Re-Thinking the Shopping Mall Typology - Final Presentation

Master Plan

I'm now in the stage of developing a master plan, where everything so far will be consolidated into one design. So far I have spent the most time on on of the three "experience anchors" (the grocery store).

The design isn't perfect, but it embodies everything from the functional aspects addressed earlier to the recent experiential ones. The most important aspects are the direct and indirect routes. The direct routes are apparent from this view, and I've chosen not to alter the ground plane on them. Everything in between buildings, however, works like the previous models (not too visible in this image). Inside the big building is a grocery store, with spaces similar to the outside spaces linked together inside. This allows for an experience where the visitor sees other people doing different things, allowing for a greater sense of community, and less isolation (as opposed to the car > store > car mentality).

Transitions

The following images are of models I've created to demonstrate how a person can move from one branded space to another.

In this first model, I focused on places to sit, gradual slope changes, interventions, and making sure each building got an "area" that became a part of its brandscape.

The second model was a little more detailed, and demonstrates the interconnectivity between spaces, multiple paths, and a much more engaging path that pulls the visitor through a series of spaces.

Both of these models are actually physical models, based on the computer models you see above.

What's important in both of these models is that there is no branding. Some of the spaces engage the people in actions that have nothing to do with the brand at all. This was not the intent when I started these models, but proves how important architecture is to how the whole shopping experience works. Were these to to just be boxes on a flat plane with nothing connecting them, there would be no reason for visitors to travel through the space unless they were looking for something in particular. With the spaces in these models, it is apparent that the transitions between experiences work fine without being in the context of a brand, and that the spaces that the brands should be are merely nodes (or destinations) connecting different paths.

Experiences, Brandscapes

Mid-Review

3 Tier Experiences

Experiential Commerce Centers

Experiential Commerce Centers. It’s a working title and at least defines what my thesis is about, but I don't suspect it will be the final name.

This past week I presented a collection of diagrams that represent some of the ideas that I've had on the 'pedestrianization' of malls, as well as a few branding concepts. I'm not sure which direction to go in, especially for the branding aspect of the project (because there are so many directions to go), but I've come up with a rough shell of an idea. In this post I will outline this concept, and in the following post(s) I will outline the rest of the diagrams.

MULTI-TIER DESIGNED IDENTITY

Most people get the wrong impression of this idea since its difficult to describe it without explaining everything I’ve done so far. So the best way to present this concept would be to make an analogy to a public library. Here it is:

When you go into a library you are going to the public library of your city. Like any building, the architecture is usually designed to reflect that. The inside of the library is divided into sections-- the children’s section, fiction, non-fiction, periodicals, etc. While the library is designed for anyone to navigate, there are clear sections that focus on different things people want.

If someone wants to do research, they go to the section of the library that has non-fiction books, which is also subdivided into groups so that related subjects are within reach if the person thinks of or sees other things they might also want to check out. This area usually has a lot of tables, so people can read and take notes. Sometimes there are even boxes of pencils and paper. There may even be computers around so that people can type things, use the web and print. All of these things cater towards the researcher.

The children’s section of the library is usually the most noticeable since there’s usually a lot of kid-friendly decoration going around to encourage children to read. All of the furniture (book shelves, chairs, tables) are all scaled down so that small children can use them. Occasionally there are book displays of popular books the librarians and some teachers want to encourage kids to read. There may be murals on the walls that depict famous storybook characters. There might also be a toy chest around for younger children that are accompanying parents taking older children to the library. To take this further, the children’s section might be broken down into different reading/learning areas.

The periodicals section of the library is different as well. To start, all the magazines might face outwards because magazine covers typically tell you what’s in them. The furniture layout is different-- the chairs recline back and are very comfortable, there are small tables next to the chairs to put things like glasses, purses, and other magazines. Unlike the rest of the library, where people usually take books from different sections home with them, magazines are read in the library and remain there. The layout of this area caters towards a person wanting to sit back and read in comfort, while other areas are designed for a person to take notes, or look through a book before taking it out.

Everyone that goes into the library wants something to read, but the needs of each individual reader are different. Imagine a library that is one big room, with no sections (maybe some categories)… just rows of books on shelves, benches on the side to sit down on, and the checkout desk. That kind of library would be to reading what today’s malls and strip centers are to shopping.

The answer to this is organization, and by catering sections of shopping malls to different use groups, brandscaping and designed identity concepts seem to fit the role. The concept of subdividing and customizing isn’t new-- its what people have been doing with architecture forever, yet somehow no one has applied to the shopping center.

The mall is a relatively new building type, and its evolution has been strictly utilitarian-- directly influenced by the rise of importance of automobiles in the United States and its influence on the economy. It caters towards the automobile first and foremost, and just happens to work well enough that nobody has changed it (or more appropriately, nobody has cared when it doesn’t work… they just move on). It is time now for shopping centers to shift towards a more balanced car/pedestrian strategy. Without a doubt, I believe that the concept outlined above can be used to help shopping destinations become pedestrian friendly community spaces and experience-based commercial brandscapes.

Shopping: Community Space & the Branded Experience

ABSTRACT

Shopping malls are often a subject of architectural criticism inside and outside of the architectural community. From the almost infinite acres of asphalt parking required, to the quality of cheaply built warehouses inside a forest of signage, they are generally considered poor aesthetically, yet necessary to suburban (and now urban) life. A great amount of literature has been written regarding both the reasons for, as well as possible solutions to this problem. Sources typically diverge into two topics: those that are concerned with the idea of community and public space, and those that are concerned with the branded experience and selling. It would seem that a synthesis between these two topics could provide a solution to this problem. This prospectus seeks to answer this question: How can auto-oriented shopping destinations become both pedestrian-oriented, community experiences as well as successful, privately owned commercial brandscapes?

OBJECTIVES

Concerning community and public space:

1. To have a historical understanding of auto-oriented American culture as well as the origins suburban sprawl and shopping malls.

2. To understand the direct effects these topics had on pedestrian oriented public and community space, and how they have contributed to the state of today’s shopping space.

3. To explore architectural solutions to the aforementioned problems in order to turn shopping malls into genuine, pedestrian oriented “third places” while acknowledging and accepting the nation’s dependency on cars.

Concerning the branded experience:

4. To understand the role of branding and brand identity in society today.

5. To understand how today’s economy has shifted from one of convenience base towards one of experience.

6. To understand how architecture can provide identity.

7. To find ways in which commercial brand identities ­can be employed through architecture (brandscapes).

And ultimately:

8. To find a ways in which auto-oriented shopping destinations can become both pedestrian-oriented, community experiences as well as successful, privately owned commercial brandscapes.