Credit: Chuck Choi

Natick Collection

Through the renovation and expansion of one of America's first enclosed shopping centers, BBB has designed a new model for the ubiquitous suburban mall.

BBB has transformed The Natick Collection, a well-known Boston-area shopping center that first opened its doors in 1966, into a dynamic and architecturally significant, high-end retail environment. In addition to renovating the existing facility, BBB incorporated 100 new stores and 550,000 SF into an overall development that also includes luxury condominiums and below-grade parking. Natick, a Native American word loosely translated as "Place of Rolling Hills," provided inspiration for a design that incorporates a softly undulating arcade ceiling with curved clerestories and expansive skylights that filter in natural light. Large-scale custom porcelain tile in circulation zones, accented with curved patterns, evokes the richness of stone, and wood flooring on the second level provides an unexpectedly high-quality finish for a retail environment. To further animate the interior, landscape artist Martha Schwartz created a series of transformative vertical elements consisting of hanging canopies of colored metal leaves floating over groves of abstracted birch stalks.

 

Client

General Growth Properties, Inc.

Location

Natick, MA

Size

1.5 million SF (gross leasable area)

Completed

2007

Construction Cost

$300 million

People

FAIA, AICP
Partner Emeritus
AIA, CPHD
Partner
AIA
Partner Emerita
AIA
Principal
LEED AP
Senior Associate, Architectural Designer