Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Developer: GSM
Designer: Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos
Size/Dimensions: 11.985 acres (First Phase), 8.434 acres (Second Phase)

Completed in 2006, Antara was conceived as a mixed-use master plan to regenerate a neglected industrial zone and transform the area into a high-quality mixed-use district. The project includes the first open-air shopping mall in Mexico (483,557.91 sq. ft. retail space), 700,375.36 sq. ft. of integrated contemporary office space, and 174,321.53 sq. ft. of open space and landscaping. The estimated total cost of the First Phase of the development is valued at $250 million and the Second Phase at $100 million.

The concept for Antara is based on a stroll along a vibrant neighborhood street with vegetation and water bodies which lend to the sense of place. Antara offers a large area open to the public with gardens, plazas, and fountains. The emphasis on open space and vegetation along a curved center street organizes the development around the shopping mall, office towers, restaurants, and leisure facilities. By incorporating an underground parking lot in the design of the shopping mall, the ground level is reserved for pedestrians to move along the several walkways and experience the space without fear from moving vehicles.

Infrastructure improvements were an integral part of Antara. The perception of the avenues of Rio San Joaquin and Ejercito Nacional transformed from invasive infrastructure to integral parts of the regional network. Much of this change can be attributed to the donation of about $5.6 million to the city for the construction of an underpass for Ejercito Nacional in order to improve the road layout and connections. Additional investment from the development team toward public works included the construction of a new electricity sub-station to supply the development in lieu of government provided electricity.

Antara was located in the Granada industrial district which was home to a car pieces factory. This use defined a clear urban barrier on the boundary of the upmarket residential Polanco neighborhood. The urban regeneration kick-started by Antara completely transformed the profile of the area, increasing real estate values, densifying land use, and strongly boosting capital investment. The two most recent museums to open in Mexico City, together with residential complexes, major corporate buildings, mixed use buildings, and an aquarium chose the former industrial area to develop. 80 direct and 310 indirect jobs at all socioeconomic levels have been generated with the number of visitors increasing to 6 million in 2015. After one year (2014 to 2015) growth in operating income by cost square meter of the mall was 24%.