L’Atoll

About this mall

Opened April 2012, L’Atoll in Angers (Western France) exemplifies the vision that drives our strategy of creating unique shopping destinations. An iconic elliptical architecture, innovative services like free electric shuttles and a landscaped car park bring comfort to visitors and customers. The 91,000sqm GLA provides them with the major retail brands in home furnishing, leisure and apparel.

Description of the location and accessibility

The mall is located between the North Bypass Angers and RD 323 (ex-RN23).
Access:
BUS
To access Atoll by bus, just take the bus number 4 direction-Beaucouzé Atoll. Atoll is the terminus of the line.

Shopper Trafic/Catchment Area
Catchment area: 850,000 inhabitants.
Shopper traffic: 7 million visitors annually.

Entertainment zone

Children area, Home Point.

Features mall architecture

The shopping center combines an arched elliptical form with a skeleton of perforated aluminum. The brief was to create a commercial mall with a refreshing architectural appearance, which could act as a gateway into the city. Antonio Virga Architecte and AAVP Architecture joined forces to design the amorphous structure, defined by four main poles and entry porches.
L’Atoll received many awards such as the Prix Procos for innovation in 2013, the ICSC European Award, and was nominated for L’Equerre d’Argent, the most prestigious French architectural award.

Planning

The four poles, separated by four corrifors, rise up like four great entry porches. The structure is covered with a white aluminium net, which is perforated and backlit. The shops of the Atoll are arranged in a dynamic layout, while the carpark blends into the garden.
The building´s envelope, 8-12m from the main structure, provides a protected area behind the shops for deliveries, away from the customers´ view at the center of the Atoll, and provides a clear passage for security services.
The outer cover runs from the inside out, following the access porches up to the roof to form an awning covering part of the promenade. On the inside, the awning rises up over a glass wall offering views of the various shop fronts. The shop front can be seen clearly avove and below the awning.

Project Cost

145.000.000 Euros