SARASOTA, Florida -- At a glance, the Mall at University Town Center, the largest shopping mall in Sarasota, Florida, embodies the typical features of a traditional U.S. shopping mall.



Stepping inside, shoppers are greeted with a spacious layout, with rows of shops.





The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida (Shinsegae Group)



Taking a closer look, however, reveals several unique design elements. A 20-meter ceiling and a continuum of glass sunroofs naturally light up the building, creating a warm, cozy ambience for shoppers.



Its minimal use of columns also gives the entire mall an open, atrium-like feel.



Evolving from existing malls in the U.S., this Sarasota-based mall, developed and constructed by the U.S.-based shopping mall operator Taubman Centers, breaks away from the stuffy shopping experience offered by big, boxy buildings.





Taubman Centers chairman Robert S. Taubman (second from right), Shinsegae Property vice president Lim Young-lock (left) and UTC Mall general manager Octavio Ortiz (right) speak to reporters inside the UTC Mall in Sarasota, Florida, Friday. (Shinsegae Group)



With the sky above and tropical trees and plants inside, the mall becomes a place where people can refresh themselves, be entertained and rest.



The mall in Florida offers a glimpse of what the upcoming Starfield Hanam shopping mall complex near the South Korean capital of Seoul will look like.



Built as a 51:49 joint venture by



Starfield Hanam



Starfield Hanam is a $1 billion mega project being pushed by Korean retail giant Shinsegae as a new source of growth. It will become not only the country’s biggest multiplex mall but also the first of its kind in Korea to offer a truly Western-style mall experience, said Taubman Centers chairman Robert S. Taubman.



“It brings to one location a truly western-style (mall) experience in the largest form for the first time ever in Korea. It takes the best of Korean retailing and the best of Western planning and marries them together,” Taubman told reporters in a press conference in Sarasota last Friday.



With the sky above and tropical trees and plants inside, the mall becomes a place where people can refresh themselves, be entertained and rest.The mall in Florida offers a glimpse of what the upcoming Starfield Hanam shopping mall complex near the South Korean capital of Seoul will look like.Built as a 51:49 joint venture by Shinsegae Group ’s real estate development unit and Taubman Asia and Partners, Starfield Hanam is geared to become South Korea’s largest shopping mall. It will embody Taubman’s core design elements -- only on a far larger scale and with added amenities and services to serve local needs, Shinsegae said. The retail giant plans to open Starfield in September.Starfield Hanam is a $1 billion mega project being pushed by Korean retail giant Shinsegae as a new source of growth. It will become not only the country’s biggest multiplex mall but also the first of its kind in Korea to offer a truly Western-style mall experience, said Taubman Centers chairman Robert S. Taubman.“It brings to one location a truly western-style (mall) experience in the largest form for the first time ever in Korea. It takes the best of Korean retailing and the best of Western planning and marries them together,” Taubman told reporters in a press conference in Sarasota last Friday.

The interior of Starfield Hanam scheduled to open in September (Shinsegae Group)



Featuring four aboveground and three underground floors, Starfield Hanam will house Shinsegae Department Store as its main anchor store on one corner, with Shinsegae’s wholesale retailer E-mart Trader’s as another core anchor location.



Among a range of facilities for entertainment, sports and relaxation, Starfield will offer a wide spectrum of shopping options ranging from renowned luxury labels and fast-fashion brands to stores selling accessories and baby goods -- all which have been strategically organized and situated for easy, simple and customer-centered navigation.



“Unlike competing malls, we have taken great care to systematically lay out the mall in the most simple and convenient way possible to best accommodate customers,” Shinsegae Property vice president Lim Young-lock said.



In terms of its overall design, Starfield Hanam also echoes the UTC Mall’s core design values in several key aspects. The Korean shopping complex flaunts a particularly tall ceiling -- 35 meters high -- with a flowing set of glass sunroofs that allow plenty of natural lighting into the facility. Likewise, Starfield has minimized its use of columns to maximize shopper mobility as well.



“Lighting is very important (to a shopping mall). It makes customers look good, feel good and happier as they walk through it. And Starfield Hanam will be filled with light and glass which enhances such light,” Taubman said.



From the interior design to the specifics of the store arrangements, Starfield’s layout is meant to ensure that customers feel relaxed and comfortable inside the building, Lim said.



“Starfield’s future sales will essentially depend on whether local consumers continually return to the mall, which hinges on successfully creating a welcoming, relaxing space,” said the Shinsegae executive.



Rising above



As multiple rival shopping malls already exist in Seoul -- such as the Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Times Square in Yeongdeungpo and the Coex Mall in Gangnam -- Shinsegae is betting on Starfield’s diverse offerings, facilities and unmatched convenience to ensure that customers return.



“Unlike traditional department stores that attract customers mainly through sales promotions, a multiplex mall depends on its hardware (such as its facilities and layout) to continually attract customers,” Lim said.





An outdoor pool inside Starfield Hanam (Shinsegae Group)