Design International, which recently expanded into the GCC with an office in Dubai, has been at the forefront of shaping retail architecture trends for over 50 years; the latest being malls getting transformed into consumer centres.

As early as the late 60s, they designed pioneering shopping malls that successfully integrated the retail, F&B (food and beverages) and entertainment offer, such as Bugis Junction (Singapore), CoCoWalk (US), Odysseum (France) and Morocco Mall (Morocco).

This drive for innovation and outstanding design remains the hallmark of the group's work today, said the company in a statement.

In the past decade, visitor expectations of shopping centres have changed beyond all recognition. Today, nearly half of all visitors report that the non-retail offer drives both the number and length of visits they make to shopping centres.

Increasingly too, they expect to be able to access to services such as such as F&B (79 per cent), leisure/entertainment venues (64 per cent) or medical/health/wellness facilities (51 per cent).

Design International pointed out that the latest trend is that shopping centres are fast turning into consumer centres.

Responding at pace to these shifting demographics, behaviours and expectations of the consumer is one of the largest challenges facing designers and architects working in the sector, said the top design firm.

Headed by renowned retail architects, Paul Mollé and Lucio Guerra, the DI team recently attended the RECon Las Vegas, the global retail real estate convention, organized by the ICSC at the Las Vegas Convention.

During the three-day event, the company showcased some of its most recent work including the Plaza Patria extension, opening later this year. A much-treasured landmark at Guadalajara in Mexico, the project provides three levels of retail, a roof-top terrace with diverse dining options, a City Market including hypermarket and an 18-screen cinema with VIP screening.

The subsequent phase will comprise an 8-story hotel and office tower, said the statement from Design International.

Also on display was Maximall Pompeii, the striking new retail resort that is a key landmark in the major redevelopment programme for this historic Italian city; the Livat Centres in Shanghai and Changsha, China where regional shopping centres sit alongside Ikea-inspired apartments and office towers, and Reem Towers in Abu Dhabi, a mixed-use development that integrates retail with organic forms and dynamic living spaces, it stated.
 
Originally founded in Toronto, Canada, in 1965, Design International is now headquartered in London, with offices in Milan, Shanghai and Dubai.

It is an innovative architectural practice with vast experience on a global scale. Regarded as one of the industry’s leaders in retail architecture, the firm’s unique and diverse designs have seen the practice win many awards, as well as having a strong presence worldwide.

The company works across six integrated divisions: architecture, master planning, interior design, lighting design, landscape design, and graphic design.-TradeArabia News Service