Fashion Valley Mall

As retail environments continue to evolve, there is a growing trend toward transforming traditional spaces into dynamic, multi-use destinations that align with the local lifestyle and help define the ways communities come together. 

At Fashion Valley Mall, an upscale shopping center in the Mission Valley area of San Diego, California, owner Simon Property Group was completing a multi-phase, multi-million-dollar renovation that would elevate and transform the space from a traditional open-air mall into a mixed-use destination with 100,000 square feet of new retail space, plus luxury residences aligned with San Diego’s relaxed lifestyle and stunning aesthetics. 

To accentuate the project and draw in shoppers, the owner was seeking modern amenities that unified the center’s uses into a cohesive whole while providing a gorgeous backdrop to the mall’s updated look and vibe. 

Idea 

As the retail center welcomed more luxury brands, OTL was called in to redesign and refurbish two architectural fountains at the property – one near Macy’s and one near Bloomingdale’s – to evoke the easygoing coastal lifestyle of San Diego. Along the way, our team overcame several challenges. 

This job required some creative scheduling to meet the client’s needs. The shopping mall needed to stay open to shoppers during the day while construction happened at night, so the OTL team devised a plan to keep the project moving in the evenings, as well as to keep the works-in-progress protected during the daytime.  

Another challenge came up when the team discovered some discrepancies between the as-built documents and the actual vault pipelines for one of the fountains. Working with the general contractor to resolve the issue, the team was able to keep the project on schedule.  

Despite some additional challenges in finding a source for the desired color of tile for one fountain, and budget constrictions on the other fountain that needed more extensive renovation, the team was able to clear the hurdles and deliver two fountains that exceeded the client’s expectations.  

Impact 

The fountains’ refresh is helping to redefine Fashion Valley Mall as a vibrant mixed-use destination. These water features serve not only as aesthetic focal points but also enhance the overall visitor experience, embodying the seamless blend of nature and modernity that is central to this transformation. 

By upgrading the existing fountains, OTL assisted our client in delivering an outstanding lifestyle center that would draw in shoppers from near and far and create a sense of place that accurately represents San Diego.