The Design Collaborative

An arial view of the Ocean Sky Retail Center, Virginia Beach, VA

Since the 1950’s, one of the sights in Virginia Beach was the Viking Motel with its 2nd level swimming pool featuring an underwater window facing the Atlantic Avenue resort strip.

In 2009 the Patel family, owners and operators of the Viking and other resort properties made the decision to replace the aged motel with a new, multistory retail center catering to the small shops and restaurants that line the landside of Atlantic Avenue.

This retail center lies on the former site of the Viking Motel.

The City’s Resort Area Design Guidelines recognize that the resort area is urban, rather than suburban, in character.  Accordingly successful resort area planning and architecture strives to create humanely-scaled outdoor spaces, storefronts with large sheltered windows, discreet signage, and architecture that supports the experience of the resort area as a shopping district.

The Design Collaborative, and MSA, Civil Engineers, Landscape Architects and Planners,  worked closely with City Planning Staff and the Design Review Committee of the Virginia Beach Resort Area Advisory Commission to fine tune the project design.

Ocean Sky Retail Center is set to be open to the public in Spring 2012.

The Ocean Sky Retail Center’s design and planning features include a small urban plaza at the northeast corner, pedestrian-friendly recessed storefront windows close to the sidewalk, extra building height to encourage window displays, warm and bright colors, awnings and Bermuda-shutter style sun louvers.

J.B. Denny started construction on the shell building and sitework in November of 2010.   Tenant improvements will commence in the Fall of 2011, with shops and restaurants opening throughout the winter and spring of 2012.

Glowing bar top and linear uplights from LED sources create a cool, hip vibe in the sake bar at Mizuno.

On December 12, 2011, Mizuno Japanese Restaurant in LaPromenade Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, held a Grand Opening Party for its large and loyal following.  Originally started fifteen years ago in a small space designed by Architect Edward Lazaron, AIA and W. Ray Jennings Interior Design. Two doors down, the new restaurant is twice the size with a glowing bar up front, with table seating and a rustic sushi bar behind.

The design is a study in contrasts of crisp, shiny and hip to soft, natural and organic, loosely  built around abstract fish motifs.  The lighting is all energy efficient, state of the art LED sources which provide a variety of scenes throughout the day and night.  Cool white lights compliment the bluish glow of the bar with a warmer light in the dining area to accent the people and the food.

The walnut counter was made from a sustainably harvested tree in Asheville, NC.

The sushi counter is made from slabs of a walnut tree sustainably harvested in Asheville, NC and assembled using wooden pegs for a natural look against the sharp edges of the serivng counter above.