How to Remodel an Older Miami Shopping Center without Spending More Than Necessary

Sunset West Renovations by United Architects, Inc.

Not every shopping center needs a complete redevelopment. Sometimes the right architectural strategy is to identify the most visible improvements: façade, roofline, columns, lighting, ceilings, signage, paint colors, landscape, and parking-lot appearance.  Just by updating these items, you will create a wonderful shopping center remodeling.

Existing shopping center remodeling in Miami

Many years ago, shopping centers in Miami had a mansard roof or a Mediterranean them.  Neither of these looks very attractive today.  They look dated and old.

What can you do today to improve the look without spending a fortune?

1.    Remove those mansard roofs which are often only attachments to the actual exterior wall of the shopping center.

2.    Change the look for the columns

3.    Replace the ceilings of the walkways.

4.    Change the lighting both in the walkways as well as in the parking.

5.    Replace the box signage with 3D channel letters, digital LED displays, neon/LED flex tubing, and non-illuminated metal or wooden plaques.

Signage

Example of Channel Letters

Example of metal hanging sign

Signage can transform a shopping center. Just by changing from box signage to individual channel letters of creating new hanging, personalized signage, the look of the facility will change radically.

Lighting

Lighting in a parking lot is very important because visibility is very important.  We don’t want to be assaulted by someone because we cannot see him coming.  We also don’t want to trip over curbs or other obstacles. 

Here are the standards for Miami-Dade County parking lots:

• Minimum Brightness: Open parking lots must maintain a minimum of 0.5 foot-candles of illumination on the parking surface from dusk to dawn.

• Reduced Lighting (Optional): During non-business days or commencing 30 minutes after the termination of daily operations, the lighting level may be reduced by up to 50%.

• Operational Status: All lights must be fully operable at all times. Fixtures that are not emitting light are considered inoperable.

In addition, façade lighting and corridor lighting is important, particularly at night because it is easier to see the stores from the road and they act as their own form of advertising.

Whenever upgrading and remodeling a shopping center, make sure to use energy-efficient lighting.

Level 1 Alterations

The Florida Building Code establishes 3 levels of alterations.  Level 1 refers to a classification of work for existing buildings that involves the removal, replacement, or covering of existing materials, elements, or fixtures with new ones that serve the exact same purpose. 

In this case, we are not removing walls or structural columns or moving spaces around.  If in your remodeling, you can stick to Level 1, your alteration will be more economical, getting a permit will be much easier, and the time involved will be shorter.

In this shopping center remodeling, Sunset West, we were able to permit the plans under the Level 1 constraints.  This meant that we did not have to comply with the new Florida wind codes which would have forced us to reinforce walls, increase the footing sizes, or possibly even have to increase the sizes of the columns.

What to do when there are no existing plans to your retail center

In this same project, we asked the client to obtain the existing microfilm plans from the Miami-Dade Building Department. But because the building dated from the 1950s, the building department did not have the record drawings for the building.  So, we had to get creative!

We asked a surveying company to survey not only the floor plan of the building, but to also obtain the top of the roofs, the top of the parapets, the top and bottom of the sloped roofs, and the bottom of the beams that went from metal column to metal column.  In this way, we were able to recreate the building elevations and create the final design for the shopping center. 

What to do before calling a shopping center remodeling architect

1. inspect existing conditions;

2. define the budget;

3. identify code and permitting issues;

4. decide whether the goal is cosmetic improvement, tenant attraction, safety, or repositioning;

5. study façade and lighting;

6. decide whether parking, landscape, drainage, and signage need work as well

The 6 items above are things that you must consider before even approaching an architect.  An architect will need direction and a scope of work.  So evaluate all of these items and have a clear understanding of what you think needs to be done.

Before construction starts

Before construction starts, there are two things that are very important to consider:

1.   coordinate tenant disruptions;

2.   phase the work.

3.   builder’s risk and general liability policies

Where will the general contractor and his subcontractors locate their construction trailer and any items they want to store on site.  You want to make sure wherever they are going to locate these structures, it is not going to disrupt the operations of a shopping center.

You may want to phase the work so if any disruptions cannot be avoided, they affect the least number of tenants at a time.  Before construction starts, work with the general contractor to establish a plan.  Make sure that this is specified in his contract and everyone is on the same page.

You want to make sure that the general contractor carries builder’s risk and general liability.  Builder’s risk protects damage to the building and general liability protects people walking around the shopping center while the facility is undergoing renovations.

Be aware also, that title for an item passes when you pay for it. So if you pay for equipment but it is not installed, and someone comes during the night and steals it, you pay have to purchase it again. So make sure that you pay for only for items that are installed and equipment that is secured either onsite or a safe location not just thrown somewhere on the property. Make sure that the construction site is protected at night. Some contractors or owners hire watchmen at night to make sure the site is safeguarded when the workmen are not there.

Contact Information

If you would like to discuss your shopping center project renovations, call Maria Luisa Castellanos, R.A., LEED AP, the principal of United Architects, Inc. at 305-439-7898 or email her at MLC@UnitedArchs.com