DESIGN FOCUS

Tenant Mix:
Creating a diverse mix of tenants to attract a wide range of customers and fulfill various needs.
Storefront Design:
Designing attractive and functional storefronts to enhance visibility and draw in foot traffic.
Pedestrian Accessibility:
Ensuring easy pedestrian access, ample sidewalks, and safe crossings to encourage walking and browsing.
Parking:
Providing sufficient parking spaces that are conveniently located and well-lit for customer convenience.
Landscaping:
Incorporating green spaces, trees, and landscaping elements to enhance the aesthetic appeal and create a
welcoming environment.
Signage and Wayfinding:
Implementing clear signage and wayfinding systems to help customers navigate the mall easily.
Lighting:
Installing effective lighting to improve visibility, safety, and ambiance, especially during evening hours.
Sustainability:
Incorporating sustainable design features such as energy-efficient lighting, water-saving fixtures, and
materials with low environmental impact.
Community Integration:
Designing the strip mall to complement the surrounding community's architectural style and character.
Flexibility:
Designing flexible spaces that can accommodate various tenant needs and adapt to changing market
demands over time.
Outdoor Amenities:
Including outdoor seating areas, plazas, or gathering spaces for customers to relax and socialize.
Facade Variation:
Incorporating architectural elements to create visual interest and break up the monotony of long stretches
of storefronts.
Facade Materials:
Using durable and aesthetically pleasing materials for the facades, such as brick, stone, wood, or metal, to
enhance the overall appearance.
Security Measures:
Implementing security features such as surveillance cameras, adequate lighting, and emergency call boxes
to ensure the safety of customers and tenants.
Accessibility:
Ensuring that the strip mall is accessible to people with disabilities, including wheelchair ramps,
designated parking spaces, and accessible entrances.
Integration of Technology:
Incorporating technology solutions such as Wi-Fi hotspots, digital signage, or mobile apps to enhance the
customer experience and facilitate interactions between tenants and customers.
Environmental Considerations:
Designing with attention to natural elements like sunlight and wind patterns to optimize energy efficiency
and comfort within the mall.
Community Engagement:
Involving the local community in the design process through workshops, surveys, or public hearings to
gather input and ensure the project aligns with community needs and preferences.
Public Transit Connectivity:
Considering access to public transportation options and providing amenities such as bike racks or bus
stops to encourage alternative modes of transportation.
Brand Identity:
Creating a cohesive visual identity for the strip mall that reflects its brand and creates a memorable
experience for customers.
Contextualism: Example: The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry. While the museum's design
is strikingly contemporary, its titanium-clad curves and undulating forms respond to the industrial and
maritime history of the city, creating a dialogue with its surroundings.

Human-Centered Design: Example: The Maggie's Centres, a series of cancer care centers designed by
various architects. These centers prioritize the well-being of patients and their families through thoughtful
layouts, natural light, and calming environments, fostering healing and emotional support.

Community Engagement and Activation: Example: The Pearl District in San Antonio, Texas. The Pearl
District is a mixed-use development that revitalizes a historic brewery complex into a vibrant urban
neighborhood. The development hosts a variety of community events, farmers markets, and cultural
festivals throughout the year, engaging residents and visitors alike. The Pearl District's emphasis on
community engagement and activation creates a lively and inclusive atmosphere that fosters social
connections and strengthens the sense of community within the neighborhood.

Passive Solar Design: Example: The Solar Ark in Gifu, Japan. This iconic structure serves as both a solar
power generation facility and an educational center on renewable energy. The design incorporates passive
solar principles such as orientation, shading, and thermal mass to maximize energy efficiency and
minimize reliance on artificial heating and cooling systems. The Solar Ark's innovative design
demonstrates how architecture can harness the power of the sun to create sustainable and comfortable
indoor environments.

Community-Driven Design: Example: The Studio Gang-designed Fire Rescue House in Chicago, Illinois.
This fire station was developed through a community-driven design process that actively engaged local
residents, firefighters, and city officials in the planning and design phases. The resulting building reflects
the needs and aspirations of the community it serves, with features such as transparent garage doors that
allow passersby to see firefighters in action and multipurpose spaces that can be used for community
events and training programs.

High-Density Urban Design: Example: The La Défense business district in Paris, France. La Défense is
Europe's largest purpose-built business district, characterized by its high-rise office towers, pedestrian-
friendly plazas, and integrated transportation infrastructure. The district's high-density urban design
maximizes land use efficiency, promotes mixed-use development, and fosters connectivity between
commercial, residential, and public spaces.

Bioclimatic Design for Comfort and Health: Example: The Edificio Malecón in Guayaquil, Ecuador,
designed by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). This mixed-use development features a bioclimatic
design that maximizes natural ventilation, daylighting, and thermal comfort for occupants. The building's
orientation, shape, and façade design are optimized to capture prevailing winds, minimize solar heat gain,
and promote passive cooling throughout the interior spaces. The Edificio Malecón showcases how
bioclimatic design principles can enhance indoor environmental quality and occupant well-being in
tropical climates.

Experiential Design: Design the strip mall with a focus on creating memorable and immersive
experiences for shoppers. Incorporate elements such as themed areas, interactive displays, and engaging
activities that encourage exploration and interaction with products.

Biophilic Design: Utilize biophilic design principles to incorporate natural elements such as plants,
natural light, and water features into the mall environment. Studies show that exposure to nature can
enhance mood and well-being, leading to increased time spent in the mall and higher likelihood of
making purchases.

Curated Design: Curate the tenant mix and product offerings within the mall to create a cohesive and
complementary shopping experience. Select retailers and brands that appeal to the target demographic and
offer a diverse range of products and services that meet the needs and preferences of shoppers, increasing
the likelihood of finding something they want to buy.

Thematic Design: Design the mall around a central theme or concept that resonates with the
target demographic and creates a cohesive and immersive experience. Incorporate thematic
elements into the architecture, decor, and branding of the mall to create a unique and
memorable atmosphere that encourages shoppers to explore and engage with products.

Seasonal Popup Design: Designate spaces within the mall for seasonal pop-up shops and
temporary activations that change throughout the year. Partner with local vendors, artists, and
brands to curate unique and exclusive offerings that align with seasonal themes and trends,
creating excitement and novelty for shoppers and driving impulse purchases.

Transparency and Connectivity Design: Design the mall with a focus on transparency and
connectivity to create a sense of openness and fluidity throughout the space. Incorporate
elements such as glass facades, open atriums, and visual sightlines that provide clear views and
connections between different areas of the mall, enhancing wayfinding and navigation for
shoppers and creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

Experiential Retail Design: Creating immersive and interactive retail experiences within the
mall that engage multiple senses and evoke emotional connections with brands, products, and
spaces, enhancing the overall shopping experience.
1. Student-Centric Services: Allocate space for businesses that cater to the needs
of students, such as cafes, fast-food restaurants, bookstores, printing shops, and
recreational facilities like game centers or music stores.
2. Academic Support Services: Include businesses that offer academic support
services such as tutoring centers, stationery shops, computer repair services, and
copy/print centers to assist students with their academic endeavors.
3. Health and Wellness Facilities: Integrate businesses focused on health and
wellness, such as pharmacies, fitness centers, yoga studios, and health food
stores, to promote student well-being and a healthy lifestyle.
4. Social Spaces: Design communal areas like outdoor seating, plazas, or courtyards
where students can gather, socialize, and relax between classes. Consider
incorporating green spaces and landscaping to create a pleasant environment.
5. Cultural and Entertainment Venues: Include businesses that offer cultural
experiences and entertainment options, such as art galleries, theaters, music
venues, and comedy clubs, to enrich campus life and provide recreational
opportunities.
6. Convenience Stores and Services: Provide convenience stores offering
groceries, snacks, toiletries, and other essentials for students living on or near
campus. Additionally, include services like laundry facilities, dry cleaners, ATMs,
and parcel delivery/pick-up points for added convenience.
7. Transportation Hub: Consider incorporating a transportation hub with bike
racks, bus stops, and designated pick-up/drop-off zones to facilitate easy access
for students, faculty, and visitors commuting to and from the university.
8. Sustainable Design Features: Implement sustainable design features such as
energy-efficient lighting, solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and bike-
sharing stations to promote environmental stewardship and reduce the carbon
footprint of the strip mall.
9. Mixed-Use Development: Explore opportunities for mixed-use development,
integrating residential units, office spaces, or educational facilities alongside retail
spaces within the strip mall to create a vibrant and dynamic campus community.
10. Pedestrian-Friendly Design: Prioritize pedestrian safety and accessibility by
designing wide sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and well-defined pedestrian
 pathways to encourage walking and discourage reliance on cars within the
university cluster zone.

By incorporating these design considerations, a strip mall situated within a university