This article was published in the October 2023 issue of Contemporary Architecture (Issue No. 046), pp. 34-38.
By Fan Guo - Managing Director, Architecture & Planning, Arcadis China.
Yang Song-Arcadis Director of Architecture and Planning.
Li Mengran - Arcadis is a senior designer of architecture and planning at Arcadis.
As a type of architecture, commercial buildings have undergone a long history of changes and evolution. In the past 20 years, most of the domestic commercial construction practices are dominated by commercial complexes, and their advantages and disadvantages have been fully tested by the industry. In today's rapidly iterating social, economic, and technological environment, commercial complexes are facing new opportunities and challenges. This paper is proposed from the perspective of an architect who has been deeply involved in the field of commercial architectural design for many years"Commercial Fusion".This improved concept, and analyzes and predicts the characteristics and characteristics of future business, and argues:"Diversity and symbiosis, cross-border integration".It will be the development direction and mainstream trend of commercial buildings.
As an old and new building type, commercial architecture has long been hidden from the field of mainstream architectural research and criticism. However, looking back at the history of human activities, the establishment and development of settlements and cities are inseparable from the exchange of means of production and the prosperity of commerce. In other words, the "city" and the "city" are closely related and mutually reinforcing. The bustling commercial scene of the Qingming Riverside depicts the urban appearance and thriving commercial activities of the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty: markets, houses, tea houses, wine shops, butcher shops, etc., and the endless flow of vendors and pedestrians between the wharf and the city gate. At that time, commercial buildings tended to be broadly defined, and their architectural form and layout were basically the same as those of other types of buildings.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the mainstream commercial building form evolved from the traditional market to the department store, and this change first appeared in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 90s of the 19th century. [1] The emergence of department stores has activated mass consumption, with its rich and diverse product choices and well-decorated space design, enabling consumers to have a one-stop shopping experience, and at the same time, it has also given birth to new industries such as advertising and brand marketing. As Alan Trachtenberg puts it: "[The department store] became a microcosm of the city of the Gilded Age, a place of learning that went beyond shopping, an education about modernity." ”[2]
In most cities in China, after decades of state-run department stores, commercial buildings have shown a blowout development from the late 90s of the 20th century to the early 21st century, and have entered the stage of commercial complexes dominated by shopping malls. With the entry of world-class commercial design firms such as Callison, RTKL, Jerde and Benoy into the domestic market, projects represented by Shanghai Harbour Plaza and Shenzhen Luohu MixC have defined the type, function and space of domestic commercial complex projects. Among them, the design logic of connecting circulation lines in the atrium and dividing the area according to function reflects the underlying logic of commercial behavior during this period.
Now, after more than 20 years of practice renewal, commercial buildings are once again ushering in new opportunities and challenges. In the context of the rapid iteration of technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and the metaverse, what changes will occur in business behaviors and the spatial scenarios in which they are located, and what will be the impact of emerging business forms such as online live streaming on offline commercial spaces. From the perspective of a designer who has been deeply involved in local commercial projects for many years, the author interprets and associates this to explore the possibility of commercial buildings facing the future.
From a traditional commercial complex to a future commercial complex
Commercial complexes that are widely recognized by the industry often refer to typical commercial products with shopping mall podiums, office and hotel towers as the main body, integrating multiple functions such as shopping, office, catering, and entertainment, and taking efficiency as the leading and comprehensive functions, just like "a candle on the cake". Among them: the podium is a "big box", carrying commercial functions; Seek large and more in volume, and win by scale; The design incorporates economic considerations for land development.
Over the years, commercial complexes, as places for urban residents to work, live and relax, have often caused controversy over their architectural form, height and large-scale layout, while providing one-stop shopping and entertainment. This situation is prone to questions similar to those raised by Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of America's Great Cities: if we are content to build physical spaces that are purely functional, such as skyscrapers and big box commerce, without considering the impact of construction on streets, neighborhoods, cities, and even the behavior and emotions of its residents, then cities will be uniform and lifeless. [3]
Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, the global brick-and-mortar business and retail industry has been hit hard, and online e-commerce has squeezed its living space, and offline customer traffic has plummeted. According to Deloitte's research report, before the pandemic, 24% of consumers spent at least once a week in physical commerce; After the outbreak of the new coronavirus, only 12% of consumers spent in physical commerce. Therefore, how to attract customers to return to the offline space, and how to compete and coexist with offline and online businesses have become issues of common concern in the industry.
We believe that today's urban complexes are no longer limited to providing retail functions, but need to create and lead people to embrace a new lifestyle on the basis of fully exploring the value of space and space, and become a "third place" in addition to residential buildings and office buildings (where you can work, enjoy food, party, walk, camp, sports, ......).Richer life demands are being integrated into commercial complexes, and diversified and inclusive, ecologically green, and immersive experiences have become an inevitable trend in the development of commercial complexes in the future.
In view of this, the author summarizes experience and proposes"Commercial Fusion".this concept. This concept is a reflection and revision of the traditional commercial complex, as well as a profound exploration of the opportunity and theoretical prototype of the future-oriented commercial space.
At the conceptual level, compared with traditional complexes, commercial integration can better reflect the trend of lifestyle, business format and space integration. The "integration" emphasized by the commercial fusion is not limited to the physical space, but is more embodied in the integration of public space, social place, and people-oriented feeling (Figure 1). At the same time, "fusion" also provides greater flexibility to meet the customer's desire for novelty, desire for change and changing "taste".
Fig.1 In the future, the complex will become a "fusion unit".
For the prototype of business integration, the author believes that it advocates the concept of behavior integration and experience-led. Different from the previous business model of efficiency-first and solid-state centralization, the commercial convergence will superimpose the experience space of fusion, liquid and flow in multiple dimensions such as vertical and horizontal. Not only that, but the designer's way of thinking about the project will also be understood from a single, functional division"Architectural thinking" is transformed into a comprehensive "place thinking".(Figure 2). The volume and quantity of buildings will no longer be the core evaluation criteria, and small and beautiful and small and fine projects can also become the focus and winning point of people's attention.
Fig.2 Transforming a single "architectural thinking" into an integrated "place thinking".
Compared with the trillions of information and traffic in the online virtual network, the advantage of offline physical commerce is not this, but the feeling and memory of the place generated by the visitor's personal experience. Although the experience is subjective, it can distill some commonalities, even as Robert Truj · In Learning from Las Vegas, Venturi elaborates that architecture becomes a "symbolic obscure", a "commercial and informational spatial vocabulary, that is, the sign should be large and the building should be small, or the building itself should no longer emphasize the space but emphasize its symbolic nature". [4]
In an urban renewal project in Shenzhen, the design team redefined the vision of the project from the perspective of reflecting on the urban complex, and reshaped the space and its organizational relationship with the theme of "breaking boundaries and feeling multi-dimensional" (Fig. 3 and Fig. 6).
Fig. 3 Business convergence: cross-border convergence.
Figure 4 Facing the multi-dimensional needs of the future population.
Fig.5 Conceptual cross-section of commercial convergence.
Fig.6 Conceptual image of commercial convergence.
From commercial spaces to urban public spaces
In the commercial integration, the commercial space breaks through its own ownership and transforms into an urban public space, integrating the commercial experience with the urban public life, which has become an unstoppable development trend.
In terms of hours of operation and customer base, few urban public buildings are as open all year round as commercial buildings, and are popular with people of all ages. As suchLiu Xiaoguang, Director of Architecture & Planning at ArcadisThe essence of commercial space is a general urban public space system, and its spatial prototype is an open urban space corridor, which brings together rich and diverse public functions, builds relationships, and guides behaviors. ②
When we broaden our horizons and are no longer limited to commercial benefits, but focus on enhancing the value of places in multiple dimensions and creating spatial connections with the city, we can instead feed back the commercial space itself and achieve a "win-win" situation (Figure 7). The form of this space is not static, it can be a temporary pop-up space or a seasonal transformation of the place. As the customer base and the city grow, its value and form will continue to evolve.
Figure 7 Improving business value in multiple dimensions.
InBeijing Bloomage Live · Wukesong ProjectThe sunken space of the project site makes up for the serious lack of public space in the surrounding cities, and meets the leisure and entertainment needs of large-scale cultural and sports venues after competitions, performances, and training, and becomes a full-time urban destination (Figure 8). Heshenghui, Dawang Road, BeijingAs an urban public space, the winter garden on the top floor is compatible with traditional mixed-use functions such as commerce, catering, and entertainment, and flexibly accommodates multiple scenarios such as new energy auto shows and children's basketball training (Figure 9). Nature-based leisure concept,Hyundai Department Store, Seoul, South Korea50% of the inner area is designed as a public space, creating an experiential environment and social space that is superior to traditional shopping malls. These spaces not only provide customers with a place to relax and shop, but also provide a more meaningful urban experience that people cannot get through online shopping (Figure 10).
Fig.8 Beijing Bloomage live · Five pines.
Fig.9 Heshenghui, Dawang Road, Beijing.
Fig.10 Hyundai Department Store, Seoul, South Korea.
From lifestyle diversification to multi-dimensional business experience
As Generation Z gradually becomes a new force leading the consumer market, the development of commercial projects gradually reflects the diversified characteristics of users' lifestyles, and multi-dimensional business experience has become the goal and measurement standard pursued by more projects. This multi-dimensionality is not only reflected in the diversity of spatial organization, but also in the differences in business formats, themes, and operations.
Space organizations will shift from solid-state, centralized commerce in the past to liquid, mobile commerce in the future. The solid anchor store means that the format, location, area and investment positioning of the traditional anchor store are basically fixed and pre-set. In the future, the commercial space will break away from the traditional concept of anchor stores, and integrate the atrium into the anchor store, making it flexible and adjustable at both vertical and horizontal levels, like flowing water. Horizontally, it can be connected to surrounding storefronts, vertically, up and down spaces, and even entire public areas can be used to form a workhorse, or several stores can be combined into a collection store (Fig. 11). It can be seen that the definition of commercial experience space is no longer limited. The rigid, traditional physical partition is broken, and the commercial experience space will bring new feelings to users, whether in terms of vision, function, or experience. This vision brings a great deal of imagination, flexibility and sustainability to planning and design.
Fig.11 "Solid, concentrated" vs. "Liquid, flow".
In addition, in order to effectively promote the multi-dimensionality of the business experience and improve mobility, one of the important strategies is to blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor. Outdoor spaces have always been popular with customers, but due to unmanageable, low-profit, and weather-prone spaces, outdoor, setback, and rooftop spaces in traditional shopping malls seem to be treated negatively. Nowadays, people crave healthy, green and ecological spaces, and more and more shopping malls are rethinking how to bring natural light and fresh air into indoor spaces, how to deeply integrate storefronts and pedestrian streets, blur the boundaries between atriums and interiors, and how to adjust wind direction and air flow speed to improve the use of outdoor space in winter. For example:The Balston Public Mall in Arlington, Virginia, USAThe perfect blend of indoor and outdoor spaces transforms the old mall from the 80s of the 20th century into a place for the community to develop a new lifestyle (Fig. 12).
Fig.12 The Balston Public Mall in Arlington, Virginia, United States.
In terms of business formats, themes and operations, communities and communities serve as a diversion and become the entry point for multi-dimensional business experience. In Bangkok, Thailand, where the business atmosphere is strong, it has become a trend and consensus for commercial projects to integrate into community spaces and share urban life. In recent years, a series of popular projects such as The Commons, Iconsiam, etc., although they are of different sizes and scenes, are closely related to lifestyle and local culture. Among them,the commonsFocusing on community commerce, we deeply match the living and social needs of nearby residents, and select business spaces that can activate diversified social and lifestyle activities, such as markets, workshops, rooftop plantations, exhibition spaces, performance venues, and food and beverage outlets, and use vertical three-dimensional superposition for layout (Figure 13).
Fig.13 The commons, Bangkok, Thailand
In the past two years, there have also been a number of cases in China that demonstrate diversified lifestyles and provide social value. It is mainly park-style and curatorial business, and has become a phenomenon-level industry hotspotChengdu regular YuanyeIt provides people with a non-standard commercial experience with the sunken park space as the background and the collection of managers as commercial characteristics. People sit and stroll around here, reducing the purpose of shopping and enhancing the sense of wandering, enjoying the sense of relaxation and breathing brought by life in the environment created by native plants and rough concrete. With "Youth Magnetic Field" as the core valueCosmo Chengdu, showing the concept of life as a show. The composite space supports the larger-proportioned experience area with unified visual elements, as well as the commercial scene with more blurred boundaries, while elements such as national tide, art, graffiti, and installation become the background board of personalized experience in the mix-and-match.
The box in Beijing faces outwardIn line with these projects, it breaks through the downturn between Sanlitun and Guomao, and sets up a variety of business formats such as skateboarding space, sky basketball park, trendy collection store, pop-up, exhibition, etc., reflecting the diversified ideal lifestyle of young customers. It arose at the same time and was located dozens of kilometers awayBeijing Xisanqi Vientiane CityIt interprets the theme of "going to life" in a fresh and natural spatial form, providing families with a scarce quality living space nearby, which is not only a continuation of the home, but also an upgrade of the lifestyle (Figure 14).
Fig.14 Vientiane City, Xisanqi, Haidian District, Beijing.
Four characteristics of the future business convergence
Today, new tools from tech companies such as OpenAI are making a big push in the field of artificial intelligence. In the near future, the level of wisdom in the virtual world will increase exponentially, and the digital experience of the five senses and the interaction between virtual and reality will gradually become the mainstream trend. In recent years, there has been a growing willingness for brands to enhance technology, especially in stores. Data shows that from 2018 to 2019, the budget related to business investment in technology products increased by 60%. ③
With the rapid iteration of technology, business will adjust its form in the future to adapt to new technological means, social trends and cultural trends. The author expects that this adjustment will develop in the general direction of providing a multi-dimensional life experience, dissolving the boundaries of commercial space, and creating a symbiotic and integrated organism in multiple fields. Among the three major business elements of "people, goods and places", offline brick-and-mortar commerce will move from the stage dominated by "goods" in the past to the stage dominated by "people" and "fields" (Figure 15). In this regard, the author envisions four important characteristics of future business convergence (Figure 16):
Figure 15 Future business development trends.
Figure 16 Four characteristics of future business.
4.1 Focus on the experience
Different from online shopping, the essence of the future of business convergence lies in the social and service experience, and the visitor's experience will be omni-channel, including every detail from arrival to departure. Therefore, from the beginning of planning, the design needs to consider the convenience of the service and the user-friendly experience.
The emphasis on and care for this sense of experience is a significant feature of the high-end hotel industry, so the author expects that a major trend to improve the future business experience is to integrate with the hotel industry, learn from the experience of hotel design and operation, and cut more from a humanized perspective to enhance people's experience in shopping malls. For example, implant high-quality public spaces or services, and adopt five-star hotel-level doors or drop-off methods at the entrance to show hotel-like elegant and thoughtful services; Provide humanized services in the bathroom and mother and baby room, from the location planning of the rest area to the layout of the mirror, so that customers have a sense of comfort. The improvement of these details will enhance people's sense of experience and bring the effect of "moisturizing things silently".
4.2 Full time period
After the extension of commercial buildings is expanded into urban public space, its use scenarios will be more diversified and tend to be full-time. The commercial building's connection to the community and community activates it as a localized hub, a place for neighborhood gathering, where residents can recreation, and access the services they need for daily life. The design of the space will focus on the holistic way of life, so people will no longer crave "material" but "experience" and tend to be responsible buyers, focusing on community care, creativity and connectivity.
Studies have shown that when people engage in more than one activity in a space, their preference for that space doubles. This psychological inclination will encourage the building to offer multiple uses at different times of the day, such as yoga studios in the morning, pop-up shops in the afternoon, galleries in the evening, etc. In the future, commercial buildings will further develop towards the route of multiple symbiosis, and continue to evolve with the migration of time, transforming the "15-minute metropolitan area" into a "5-minute central circle". ⑤
4.3 Decommercialization
In the future, commercial integration will adapt to the new urban planning composite scenario, and cross-border integration such as "business + transportation space", "business + cultural facilities" and "business + stadiums" will become more common, and commercial projects will become "de-commercialized". In terms of functional formats, in addition to providing shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, can designers and operators think further and create a richer business mix? For example, connecting transportation hubs, setting up halls or facilities that are convenient for customers to transfer; Prepare changing rooms, shower rooms, and laundry for cyclists and commuters; Prepare the disinfection site, etc.
In terms of spatial expression, commercial projects are also increasingly adopting "de-commercialized" interior space design, providing visitors with more imaginative scenes. For example, when Siam Discovery, Bangkok, which has been in operation for 20 years, was renovated in 2016, the design team proposed the concept of seven lifestyle laboratories, which echoed the theme with a simple, cool and technological design. "At Siam Discovery Mall, we intend to manage the experience and emotions of our visitors, not just products, categories and displays," said its operator. Projects such as Cosmo Chengdu, The Box Chaowai, and Beijing SKP-S have also dissipated the noisy sense of business with an industrial style and a cold style that is more in line with the aesthetic orientation of trendy youth.
4.4 Traffic Ingress
Shopping is no longer the main body of commercial space, and experience and traffic have become the meaning and value of commercial space. Under the influence of this wave, commercial operators will reconsider the layout and scale of commercial space, and large volumes may not be able to directly obtain high profits, so stores do not need to maintain a large amount of inventory, and can be more inclined to establish brand display channels. These display spaces can be smaller and more interactive to showcase brands and products, while bridging orders and logistics center shipments.
Some e-commerce brands have begun to use strategies such as post-pre-sale scheduling and offline drainage of online stores, but for traditional department stores and chain businesses, it still needs a certain amount of transformation time. For example, Nordstrom, a leading department store chain in North America that has explored the direction of transformation in recent years, has launched the form of "Nordstrom Local" stores, which will be used as outlets without commodity inventory, providing online ordering, outlet pick-up or return services, as well as personalized matching customization, beauty services and other supporting services.
Based on this, it can be seen that the physical business will complete the transformation of the profit model. The distribution of goods will rely more on online virtual interfaces, while offline physical commercial spaces will become channels to complete the experience loop, build brand equity and provide traffic entrances, and even billboards with higher conversion rates. In fact, many businesses and brands such as Shanghai Canning Field Cultural Communication and Sports Technology Company Keep have begun to operate and try in this direction. In short, brands rely on physical commerce to provide physical space and experience, while high-frequency social content creation required by brick-and-mortar commerce will rely on brands to fill and revitalize. In this way, business will be lighter and more symbolic, and will become a spatial vocabulary for delivering business information, and the design and creation of its scenes will be more free and feasible.
Conclusion
In summary, the future business will shift from an efficiency-led complex to an experience-led integration, and the relevant organizations and planners will be committed to providing visitors with a cross-border integration and multi-dimensional experience of the urban public space, and fully tap the respective advantages of online virtual space and offline physical space, so that the two can be combined and seamlessly connected, and at the same time pay attention to humanized service and sense of technology, reflect and carry a diversified lifestyle with a suitable volume layout, so that the future commercial space will become a spatial vocabulary with more traffic attributes.
Comment
The Future of the Mall, released by Deloitte in 2020, can be found here.
For details of Liu Xiaoguang's lecture at Xidan Renewal Bazaar Art Space on June 26, 2021, please refer to it.
The State of Retail Tech: Ahead in 2020 published by CB Insights in 2020 can be found here.
See. CallisonRTKL's 2023 Report: Design Strategies Impacting the Future of the Built Environment, published in 2023, can be found at:
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Fig. 1 Fig. 12, Fig. 14, Fig. 15: CRTKL, a design company owned by Arcadis
Figure 13: Figure 16a:
Fig. 16b, Fig. 16c: CRTKL, a design company owned by Arcadis
Figure 16d: