Montclair Plaza

Eventscape Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The venerable Montclair Plaza, one of greater Los Angeles’ oldest malls, was recently renovated with a new, airier look.

The client wanted to feature sculptural elements that would create visual interest within a high ceiling plane and soften the exposed ceiling deck. These elements also needed to withstand high UV but maintain the design intent of openness, allowing light to come through. Cost and maintenance were strong considerations and a fabric system was seen as the most versatile for the money. The custom ceiling features with Fiberglas® and PTFE material covering allow abundant light and air to circulate throughout this large retail mall and provide elegant shading from the hot California sun.

The weight of the Fiberglas fabric made suspension challenging. To achieve the sail-like qualities desired, a combination of semirigid panels and tension cables were used to define the shapes. The central atrium “starburst” feature shade was fabricated using 1/4" stainless steel tension cables for framing with rigid frames only at the center and end of the panels. Since this was a renovation, the project involved limited accessibility.