has been awarded the contract to design the new Volt Berlin concept store, which will be located between Alexanderstrasse and Voltairestrasse in Berlin. However, this will not be just any run of the mill shopping centre – as well as a hotel, an anchor department store and several restaurants, Volt Berlin will offer customers the ability to indulge in a spot of surfing or skydiving whilst browsing the surrounding stores.
In order to best showcase the activities on offer within, J Mayer H has created a design made up of several clusters of “boxes”, with a horizontal glazing slice running through the centre of the building to create a large viewing window for the skydiving and surfing facilities. The total floor space of the centre is estimated to be around 30,000 square metres and J Mayer H hopes construction will be completed in the next few years as work is due to begin in early to mid-2015.
In a statement, the studio explained a little more about the aims of the centre and discussed how the design would allow for a range of activities to be safely conducted within the complex.
It said; “The experience cluster is a fusion concept combining a multi-brand store, various experiential offerings, events, and a hotel, and is directed towards adventurous visitors with a focus on a smart urban lifestyle.
“This [horizontal glass] intermediate space, located at the level of the train viaduct, will host the centre’s most important attractions; indoor skydiving and a surf wave.”
While the concept is no doubt ground breaking, the question is whether consumers will react positively to both the design and the leisure offer showcased within the Volt Berlin development. Similar initiatives, such as installing a bungee jump in the car park of a shopping centre or within a town centre, have worked well in the past as a short-term novelty, but having indoor skydiving and a surf wave as a permanent fixture – and, indeed, the main attraction – of a retail commercial property is something more of a gamble, especially as both will significantly add to operating costs due to maintenance and insurance necessities.
Volt Berlin’s ambitious centrepieces will either make a splash or fall to Earth with a bang, but one thing is certain: J Mayer H has raised the bar in terms of leisure offers, and it is now up to competitors to play catch up.
Do you think a similar initiative would prove popular in the UK, or is indoor surfing and skydiving a step too far for consumers?
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