BRAVE NEW (M)ALL
YEAR | 2013
COLLABORATION | Matilde Igual Capdevila
How can a monofunctional shopping district between a railway and a highway be developed? In this competition, we proposed building more malls as a Trojan horse for a vibrant, mixed-use development.
The site’s greatest potential lies in its high connectivity and the lack of spatial definition—anything can still happen.
While the malls are malls, and the parking lots are parking lots today, they have the potential to transform into something entirely different tomorrow
We envisioned malls as catalysts for change, gradually incorporating residential and cultural spaces.
One of the few structural patterns of the site today is a main avenue in the center, with service roads on either side. Public spaces and programs along this new artery form the backbone of the development.
Instead of completing 20% of the development in the first phase, we propose completing 20% of all phases simultaneously to accommodate intermediary uses.
We drew inspiration from malls’ reliance on “key tenants” to attract smaller businesses. Similarly, the first phases of our project focused on attracting pioneers—residents, businesses, and organizations—that would draw others to the area, establishing a foundation for growth.
Our proposal offered a framework for an adaptable mixed-use district that combined the flexibility of malls with the vitality of urban life
Once the critical mass is reached, the development is far from finished or stagnant. On the contrary, the site, as an infrastructural hub, will be exposed to ever-changing demands and conditions and must adapt as fluidly as it did in the initial phases. The newly developed mall typology allows for exactly that: further radical changes throughout the entire lifespan of the buildings.
