Ecology Save the planet Smart City Smart living zero waste

Social well-being in a shopping mall?

Dariusz Stasik

1 March 2023

Is it possible to have social relationships at the mall? And why do it at all? Is it possible to relax there? It turns out that yes. And you can certainly do so at Save the planet Experience Center (Posnania Shopping Center in Poznan), of which I am the creator. How was Save the planet created? “It was enough” to take a little risk, overcome a few obstacles, bet on a few natural solutions, spice everything up with modern technologies and consistently put your plan into practice. As it turns out, a business model can emerge from a dream. And that’s what happened in my case. But one step at a time.

Shopping malls, apartment buildings, gated communities and generally all places where concrete and glass outweigh nature are areas where it is harder to establish social relationships and relax. The lack of natural light also doesn’t help us to be at ease and open to others.

Well, exactly: why should we open up to others? Is it that important? Yes! As research shows, and as the pandemic has probably shown each of us, social isolation doesn’t do anyone any good in the long run. According to a 2017 Holt-Lunstad study, which is even hen before any lockdown, isolation and lack of contact with others carries a higher risk of death than, for example, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity and lack of physical activity.

Relationships with relatives, family and friends are one thing, but something a little different are social relationships and the power of social trust, i.e. all the random, brief, seemingly-non-significant encounters with, for example, the mailman, the neighbor, the lady at the post office, the courier, the barista at the cafe, with parents at the playground, which (if they are positively oriented, of course!) make us feel an inner joy, an improvement in our mood. Surely you know what I mean. They make us feel good and make us ourselves want to be kind and helpful to others.

Studies show that these seemingly shallow encounters are strongly correlated with growth, creativity and happiness.

Social well-being, as it’s referred to here, refers more to urban spaces, but today I’m looking for it in the shopping center, or rather, I’m creating it, being the originator of the Save the planet Experience Center project, which was established in October 2020 and quite recently expanded to include a brand new Save the planet Home&Decor zone. In my opinion, shopping centers are also part of the urban fabric. There are different views on it, but we spend a lot of our free time in them!

In designing Save the planet, I took strongly to heart my interest in the topics of smart city and green building. That’s why this project stands out from other mall spaces by fitting in with the idea of social well-being.

A place that doesn’t exclude anyone

First of all, Save the planet’s space is open to everyone. Moms will calmly feed their baby here, doggies will get water, the elderly will sit comfortably in armchairs. Vegetarians and vegans will have a delicious meal, those on a diet will check the caloric content of the dishes. Save the planet also has a few details you might not notice. These include silence and dimmed lighting. A few years ago, Lidl introduced quiet hours for people on the autism spectrum, among others. For two hours every Friday and Saturday in all Lidl stores, the music and sound system are completely muted. Customers declaring that they are people on the autism spectrum, without verification, are served out of turn. Similar changes are being made, of course, in other stores and shopping centers, such as Auchan and Atrium Promenada.

The most interesting thing is that such changes are imperceptible to the general public, but for people with sensory hypersensitivity they are salutary. At Save the planet, background music is permanently installed, with pleasant sounds of nature such as water trickling or birds singing, and the lights are dimmed. It has succeeded in creating something unique that is hard to find in a typical shopping mall. Save the planet is a pleasant green oasis, where you can hide from the rush of lights, neon lights, sounds and people. This goal was achieved with the help of nature: reindeer moss compositions on the walls, plants, many wood elements, friendly bamboo flooring.

I wonder how much shopping centers, and public spaces in general, would change if at the design stage they were adapted to… people with sensory hypersensitivity? I think it’s an interesting starting point for a discussion about an overstimulated society and an environment that does not calm, but generates nerves, haste and momentum.

Air – my obvious wheelhouse

At Save the planet, Elixair air purifiers reign supreme. I’ve known and used them for a long time in my life and work, so I couldn’t imagine the Experience Center without them.

The restaurant can boast a special ventilation system. Two powerful air handling units stand on the roof of the mall. Save the planet is equipped with a BMS (Building Management System), which controls the installations to achieve the right parameters in each zone of the premises. Special sensors take care of the appropriate CO2 levels. Its high level causes drowsiness and fatigue, so when the CO2 level increases, the air in the premises is replaced. Individual ventilation systems are not integrated into the installation of the shopping center, so you can breathe clean and microbe-free air.

Air humidity in the premises is maintained in the range of 40-60% (lower humidity dries out mucous membranes and contributes to various infections, for example, and too high humidity causes stuffiness and the growth of microorganisms and mold). In the VIP room, a steam-electrode humidifier with steam lances was installed in the HVAC system and evaporative humidification in the consumption area. Also, the air temperature is systemically maintained at an appropriate level (usually 21ºC in winter and 23ºC in summer).

The air handling unit itself is eco-friendly, with a rotary heat and cold exchanger in it that recovers heat from the air. Thanks to VAV control, processes take place in the air handling unit to optimize electricity consumption. Surface hygiene, air purity and special safety features play a huge role.

All this was recognized by the jury of the Rethinking The Future Global Architecture&Design Awards, which awarded us third place in the commercial space category.

Conferences, workshops, date, concerts

Save the planet hosts workshops, meetings, panel discussions, as well as training sessions and webinars. The rooms, which can be combined or shared, we are happy to rent for conferences business meetings or special events.

How about a date? Why not! At Save the planet you can book a separate room and the staff will prepare a delicious meal for you and create a unique atmosphere.

Macrame workshop

Children’s Day

Sant Palo event

Home&Decor – our youngest child

The new Home&Decor Save the Planet zone is, like the entire Experience Center, an example of a showroom and inspirational interior. The space is designed to provide examples of how to plan or transform a home interior so that it not only looks great, but also works on the senses and is an empowering space to live in.

The ideal home is one with healthy, clean and humidified air, which we can achieve with home systems and devices to improve the quality of life and ecoclimate that can be implemented at the home design stage (it’s possible!), as well as ready-made purifiers for apartments and homes and off-the-shelf solutions.

Home&Decor Save the planet is a finite offering. It includes natural furniture designed for the living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, as well as a range of unique wall and ceiling decorations and home furnishing accessories that will satisfy anyone looking for not only natural and organic, but also unique and designer items.

What does this mean? It’s that whether flooring, furniture, decorations, curtains, ANY item can be ordered or purchased here right away. You can start with the small details. Atmospheric details e.g. palo santo, white sage, candles, essential oils are a really good introduction to decorating your interior – these certified products, sourced ethically and sustainably, have great potential and power in them. They build rituals and make our interiors soulful. And that’s just the beginning.

More HERE

Home&Decor Save the planet’s offer also includes wooden floors and joinery including movable and fixed partitions. We are also a direct importer of handmade natural products from Bali and Morocco, which we import from selected manufacturers. The Home&Decor team also relies on Polish artists, craftsmen and creators!

Soon the Home&Decor Save the planet website will launch an option that looks a bit like… Swedish IKEA, in a Moroccan version. What are we talking about? About the possibility to order products straight from Morocco. With photos and visualizations of home spaces furnished and decorated with Moroccan accessories, customers will be able to order products conveniently and safely through us. Hence the association with IKEA – on our site we will present a variety of rooms in Moroccan style, and customers will be able, just like in IKEA, to order, select and buy: carpets, chairs, armchairs, beds and all the accessories and home décor accessories.

The entire range will be available soon, and a few of the products you can already buy or order are here:

Even more products HERE

Most of the products can be seen live at Save the planet, but the creators can also design furniture according to individual projects from any type of solid wood and natural veneers. The offer also includes interior design and furnishings for offices, hotels, restaurants, spa resorts, as well as public facilities such as kindergartens, schools.

With our consultants and cooperating furniture designers and manufacturers, as well as interior designers, we will help you create an ecological and natural home that is friendly not only to people, but also to the planet.

The Home&Decor department invites interior designers for business cooperation. It is also looking for start-ups and ﬁrms with unique and innovative products or services in the early conceptual and prototype stages. The team is eager to support and develop the most interesting projects, as well as to ﬁnance, promote and market them.

I must also mention the Planet Friendly Certification conducted by the Save the planet Research and Development Center. Thanks to close cooperation with the ﬁrm W.P.I.P., which has a Smart Building Center showroom in Jasin near Poznan, it is able to test a very large number of solutions, ideas and prototypes. The most interesting topics are the areas of smart building, save the planet, wellbeing in buildings, eco-friendly interior design solutions including furniture, decoration, smart gadgets and products and services that make life easier, innovative interior design materials, waste and energy utilization, air and water quality in buildings, anti-smog urban solutions, innovative and eco-friendly packaging and all solutions, products and services related to safety and hygiene.

Read more about Planet Friendly Certification HERE

If shopping centers are places where you tend not to establish relationships, but rather go to shop, possibly have lunch or see a movie, it’s different in Save the planet. Here, time slows down, the food is delicious and healthy, you can sit and have an unhurried coffee, you can work or socialize over lunch.