Karingal Hub Shopping Centre

Fresh food markets, natural lighting and outdoor air – how Karingal Hub ticks all the boxes for shopping centre design.

Shopping centre design is an ever-changing beast, continually adapting to the ever-shifting needs of its customers. In 2021, the needs of Australian shoppers are starkly different to what they were just five or ten years ago, with shoppers now showing more interest in supporting ethical and sustainable brands, buying local and Australian made products, and buying fresh and organic foods; all the while still wanting a place to gather and socialise with family and friends. It was these shifts in shopping behaviour that informed the design for Karingal Hub’s refurbishment and expansion.

With a focus on market-style fresh food, family entertainment, convenience shopping, dining, and community activities, Karingal Hub will be transformed into a revitalised destination for the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula communities. Despite commencing construction just before the pandemic and continuing to build through an incredibly challenging retail environment, Karingal Hub has successfully launched a fresh food market precinct adding an additional 9,870sqm of floor space, including a new Coles, Aldi and a host of new fresh food and specialty retailers.

The ultimate destination
The reimagined Karingal Hub is at the forefront of suburban shopping centre design. Unlike traditional over-lit malls, Karingal Hub has been designed to create a warm and welcoming feel, utilising an earthy, understated palette with an abundance of natural light.

A new fresh food precinct has been carefully curated in the style of a bustling market, featuring over 20 fresh food and speciality retailers, including Woolworths, Coles and Aldi supermarkets. At the heart of the experience is the brand new 750 sqm MarketPlace Fresh grocer, offering locally sourced fruit and vegetables as well as international specialty produce. It is joined by Pacific Asian Supermarket, Bakers Delight, Ausea Seafood, Lindens Fresh Meats and Poultry Plus, in addition to popular food retailers such as Roll’d, Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse and Walkers Doughnuts.

Outside, a vibrant town square has been designed to provide the community with a beautifully appointed outdoor place that engages the senses including a best-in-class play area, contemporary dining offers, cinema and a refreshing new dining experience over multiple hours of the day.

Greening the mall
Sustainability has also been a core design focus for Karingal Hub. Its most unique feature is a natural air ventilation system, meaning there is no dedicated air conditioning used within the mall itself. Instead, the main air input into the mall comes from a series of ventilated sky lights which open on temperate days to allow the outside air in, and automatically close on cold days to keep extreme weather out. The automated system also monitors CO2 levels and has fire safety function in case of emergency.

The new development also boasts a 4-Star Green Star Rating and features a 1.3 megawatts solar PV installation. New touchless amenities and a dedicated recycling and waste program will further contribute to reducing the shopping centre’s environmental footprint.

Flexible design
As the retail environment continues to change, including flexibility and versatility is an important consideration in shopping centre design. With this in mind, the expansion includes a 5,000sqm multi-use carpark space, which will be used as a temporary carpark, as well as community markets and special events.

In between markets and special events, the space provides customers with additional parking, conveniently located within close proximity to the new mall extension, located between the new retail and fresh food expansion and the reimagined Town Square. The flexibility of this design not only allows for flexibility of use in the current time, but provides Karingal Hub the chance to redevelop the area into 5,000m2 of additional floor space in future, should the need arise.

Ticking all the boxes
The new Karingal Hub shopping centre sets a new benchmark in shopping centre design. The vibrant market atmosphere, the natural lighting, and fresh air pumped indoors provides a more enjoyable shopping experience, while the focus on sustainability meets growing consumer expectations that businesses will make every effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Featuring a best-in-class fresh food precinct, a new Fashion and Centre Court precinct launching in August and a thriving dining and entertainment precinct to be launched later this year, Karingal Hub ticks all the boxes for shoppers in 2021, while the flexibility of the design provides versatility and longevity, allowing the space to continue to adapt meet shoppers’ changing needs in the future.