willowbrook center

wayne township, passaic county, new jersey

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shopping center

 

The Willowbrook Center Project involved the rehabilitation of an existing regional shopping mall that had not undergone a major renovation since it was built in the mid twentieth century.  This project was uniquely characterized by the format for the construction of the mall core building, which bore marked resemblance to a number of industrial buildings its age, given the ubiquitous use of concrete tilt-up panels at its perimeter.  Cee Jay Frederick Associates had lead responsibility for the attainment of the zoning approvals for the site improvements and documentation of all of the architectural design improvements specific to the perimeter of the mall building, and otherwise particularly with regard to the mall entrances, entrance plazas and adjacent parking areas and service zones.  This involvement addressed all design and documentation and construction administration of the detailed building, site and landscape/hardscape improvements including signage (where appropriate) and all building and site lighting.

 

signage and wayfinding 

 

Somewhat incidental, but nonetheless, critical to the reformatting, branding and rehabilitation of the Mall entrances, adjacent plazas, and curb-to-building areas was the design of the entry signage and the articulation of the related colonnaded portal support structures that characterized each.  The scale and expression for the signage and entry structures was both simple and bold, being comprised of the “wicket” architectural passages and a large announcement of the mall brand name.  The treatment and detailed design for them was standardized in terms of shape, coloration, and lighting of both the signage and structure to effect a beckoning entrance identity from anywhere in the large surrounding parking areas upon both day and nighttime visitation.  Cee Jay Frederick Associates was responsible for all architectural design, documentation and construction administration of the portal structures and the schematic design of the sign elements.