The Eet Theater is located at the main entrance to the shopping center on the first floor and offers a mix of entertainment (cinema, bowling alley, game center), restaurants and food stalls. The distinctive play of the lines of Westfield Mall of the Netherlands has given MVSA Architects a touch of more texture to the Eet Theatre. The transparent curved surfaces of the ceiling here consist of freely suspended chains. All the chains together consist of at least 12,251,200 links.
“The Eat Theater has a mix of local and international restaurants and offers a wide range of flavours. Tatsu emphasizes the refined taste of modern Japanese cuisine. Ohana Streetfood brings fresh, authentic flavors from the beaches of Hawaii,” says the mall. “Laffa serves up street food from the Middle East. Manneken Pis serves up fresh fries for a quick treat. La Catrina brings traditional flavors and family recipes to the Eat Theater. Some other restaurants including The Butcher and pizza attraction Toni Loco later in July.”
For the full story of Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, check out our long read on the topic
Westfield Mall of the Netherlands is the result of the extensive renovation and expansion of Leidsenhage Shopping Centre. The change is so far-reaching that you have to look closely to get to know parts of the old shopping mall. Under it, about two-thirds of the shopping center is made up of renovated buildings and one-third of new ones. The new facade and new interior are both integrated to the eye.
A few numbers. The total area of the complex is about 120 thousand square meters, as well as parking space for a total of about 4000 cars. The shopping arcade is 1.8 kilometers long and takes visitors through about 280 shops and restaurants. In addition, a five-screen cinema has been added to the complex, there is a sports bar with a bowling alley, and there is also a museum on Instagram – Youmuseum.
“It really had to become a destination,” says architect Charlotte Griffin of MVSA Architects. A place where you want to stay, rainy or sunny, for a day or part of the day, and also in the evening. Customer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield talks about a 4 star experience. It can be said: from the spacious parking lots, across the benches in the shopping arcades, to the spacious toilets… The shopping center is comfortably furnished everywhere.
MVSA Architects was selected seven years ago in a competition to design the shopping center. At first, it was all about the exterior, but soon the office was also asked to design the interior. “We are very happy with that,” Griffioen asserts, “because in this way we were able to design a complete experience.”
Then the experiment was elaborated in detail. “For example, we have already spent two years studying the optimal width of shopping arcades and the best height of storefronts together,” says Griffin. “We also thought it was very important to bring daylight into the shopping arcades.”
When walking along the main road there is always something new to see. “We’ve been studying sightlines for a long time, and you always gravitate toward something, whether it’s a bend or a twist or an accent of height,” says Griffioen. Squiggly lines on the ceilings and floors follow the main path, the “8”, helping visitors subtly find their way around.
