American shopping malls by Hammer Design

Nelson Hammer is one of the United States' top landscape architects. These are some examples of shopping malls designed in the 1990s by Hammer Design Landscape Architects and installed by Initial Tropical Plants, USA.

 

Above four images. The Maine Mall, Portland, Maine was built in 1971 and enlarged in 1983. The mall was renovated in 1994 when, among other things, light levels were dramatically increased by the addition and enlargement of skylights. The three largest skylit courts were fitted with permanent planters that contain 6m (18 ft) tall weeping figs and dense underplanting. The tree planters here, and elsewhere in the mall, were custom made with a natural wood finish. Other areas in the mall are also planted with smaller trees. These plants serve to define their spaces and help direct the flow of pedestrian traffic.

Above. The Hanover Mall in Hanover, Massachusetts, was renovated in 1999. The public spaces of the mall were landscaped, with special emphasis on skylit courtyards throughout the length of the 'street'. The major trees were black olives (Bucida buceras) which were chosen for their attractive appearance and to give a distinctly different visual effect from the more commonly used weeping fig trees. Smaller trees and plants were placed throughout the rest of the mall as seating backdrops and as directional markers to help the flow of pedestrian traffic.