As an integral part of the professional team of experts, consulting on the proposed Mall of Limassol and partner at the Cypriot firm J+A Philippou Architects & Engineers, Dr. Pavlos Philippou, provides valuable insight on the benefits the proposed unique centre will offer the community in Limassol.

The proposed centre is different from most other malls or commercial centres currently operational in Cyprus. It is much more than just a “bricks and mortar” commercial venture and will be fully integrated into the existing community, offering more unique experiences in every way imaginable – More Choice, More Variety, More Differentiation, More Convenience, More Authentic Experiences, More Integration and More Family Focus.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic only intensified this propensity, giving rise to the concept of the ‘15-minute city’ popularised by many authors and politicians. The principle behind this concept is to increase the vitality of each urban area, reduce car dependency, promote healthy lifestyles, and improve the quality of life and wellbeing for all city dwellers. Hence the latest quest from communities is to have More on every level of interaction and experience.

By offering a complementary variety of both public and private spaces that are collectively accessible for gathering and interacting within a mixed-use area, these attempts seek to create opportunities for people from different backgrounds, cultures and age groups to connect and engage with one another in diverse settings – resulting in vibrant communities. It follows that these sorts of environments are inherently sustainable in various senses one can ascribe to the term – as they reduce long-distance travel, endorse sustainable mobility, upgrade and/or expand the public realm, promote resource efficiency, and preserve and/or promote green infrastructure (essential for biodiversity and ecological balance).

At the inception phase of the proposed Mall of Limassol it was noted that the surrounding urban area lacks public spaces and has limited commercial and leisure options. The chosen site is well-placed with a strong street front on Spyrou Kyprianou Avenue, a key commercial road, and is near a public school to the west and a growing residential area to the east and north. Additionally, the area already faces traffic problems. The proposed project is based on a strategy with four interconnected approaches to address these issues.

The proposed development aims to be completely different to a typical mall which is usually surrounded by large parking lots and disconnected from the city.  Instead, this project aims to engage actively with its surroundings while respecting the local residents.

Figure 1: The proposed Mall of Limassol’s key components

Beyond the project’s Main Retail Zone [please refer to Component 8 of Figure 1] the proposed development is equipped with an Agora [please refer to Component 3 of Figure 1], which provides local-traders and micro-producers the opportunity to offer their specialised products/services to the community and visitors of Limassol in a formal market setup. The project hereby acknowledges that real-estate affordability issues and the rise of online shopping have made it difficult for these target groups to showcase their skills and products. The proposed facility aims to address this by following the traditional concept of a market (Agora in Greek). It will simultaneously respect heritage, featuring arched windows with Juliette balconies and finishes in local sandstone, further supporting the quest for More authentic (real) experiences.

Furthermore, the proposed development provides an extended and complementary series of public and publicly accessible open spaces, which are meant to work in concert with the project’s indoor and covered-outdoor spaces. These include:

• A single, coherent and extensive (~ 5,230 m²) Public Park [please refer to Component 1 of Figure 1] in the residential part of the area, at the junction of Cosma Aitolou and 1^st October streets. This will be handed over (in terms of ownership) to the public but will be managed and maintained by the proposed Mall of Limassol as the epicentre of green infrastructure for the surrounding area. Not only does this offer a green buffer zone, but it integrates existing urban living into a mixed-use environment that offers More.
• An Urban Square at the junction of Spyrou Kyprianou Avenue and 1^st October Street [please refer to Component 4 of Figure 1], offers a new open public space, activated on two sides, and providing visual relief from the busy avenue. It serves as the face of the proposed Mall of Limassol, blending open spaces and historic architecture into a modern contemporary landmark for Limassol.
• A Green Buffer Zone [please refer to Component 2 of Figure 1], encompassing a terraced landscape area equipped with trees, providing visual continuity between the Public Park, Agora and Urban Square, while also visually shielding the local area from the project’s open parking area [please refer to Component 7 of Figure 1]. The aim of the project is to provide a visually pleasing façade experience to its neighbours, offering predominantly green view lines.
• A Piazza [please refer to Component 6 of Figure 1], located between the main retail zone and the Agora, comprising a selection of formal authentic restaurants in a vibrant ‘open-closed’ setup – physically linked to the Urban Square but on an elevated level.

Regarding key design decisions, all the project’s major activity is kept away from residential boundaries as evidenced, for instance, in the fact that most of the parking areas are positioned at basement level with the development’s primary vehicular accessibility resolved from the main avenue. It is also worth noting that the project’s height has been carefully calibrated in accordance with neighbouring buildings, minimising visual obstructions.

Together, these four components provide an ample, accessible and qualified series of open spaces for the visual and performative benefit of the surrounding inhabitants.

Concerning the urban area’s traffic challenges, the proposed development was compelled by the Public Works Department (PWD) to produce an unprecedented (in the context of Cyprus) and detailed Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Study, that took place under the close monitoring and incremental (step-by-step) approval by the PWD, which considered all relevant traffic-related matters (including parking provision and operational issues). Having carefully assessed the existing situation and how this will change with the project, several mitigation measures were agreed to with the PWD as part of its approval of the project TIA, including participating in the upgrading of the Public Road Network in the close vicinity of the project. These include, but are not limited to:

• Significant contribution to the area’s Public Road Network via the construction of new infrastructure – such as, roundabouts, and a new connection to the motorway
• In addition, other parts of the area’s Public Road Network are to be improved and/or upgraded – such as, road-junction improvements and the installation of smart traffic lights
• The control of delivery vehicles movements, through pre-determined deliveries time slots during low traffic hours
• Implement measures to promote the use of alternative transportation modes including:
  • Provision for shuttle bus service to/from the proposed development
  • Dedicated spaces and charging points for electric vehicles
  • Provision of at least 80 bicycle parking spaces (40 bicycle racks)

Collectively these measures seek to significantly improve the traffic situation and adequately address the emergent issues.