| Client | A green diamond in Zwolle Zuid for Altera and the municipality of Zwolle |
|---|---|
| Specialities | Area Development |
| Location | Zwolle |
| Realised on | 2024 |
| Activities | Advice (incl. permits) Concept Design Construction Caretaking |
| Share | |
Greening can play a major role in making shopping centers future-proof. It increases climate resilience and improves the experience. Good green isn't a luxury, but a necessary investment in the future value of retail real estate. Together with property owner Altera and the Municipality of Zwolle, Blooming Buildings developed a cost-effective green solution with maximum impact for Zwolle Zuid shopping center. We involved not only the outdoor spaces, but also the covered passages from the parking garage to the shops.
This intervention helps Zwolle Zuid shopping center transform from a traditional shopping complex into a climate-resilient meeting place with higher visitor numbers, greater customer satisfaction, and improved rental potential.
To make the transition from outside to inside more natural and make the customer journey more attractive, we primarily used outdoor vegetation for the interior spaces. Large Hedera plants green the substantial stone columns.
This not only creates a more attractive indoor climate, but also a better experience: our property managers receive compliments continuously when they’re working. And everyone knows: satisfied visitors stay longer and spend more.
The design of both the indoor and outdoor vegetation was created in collaboration with Harry Pierik, a Zwolle native himself and one of our regular green designers. With a number of tactically placed pocket parks and climbing plants, Zwolle Zuid shopping center has gained a greener appearance.
With a large number of carefully selected plant species, Blooming Buildings has created an ecosystem that guarantees year-round blooming and functions as an ecological corridor between the shopping center and adjacent green spaces.
The climbing plants in the covered passage are a literal connection between the shopping center and the nearby green space. The green walls and pocket parks of Zwolle Zuid shopping center form a welcome safe haven for butterflies, bees, and beetles that are traveling to the greener parts of this district.
But it also attracts people. Vegetation has a proven effect on wellbeing and duration of stay. Visitors feel more comfortable, stay longer, and return more often. For property owners, this means higher occupancy rates and better rental prices.
Shopping centers are reinventing themselves and investing in an experience that goes beyond shopping. Strategic greening can play an essential role in this, because it delivers so much:
• Value enhancement through increased attractiveness • Lower operating costs through natural climate regulation • Risk reduction against climate-related damage • ESG-proof through more biodiversity • Future resilience in a changing retail market
When you let nature grow, everything grows: the experience, climate resilience, biodiversity, and the value of your real estate.
