— Advettisement —

or architect Darrell Epp,

there was only one way

to redesign Capilano
Mall.

By DIANE BENTLEY

And that was to go with British Col-
umbia’s “Super Natural” theme and
capitalize on its scenic surroundings.

“The outdoors is so much a part of
our lifestyle, so I tried to employ
natural, indigenous forms as the ar-
chitectural glue,” said Epp, an
associate of North Vancouver ar-
chitect firm Aitken, Smith, Carter and
Partners.

“It was an attempt to tum those
natural elements into man-made
forms and use them as a metaphor to
the architecture,” Epp explained.

For instance, the towering glass
pyramids on the roof represent the
Lions’ peaks, the driftwood-colored
columns symbolize cedar trees and,
of course, the reflecting pools and and

a 18-metre cascading waterfall depict
the Capilano River and surrounding
waters.

“What it (the design) does is give the
mall! an identity that’s unequivocally
Vancouver and British Columbia,”

said Epp.

He went on to say that shopping
centres in other parts of the country
could virtually be place anywhere. It
wouldn't make any difference where
they were located because their
designs have no relationship to their
environment.

“Capilano Mal!’s does by grounding

itself to its setting,” said the 32-year-
old designer.

Capilano Mall general mariager, Phil
McArthur agrees.

“Twenty years ago, when shopping
centres were a new industry, you
could have put any shopping centre
on any comer and it would have done
well. Today, North America is

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saturated, so the shopping centres
that succeed are the ones that are
well-planned and thought out.”
Wherever physically possible, the
outdoor. theme has been carried
through, even down to. the native
rockery in the huge display planters.

Earth tones, an abundance of indoor
plants, two authentic totem poles fur-

35 Marine Dre.

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25 - Sunday, April 20, 1986 ~ North Shore News

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NEWS photos fan Smith

ther enhance the “Super Natural” am-
biance. No design detail has been
overlooked. -

Panda shoe store owner, Gary
dohnston, is a long-time North Shore
resident and a new merchant to
Capilano Mall. He sees the expansion
and redevelopment as a “vast im-
provement” and a great opportunity
to start a new business.

Epp, speaking as a consumer and
someone who lives on the North
Shore, believes the new Capilano Mall
will provide an exciting shopping en-
vironment that has been “sorely lack-
ing” in North Vancouver.

An aim of Phil McArthur as general
manager is to make Capilano Mall an
integral part of the community. Since
studies have shown shopping centres
as the number three destination for
residents, after horee and work,
McArthur is determined to create a
partnership with the community. .

“If something is happening on the
North Shore, we want to be part of
it. If it's a major event, we want to
help,” he said.

“We get a lot from the community
and it’s our obligation to give a lot
back,” McArthur added.

Ten months and $34 million later,
the expansion and redevelopment is
complete, Last Wednesday marked
the centre's grand opening and now
it features more than 100 stores,
2,200 parking spaces and a pleasant
place to shop.

Anyone who views Capilano Mall
from the Upper Levels would have to
agree that designer Darrell Epp truly
has captured the spectacular imagery

of the North Shere mountains and
waters of Burrard Inlet.

Capilano Mall has never looked