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Mall Conversions


Repurposing vacant malls leverages the benefits of their central location and building footprint, bringing vitality back to neighborhoods.

The rise of e-commerce has led to a decline in popularity at malls over the years. As a result, many malls have suffered increasing vacancy rates, and some have even been demolished.


There are a number of examples of innovative adaptive reuse projects in the US:

  • St. Lawrence Centre mall is being considered as an e-Sports arena

  • Big Snow sits within Jersey’s American Dream Mall

  • Avalon Alderwood Place will be a 300-unit apartment complex with underground parking

  • Samsung and Casey Neistat Turned an Abandoned Shopping Mall Into a Winter Wonderland for Kids

  • San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria was converted into a mixed-use development that includes apartments, offices, and retail space.

  • Downtown Burlington High School was once a department store

  • Minneapolis, Midtown Global Market was converted into a marketplace

Benefits of adaptive reuse include:

  • Revitalizing public space by bringing new activities to buildings with diminished use.

  • Economic development, creating new jobs replacing those lost.

  • Reduced embodied carbon and waste by preventing the demolition of existing buildings.

The decline of many malls presents a new opportunity to create a new vibrant centre of commerce in communities. Adaptive reuse of malls is win-win - contributing to a more sustainable future and an immense revitalization opportunity.

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