The Vallco Shopping Mall has the possibility of becoming the largest green roof in the world if the city of Cupertino approves the plan.Photo: Sand Hill
Many shopping malls seem to be going the way of the dinosaur, but one developer is revitalizing a California mall by turning it into the largest green roof in the world.
Reed Moulds, the managing director at Sand Hill, has proposed a $3 billion redesign of Vallco Shopping Mall in Cupertino. While the mall isn’t far from Apple headquarters, its business (unlike Apple’s) isn’t booming.
“It’s not easy to be a shopping mall these days,” Moulds told FastCo.Exist. “We’ve done some research and we haven’t found a single shopping mall that’s started construction since 2006. This is clearly a dying model.”
The developers added play areas for children after getting feedback from citizens.Photo: Sand Hill
The project, titled The Hills at Vallco, plans to transform the mall and surrounding parking lots into a sustainable, community-focused area topped off with a 30-acre green roof containing bike paths, meadows, gardens and play areas for children.
Moulds and his team of developers will pursue LEED Platinum certification, the highest of the ratings. The mall will use recycled water for irrigation, heating and cooling, and will capture rainwater for use as well.
“Our goal was to transform that to a walkable city, a walkable town center,” Moulds said.
A mix of retail, dining, recreation, offices, housing and entertainment is planned for the site. The green roof will have 3.8 miles of trails and provide a refuge for native plants and birds as well.
The city of Cupertino will decide whether to approve the plan in 2016.
