The coronavirus crisis has delayed the opening scheduled for March of this year, but Raphael Martin, President of Phalsbourg – promoter of the project – assures idealista / news that the complex will be finished between October and December 2020. The works continue in the future commercial megacenter located in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) and Martin asserts that to date no operator has canceled its lease. In this sense, the president of the company affirms that he has a little more than 70% of the commercialized premises.
“You have to have a lot of courage to build a shopping center,” a recognized personality of the sector told this medium in October 2019 when idealista / news visited the status of the works of the Open Sky shopping center. Nine months later, idealista / news revisits the facilities of this complex to check the progress of the work. The coronavirus has run over the premiere of the complex scheduled for March 2019. Now, the promoter is rushing to finish it before the end of 2020. “The shopping center will be finished between October and December of this year,” says Martín.
During the tour you can see how the structure of the asset is fully built. In fact, there are places that have already been adapted to your activity. This is the case of the 2,602 m2 area leased by Lidl. An operation carried out exclusively by idealista / news. The supermarket brand has already carried out some works to adapt the rented premises – a long-term contract, as this media learned – and in the outdoor parking lot where the typical collection points for shopping carts have been installed.
Image of the works today / Open Sky
Phalsbourg is rushing to finish the works on the shopping center, but in parallel also focuses its efforts on completing the works on the surface that it has leased from Cinesa. Regarding the cinemas, the private works are being carried out and in a few months Cinesa will be able to install its screens, seats and other equipment to be able to start its activity on the scheduled opening date.
The commercialization continues to advance and the developer is in negotiation with a large area of great commercial success that may have a premises of 10,000 m2. On the other hand, the agreement is being closed with a large event and restaurant operator, which will exploit the center’s facilities such as its large open-air auditorium, as well as the beach, the pool and the beach club for clients. A restaurant of international level closes the operation.
Looking to close more deals
Despite having 70% of the commercialized premises – with companies like Mango, Vips or Fnac-, the president of Phalsbourg is in talks to close more operations before the works are finished. In addition to the ‘beach club’ they are also looking for an operator for their coworking.
A sustainable shopping center resistant to covid-19
Open Sky lands in a context where all companies seek to distinguish themselves from other shopping centers. Going to this type of venue is no longer just due to a need to buy. It is leisure and other types of services that monopolize all the media attention and those that serve as a claim to attract visitors. “It’s a new life for shopping centers,” says Martin.
In this sense, Open Sky has a great advantage over its competitors in a world scenario where the coronavirus pandemic threatens the retail. The complex boasts very wide corridors and all of them in the open air, which allows social distancing and air renewal to avoid infections. In a difficult scenario for the sector, the company can obtain a differentiating characteristic and an advantage.
In terms of sustainability, Open Sky presents itself as an environmentally friendly shopping center. In fact, it will obtain the Breeam energy efficiency certificate, according to the developer. An achievement based on a car park (4,000 parking spaces) with natural ventilation, 7,500 m2 of photovoltaic panels, as well as a state-of-the-art air conditioning system for the premises using condensation water from the lake. “The lake water serves to cool the Open Sky rooms through a closed circuit.” For this reason, the lake has a depth of three and a half meters so that the water does not heat up in summer and always stays below 30 degrees ”, explains Martin in this regard. The roof is another attraction of the project since it is made of Krion, an innovative material from Porcelanosa, “Thanks to its photocatalytic function, the 17,000 m2 of Krion installed allows 30,000 people to breathe purified air for a whole year. “
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