2.3K 
On June 23rd, 2016 — almost exactly a year to the day — the ground was broken for the 500-store New Horizon Mall, an Asian-themed shopping centre located in the Calgary area. Today we check up on the status of the 300,000-square-foot, $200-million project, which is a little more than half way to completion.
The mall, designed by S2 Architecture and developed by Torgan Group and MPI Property Group, is based on the highly successful Pacific Mall in Markham, Ontario, and differs from the typical North American retail experience in several ways. For starters, the mall is characterized by a distinct Asian flair, with most of the stores expected to offer Asian goods and products. The stores will also be smaller than a typical mall outlet, and will be styled like kiosks, ranging in size from 285 square feet to just over 800 square feet. New Horizon Mall will also feature a cultural space on the second floor.
Another difference, and a significant one at that, is the ownership of the retail spaces, which will be purchased rather than leased. This arrangement makes it possible for smaller businesses to enter the mall, something they typically can't do with traditional shopping centres, which orient their spaces towards larger retailers.
With three cranes working away on the site, the building has come a long way in just one year. We can see that most of the exterior walls are up and construction of the roof is progressing nicely. Soon, the bulk of the work will be focused on interior fitting.
We will continue to follow the progress of the New Horizon mall as it happens. To stay up to date on its construction, check in with us at our main page, or follow the updates and discussion in our user Forum.
