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T H E F U T U R E O F R E T A I L

S H O P P I N GB A C K G R O U N D

The newest shopping centres today are the ultimate pleasure domes.

Complete with aquariums, in-door skiing, ice-skating, theme parks,

plastic surgery clinics and more where “mirrored columns and walls

further fragment the scene shattering the mall into a kaleidoscope of

ultimately unreadable images. Confusion proliferates at every level; past

and future collapse meaninglessly into the present; barriers between

real and fake, newer and far, dissolve as history, nature, technology,

are indifferently processed by the mall’s fantasy machine. Yet this

implausible, seemingly random, collection of images has been assembled

with an explicit purpose: to support the mall’s claim to contain the entire

world within its walls.”

- Margret Crawford, architectural theorist

W E S T E D M O N T E N M A L L

G R E E K A G O R AM A R Y E V A N S P I C T U R E L I B R A R Y

A huge part of public space in daily life is retail

environments and cultural spaces. At the same time,

public life is proliferating through the use of social media,

the internet, reddit boards and the like. We swipe right,

like, comment, tweet, share and cultivate our public

personas through screens. At present, there is a clear

barrier between our physical environment and those little

black devices, but this division will become less defined

as technology advances through the tools of augmented,

virtual and mixed realities and architecture becomes

more “phygital.”

Shopping architecture plays a huge role in defining

public life, not only are they places to “see and be seen,”

but these places in play an integral role in defining local

culture. The agora, stores, pleasure gardens, malls, cafes

and taverns have frequently been the backdrop for dating

culture, new connections, meeting friends, the start

of political uprisings or the birth cultural movements.

Online shopping, although it may expedite consumption

more effectively, still largely lacks this public role.

In order to compete with e-commerce, future-oriented

architects must rethink the notion of the store, cafe,

agora, and shopping architecture in this digital era as

a new platform that combines the benefits of emerging

technologies with the theatrics of public space. Where

atoms and pixels blend to create new kinds of architecture

and layered stories for a “mixed reality” future. As this

develops over the next century, so too will the role of the

architect, designing systems where brick and mortar

merges with data and voxels.

“I refuse to pay alimony to those bastard developments.” - Victor Gruen

V A L E R I A N A N D T H E C I T Y O F A T H O U S A N D P L A N E T SL U C B E N S O N , 2 0 1 7

B L A D E R U N N E R 2 0 4 9D E N I S V I L L E N E U V E , 2 0 1 7

S O U T H D A L E C E N T E R , M I N N E S O T AV I C T O R G R U E N

G R E E K A G O R AM A R Y E V A N S P I C T U R E L I B R A R Y

In this course, students will design their vision for the

next retail architecture from three different scales

and perspectives (mall, store and consumer level). At

the end of the workshop, students’ physical models/

installations will be layered with digital material

through mixed reality (Magic Leap) and augmented

reality (smartphones and tablets) devices.

Each group will question how to design brick and mortar

architecture to better suit the needs of a “phygital”

future. Where technology is not a gimmick, but a tool that

augments the shopping experience and makes everyday

public life a bit more wondrous.

For inspiration, we will look at science fiction (Valerian,

Ready Player One, Black Mirror), “placemaking”

architecture case studies (Jon Jerde, James Rouse, Victor

Gruen and John Lautner), public spaces (Ray Oldenberg,

Instagram museums, Meow Wolf and the Experience

and Transformation Economy) and user centred design

approaches for concept building and creating scenarios.

We will also take a field trip to different shopping centres

in Melbourne: i.e. Burwood Brickworks (sustainability),

Emporium Melbourne/Chadstone (luxury) and Collins

Place to people watch and observe. Students will also

have a crash course on designing for augmented reality

and mixed reality devices with Unity 3D software and how

to deploy them onto smartphones, tablets and the Magic

Leap.

Students will create a “phygital” set for their concepts,

combining real models with digital overlays. The final

outcome of the course will be mixed reality installations

that, together, create a futuristic agora from three

different scales. In each installation, the physical

scenography will merge with the digital information when

seen through a Magic Leap or tablet.

C O U R S E D E S C R I P T I O N

V A L E R I A N A N D T H E C I T Y O F A T H O U S A N D P L A N E T SL U C B E N S O N , 2 0 1 7

M E O W W O L FS A N T A F E , A R I Z O N A

F R E M O N T S T R E E T E X P E R I E N C E L A S V E G A S , J O H N J E R D E

M A G I C L E A P

A R B O O K , V U F O R I A

T R U M P A R , V U F O R I A

Students should have their own laptops/computers with

a 3D software on it. Both 3D and 2D elements will be used

in the final application

Magic Leap device. Students will learn basics on how to

program and develop for the Magic Leap and deploy an

application.

iPads & tablets where we build an AR app with Vuforia

Building materials for architectural structures, laser cut

models or props. We will overlay these structures with our

digital interventions

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Students will need to be able to build their

structures in a 3D software of their choice. No

previous experience in app building, AR, Magic

Leap or coding is required.

P R I O R K N O W L E D G E

M A T E R I A L S

M A G I C L E A P E X A M P L E

Students will work in groups making a mixed reality /

augmented reality re-design for one of three different

perspectives and scales: the shopping mall, the store and

individual customer experience. These three experiences

will be shown to the public at the final exhibition.

Create a physical installation architecture / scenography

/ scale model designed to serve as a set for the digital

overlay.

Create digital material for the mixed reality experience

(3D models, UI, interfaces, animations, etc.)

Apply and layer this digital material in space to the

physical models via markers in their installation.

Basic interactions can be coded to make the material

interactive as well as sound and effects (particles).

During the course, students are encouraged to document

their process and experimentations in a form of a

booklet or poster which will be incorporated in their final

presentation

The mixed reality experiences can be video recorded/

photographed or made into animated films to convey the

students’ scenario.

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O U T C O M E S

Morning: Course introduction on the history of shopping

Afternoon: Introduction to AR and MR

Morning: Site visits to shopping malls in Melbourne

Afternoon: Site visits to shopping malls in Melbourne

Morning: Individual Work on analysis of the site visits

Afternoon: Presentation of MR ideas & formation of groups

Morning: Group Work: ideation

Afternoon: Presentation of initial concepts and communal critique

Morning: Group Work: ideation 2

Afternoon: Presentation 2

Morning: Crash course on Unity and Vuforia

Afternoon: Group Work: ideation in Unity

Morning: Group Work: building physical sets & digital content

Afternoon: Presentation of Progress

Morning: Group Work: building physical sets & digital content

Afternoon: Presentation of Progress

Morning: Group Work: Finalize presentation (both physical sets and digital content)

Afternoon: Debugging of Applications / Deploying the applications on the devices

Morning: Set up / exhibition

Afternoon: Exhibtion + Party

M o n d a y

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S C H E D U L EP L A N S A R E S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E

M E O W W O L F ,H O U S E O F E T E R N A L R E T U R N

G E N I U S C O L L E C T I O N , M O N C L E RA R B O O K

L O U I S V U I T T O NA R T E C H N O L O G Y B A G S , 2 0 1 9

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