The stories are true: the behemoth Beverly Center is getting a brand new look, and the future is truly brighter for the 883,000-square-foot shopping fortress because the remodel will focus heavily on windows. The LA Times reports that the biggest architectural change coming to the very '80s shopping center is the introduction of natural light into the space via vast skylights and a "window-dotted exterior."
The design process for the renovations took almost a year and involved tons of focus groups and "shop-alongs" with customers (we'll have further details and renderings after the official unveiling tonight)—the research told Beverly Center owner Taubman Centers that customers "felt the overall environment was feeling dated. But they didn't tell us specifically, 'I want a big skylight.'"
The reboot to the enclosed mall starts in late March and will be led by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, who was rumored to be involved all the way back in 2012 when the first stirrings of a renovation began.
The new Bev Center will also have a "perforated steel facade" on the outside of the building and an upgraded parking structure, which will include technology to tell drivers where spots are and also help them remember where they've parked.
The new Beverly Center will also lean hard on food, attempting to lure "increasingly fickle consumers" with nine fancy new eateries, and a new food hall on its top-level terrace. "We have been by far the weakest in food historically, and we will now become the strongest," Taubman Centers' chief operating officer says.
The mall will stay open while the remodel is in progress. The new Beverly Center is expected to be complete by November 2018.
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