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INSIGHTS:  A DISCUSSION ABOUT “PUBLIC SPACE” DESIGN

Gaddis Architect specializes in all phases of commercial and commercial retail design, design management and construction. If maximizing the success of your business by optimizing the performance of your store, or commercial space design is a goal, then attending the following “Insights” could provide some very real benefits. Many common, and some not so common, design challenges are analyzed. Solutions aimed at increasing retail traffic, creating visual presence in various environments, and expressing not only a particular shopping experience but also the business’s brand, are presented. We think that all design is, on some level at least, retail design.  Please scroll on, start a dialogue, contact us anytime.

Unbranding the Brand, Part I: Finding Main Street Retail

May 21, 2012 | 3 Comments

Night View Down Bathesda Avenue, by G. Edward Johnson, 7/30/2008, Author: EnLorax, from Wikimedia, Creative Commons

At the AIA convention this week I attended an event entitled:  Bathesda Row a Retrospective Look at a Retail Icon.  For anyone not familiar with it, Bethesda Row it is a highly successful mixed use development project that took place over 17 or so years.  It is a model of successful “main street” retail.  The developer, John Freeman, made a side comment that may have been the most telling point in the event.   He said, “I hate brands,”  thereby moving an idea from a thought to a thing.  He followed with a discussion of the tenant mix housed in the retail parts of the development, saying that 35% of the tenants were independent “mom and pop” retailers that were critical to the success of the project.  I have thought for a while now that the newest trend in the built retail environment might well be unbranding the brand.  If so, the implications for store design and planning  are considerable. (Please see the comments where the discussion continues.) 

Expert Decision Making

May 4, 2012 | 0 Comments

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Maximizing the visibility of an unshaded East facing exterior storefront for a business that has both day and night time traffic is an undeniable design challenge.  This one is successful because of some expert decision making.  Someone decided to let the outdoor seating, exterior building face and expansive glass do the talking during the day and the interior of the space provide visual interest at night.  A theatrical trick was used to accomplish this, and frankly I would like to know how the designer got the client to cooperate as it was a pretty bold thing to do in this application.  Here is what was done:

  •  All of the interior walls in the place are painted black which has a two fold affect.
  • During the day storefront reflections are , if not eliminated – notice the car reflected in the daytime window – at least minimized.
  • The windows read as an opaque gloss black surface,
  • rendering visibility into the shop nil,
  • and forcing  the retail message to be delivered on the exterior.
  • This is done simply and directly by using clear white signage on the glass,
  • marking the entry with architectural awnings,
  • and installing a nicely contrasting outdoor seating area.
  • The place clearly has food.
  • At night the interior takes over.
  • The black walls provide a backdrop for the merchandise which works with the store lighting as a set does with stage lights.
  • No one walking or driving can miss the place.
  • The food display counters have visual presence and even begin to suggest what is on the menu.
  • The candle lit outdoor tables extend the interior,
  •  and suggest more space.  I am sorry this does not show up too well in the photo.
  • The place is so busy that I have been unable to get a night time photo without the parked cars.  The daytime photo was taken before they open.

As a 2025 update, I would like to mention that if this business in now gone, it is not because of their design.  In fact the design made them popular for several years.  In the end, their business model which was a combination of gourmet deli, carry out, and restaurant seemed to confuse the customers.

To Mall or Un-Mall?

Apr 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

For some time I have wanted to compare a real town shopping district  to one of the fakes that are popping up around the country.    We humans have this acute sense of the authentic, leading me to ask, is it really possible to copy the “new urbanist” vibe?  Is “un-malling” the malls really working out?  Do the slick brand specific storefronts look any different inside an enclosed mall than they do on a city street, fake or not?  These questions stumps social intellects and planners alike.  As an architect I do not presume an opinion except to say that,  all retailers must fight for their piece of an often saturated market.  A well defined visual impact in a perpetually evolving retail environment, be it mall or un-mall, can mean the difference between success and failure.