The new Harris Scarfe store - part of the new Rundle Place, in Rundle Mall. SHOPPERS will get their first look at Adelaide's newest shopping centre today almost six years after initial sketches of its design were drawn. The design of Pacific Group's Rundle Place precinct has evolved under the watchful eye of retail architect Andrew Mackenzie. The Melbourne-based director of The Buchan Group has more than 20 years experience designing shopping centres across the country, including the Elizabeth shopping centre and Chadstone in Melbourne. "It's quite different in the way you go about planning a high-end CBD retail development like Rundle Place as opposed to a suburban retail centre," he says. Rundle Place accommodates about 70 fashion and specialty stores across its four levels, anchored by a Coles supermarket and Harris Scarfe's new flagship store. But building a 30,000sq m retail centre on a small, inner city block is a difficult architectural challenge, according to the managing director of market research firm Marketing Focus, Barry Urquhart. "CBD retail complexes, precincts and arcades do have difficulty in fulfilling the primary consumer need and expectation - convenience," he says. Multi-level retail complexes have an inherent deficiency. Pedestrian traffic on the first level is usually around 50 per cent of that on the ground floor. There is around a 50 per cent leakage of pedestrian traffic for each additional level. Escalators and people movers are deemed to be filters, impediments and qualifying points of appeal. The key to overcoming those impediments is in "maximising sight lines," according to Mr Mackenzie, who has incorporated an extensive use of transparent materials. "You need to have easily accessible vertical transportation - in terms of opening up the site there are strategically-located escalators so there's a clear sight line from Rundle Mall to Grenfell St," he says. The opening on Rundle Mall is completely open and shoppers are encouraged to meander through. To ease access, Rundle Place will offer entry points to every one of its floors from a multi-level car park. Shoppers will be able to access the centre from Rundle Mall, Grenfell St, Frances St and Lindes Lane. The continuing battle with online retail means that in-store fitouts are becoming more important, Mr Mackenzie says.