Originally built in 1985 as one of the world’s first outdoor shopping malls, the revitalization of Horton Plaza into a thriving retail destination redefines its position as a central heart of the San Diego community.

Horton Plaza was built in 1985 as one of the first outdoor malls in architectural history. It stands on 6.5 city blocks with 800,000 square-feet of existing mall space. By turning the mall typology inside out, the development became a new central heart to the San Diego community. Today, this iconic landmark is transforming into a center for discovery, this time for the creative professional. 

Instigated by the reuse of obsolete spaces, Horton Plaza is poised to redefine the next chapter of creative office. The revitalization will add 400,000 square-feet  of office and retain 100,000 square-feet of retail, equating to over 1.2 million square-feet of built space when it is complete in 2023.

The United States' largest adaptive reuse project takes advantage of embodied carbon by re-using the existing structure, while introducing new sustainable features within the buildings and landscape features. Targeted certifications include Net Zero Carbon for the office program, LEED Platinum, and WELL Building status. The development will integrate extensive use of daylighting, a passive solar facade for the high-rise, solar energy - featuring the largest photovoltaic microgrid West of the Mississippi - a fully electric central plant, and blackwater and greywater reuse systems. Horton Plaza is home to the largest blackwater treatment system, saving 7.5 million gallons of water annually.

At the groundplane, existing hardscape is retrofitted with the introduction of permeable softscaping and sustainable features like stormwater filtration and shade trees. By reducing what is currently 100% hardscape to become 50% softscape, this next evolution of the mall diminishes the urban heat island effect while creating over 1-acre of green-space for residents and local workers to enjoy.