What we do
A guided tour through one of our favorite projects

Project Summary

Working with developer Shaheen Sadeghi, Pompei A.D. converted three industrial buildings on a 2-1/2 acre site into a pioneering cultural retail destination dubbed “the anti-mall.” Spread over 40,000 sq.ft. of leasable space, its intimate collection of 17 specialty retailers catering to 18-28-year-olds nestles within walls that look sculpted by explosives. Other features include open-air lounging areas, a fountain of oxidized steel barrels, indigenous landscaping, a performance space, and site-specific sculpture. The success of The Lab depends on the design of a transformational environment carefully tuned to the aesthetic and attitudes of savvy young customers. Every iconoclastic element affirms their lifestyle, sensibility and values.

Pompei A.D. designed The Lab’s image, interior, exterior, and common areas, as well as its anchor store, Urban Outfitters. The Lab has been recognized for its innovation and business success in numerous publications around the world, including the New York Times and USA Today. It is an international tourist destination and widely recognized in the retail industry as a model for destinations that address specific sub-cultures. As a groundbreaking indoor-outdoor venue of focus, The Lab boasts up to $1,200/sq.ft. in retail sales just a short distance from South Coast Plaza, the most successful mall in the country, with reported sales of $850/sq.ft. (An “average” American mall would garner about $450/sq.ft.)

The Lab is a success both commercially and socially, as evidenced by sales per sq.ft., its new tenant waiting list, and awards by local and state authorities for contributions to community revitalization as recently as April 2006. Pompei A.D. is currently developing a renovation scheme to upgrade the LAB and integrate multimedia elements into a new skin, in response to the evolving, interactive demands of the youth market.