Commercial Design – Strip Mall of Future

December 2, 2011, 9:56 pm
Filed under: Commercial Work

Hello again readers. I thought that I would design something on the commercial side of things for a change. Until recently, the mall has been the preferred medium for retail commerce. However, the cost of gas, the high rents for mall tenants and online commerce have all helped to kill that beast. Additionally, a greater emphasis is being placed on sustainability and shopping locally favoring smaller community based complexes. The term ‘lifestyle center’ has been bandied around the architectural community as the next generation in retail; a hometown based shopping area that offers shopping and community activities such as movies or climbing walls, etc. My interpretation of the lifestyle center has a very urban edge to it so it would be ideally suited for a city block in Boston or New York rather than in the downtown of a bedroom community.

I started with the sketch above and it easily expanded into an entire complex. I envisioned a 2 floor Nike shoe store occupying the anchor store in my complex (as the building evokes imagery associated with shoes i.e. shoe horn, shoe laces) with two smaller stores and a tourist info booth as well as in a separate building. Additionally an ice cream parlor and a parking garage for visitors would be included all of which are designed around a common courtyard space. I was sick of retail being so bland. If people are going to part with the little money they have, they should do it in enjoyable spaces and not within the confines of a big box warehouse or a dated mall.