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Community Corner

Del Amo Fashion Center Incorporating Green Elements into Redevelopment Efforts

Living greenery walls, advanced lighting controls, and the reuse of demolished building materials are just some of the sustainable practices Simon Property Group’s Del Amo Fashion Center is incorporating into the complete transformation of South Bay’s premier retail destination.

Incorporating eco-friendly elements is key to the redevelopment of Del Amo Fashion Center, which includes the brand new garden-like Patio Cafes dining pavilion, as well as the upcoming creation of a new state of the art two-level mall, new entrances, landscaping, flooring and lighting upgrades, enhancements to the ambiance in the outdoor lifestyle village and a new Nordstrom slated to open in Fall 2015.

 “At Del Amo Fashion Center, we understand how important it is to our shoppers in the community of Torrance to do business with companies that are demonstrating their environmental awareness,” said Lindsay Hermance, director of marketing and business development at Del Amo Fashion Center. “Our goal is to take the lead in going green as we progress toward transforming the center.”

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Key components of Simon’s approach include initiatives to measure and reduce overall energy consumption, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the availability of recycling at 100 percent of Simon properties. 

“Because energy consumption is the most significant component of our carbon footprint, it has been and will continue to be a priority for our sustainability strategy,” said Ron Hanson, Vice President of Operational Efficiency for Simon Property Group. “What is taking place at Del Amo Fashion Center illustrates the many opportunities we have as a company to incorporate sustainable practices into our day-to-day operations.”

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Among the green practices being applied to the redevelopment of Del Amo Fashion Center are the re-use, salvage and recycling of roughly 95 percent of the demolished building materials from the north section of the mall, which is currently being demolished progressively and is slated for completion of demolition by late June.

But well before the first wall came down, Del Amo Fashion Center carefully planned for environmentally sensitive redevelopment that ensured building materials would be reused, salvaged or recycled. This includes the donation of interior light fixtures and finishes, as well as about 80 tables and 320 chairs from the old food court, to Gymnastics Olympica USA, a nonprofit gymnastic training center that has been a leader in physical fitness for children and adults for more than 28 years.

Other efforts included the salvage of approximately 2,500 sheets of roof plywood and 2,000 linear feet of wood beams for re-use. Recycling efforts included an estimated 240,000 square feet of rolled roofing composite, 600 tons of drywall, 200 tons of interior wood wall, 1,000 tons of steel, 10 tons of aluminum, 10 tons of copper, 5 tons of stainless steel, 30,000 tons of concrete, 25,000 tons of asphalt, 200 tons of landscaping and 250 tons of brick.

In addition, the redevelopment of Del Amo Fashion Center provides an opportunity to increase energy efficiency. The center is planned to exceed California’s stringent energy code requirements by more than 10 percent. All lighting will use LED technology; these high efficiency, energy efficient sources have long lamp life and are maintenance friendly. The center will also use skylights to introduce natural light throughout the center. Advanced lighting controls tied to the center’s energy management system will reduce energy consumption during the day through occupancy and daylight sensors that compensate by dimming the artificial light output as feasible.

Other environmentally-friendly initiatives include the use of high performance glass, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems equipped with variable frequency drives to optimize energy usage, high-efficiency hand dryers in all restrooms to minimize the use of paper towels, and low water flow throughout the property, which employ auto-flush valves and sensor-switched faucets.

The living greenery walls inside the Patio Cafes not only have aesthetic benefits, but also contribute to biodiversity, cooling air and reducing the urban heat island effect, reducing airborne particulates and adding oxygen.

“We encourage everyone in the Torrance community to check in on the progress being made at Del Amo Fashion Center via our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts and 3D architect renderings are also available on YouTube,” added Hermance. “This will provide up-to-date news on our renovation efforts.”

About Del Amo Fashion Center

Del Amo Fashion Center is the South Bay's retail destination for shopping, entertainment and dining. A complete transformation is underway at Del Amo Fashion Center, which includes a new garden-like dining experience called Patio Cafes, construction of a new state of the art two-level mall to connect the existing Macy's women's store with a new Nordstrom store, enhancements to the outdoor lifestyle village, additional parking capacity with a new 1,900 car garage, the addition of lush landscaping throughout the entire property, new informational signage, and improvements to customer circulation in and around the center. Completion of this work will be timed with the grand opening of Nordstrom in Fall 2015. Del Amo Fashion Center boasts more than 200 stores, including Macy’s, H&M, Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, Coach, and more. Visit the outdoor promenade and enjoy dinner at Stacked or PF Changs before a movie at our 18 screen AMC Theater. The indoor mall offers fashion for women, men and children plus jewelry, footwear and electronics. Del Amo Fashion Center serves the nearby communities of Palos Verdes, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach and Gardena. For a map and store listings, as well as directions, events and job listings, visit http://www.simon.com/mall/del-amo-fashion-center or call 310-542-8525.

About Simon Property Group

Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) is a S&P 100 company and a global leader in the retail real estate industry.  We currently own or have an interest in more than 325 retail real estate properties in North America, Asia and Europe comprising approximately 243 million square feet. We are headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S.  For more information, visit simon.com.

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