Dreiländer Galerie, also known as Three Countries Mall, is a new shopping centre being developed as a multi-national shopping destination in the German town of Weil am Rhein.
The project was awarded planning permission in April 2018 and the ground-breaking ceremony was held in November 2018.
Estimated to involve an investment of €85m ($96.04m), the mall is expected to be completed by Autumn 2021. It will create 400 jobs and attract visitors from across the Swiss border in Basel.
Centermanagement Group Germany Weil am Rhein (CEMAGG Weil am Rhein), the developer of the mall, won the Europe-wide competition conducted by the local council for the development of a new shopping centre in Weil am Rhein, in 2014. Chapman Taylor’s Düsseldorf studio is the designer of the shopping facility.
Dreilander Galerie location
The shopping centre is located at Europaplatz near the point where France, Switzerland, and Germany converge. The location is close to the regional S-Bahn station and the new S8 tram station.
The mall can also be accessed by a new tram line from the Swiss border in Basel. It is surrounded by public realm spaces.
Dreilander Galerie design and construction details
The shopping centre is being built into a steep site with a 15m drop known as Hangkante or Edge of Slope. It is being developed as a curved building complex on the 10,000m² inner-city area. It will have a sales area of 16,500m² and include between 60 and 70 shops and restaurants.
Spanning 55,000m², the mall will include three levels of retail, a fitness centre, a kindergarten on the roof, and three levels of parking for up to 600 cars.
It will include two buildings to be connected on the upper floors, including the shopping centre and an entrance tower on the area of the new turning loop of the S8 tram station.
Three entrances will be created, including the entrance tower, an entrance on Müllheimer Strasse, and a third on the B3 federal highway opposite the train station.
Large windows are being created at the entrances and the course of the Müllheimer Straße. The facade will be a curtain-type, rear-ventilated metallic one designed to allow enough natural light into the building.
Escalators to the north and south as well as three customer elevators and a staircase in the middle will be installed to ensure connectivity to all retail levels. The lowest retail level will be linked to the garage floors through elevators and staircases. The kindergarten will have a dedicated entrance for easy accessibility.
The construction of the shell of the third and fourth basement levels was completed in May 2020, while the overall shell is anticipated to be completed in early-2021.
The Three Countries Mall can be accessed directly from the B3 and an additional left-turn lane will be constructed for left-turners coming from the north.
The entrances and exits will include two barrier systems with adequately dimensioned backwater solutions. The building will be heated via a bio-oil-operated combined heat and power unit and a condensing peak load biogas boiler.
Dining, entertainment venues, and amenities at the mall
The first floor will have multiple restaurants and a 150m² west-facing outdoor terrace, which will provide a view of the border triangle.
A forecourt will provide a new public area for events and leisure activities. A customer guidance system will be available across all parking and retail floors.
Additionally, the mall will have high-quality rest areas and baby changing rooms.