TG015 - Rethinking Retail for the Circular Economy
Our global environment is changing, and so too is the way in which we engage with and consume goods and services. Tapestry is researching how architecture, urban design and planning can inform the creation of successful and sustainable retail environments.
When rethinking the future of retail for a circular economy, the following themes are relevant:
Urban logistics – how changes in distribution networks for online retail might reshape our cities.
When people shop online, how can we create places they also want to visit in person?
How can we enable retailers and property owners to waste less, and create more?
When floor area is at a premium, how can we use space more efficiently?
What could it look like if the life-cycle of a product all occurred within the same place?
Could shopping centres & key retail streets like Regent Street, London act as a test bed for innovative and sustainable retail?
How could planning policies be adapted to support how we want to use land in the future?
How can we use every space, private and public, as part of the production of goods, knowledge and community ties?
Logistics
Fortnum and Mason has been operating from its current location in Piccadilly since 1707, and is well known for its Christmas Hampers which are delivered to all corners of the globe. In 2012 significant upgrades to the store costing £24m commenced, these included rationalising the space for storage and distribution of their famous hampers.
By relocating some of the hampers to an off site storage facility and improving logistics, additional retail floor space in the form of a second food hall was able to be created at lower ground level. Coordinated logistics offer the potential for retailers to use their valuable real estate more efficiently.
Small Space, Big Value
In most buildings there are pockets of space that could be better utilised. Perhaps like the Uncle Bear Coffee shop in Cape Town that fits into a 7sqm space beneath the stairs in a building lobby, serving some of their customers through a window onto the street. Cobblers, tailors,
jewellery makers and hairdressers are just some of the professionals that could make the most of smaller and more affordable spaces within a larger retail environment – creating a more dynamic atmosphere for customers, and helping bridge the gap between small and big business.
24 Hour City
Oxford Street and other retail streets are essentially mono-use precincts that close in the evenings, why not convert deep shop frontages into cafes each evening? The lines between day and night could also be blurred to display a selection of best-selling products or provide an all-night click and collect facility at the front of larger department stores.
Blackhorse Lane Ateliers in Walthamstow make denim clothing during the day but on weekend evenings host a pop up restaurant, creating an additional stream of revenue to cover building costs and introducing people to their products.
Share Space and Time
Mix the zoning of buildings - vertically, horizontally and at different times of the day and night. Use deep shop fronts and underutilised upper floors to create space for small industry, or to transform into bars,
cafes or click and collect spaces outside of traditional store opening hours. Shop window workshops could also help pedestrians engage with craft makers.
Images: Oxfam by Bay Garnett at Selfridges, London - photo by Lewis Ronald for the Evening Standard; Super Supermarket by students from the Design School Kolding in Denmark, from Alice Morby’s article in Dezeen; menswear department at Selfridges by Alex Cochrane Architects; Fortnum & Mason; : www.bio-bean.com; A Common Ground Cafe, Tasmania, Australia; Levis, Regent Street, London; Flags displayed on Regent Street for the London 2012 Olympic Games, photograph by John Godley; Blackhorse Ateliers, Walthamstow - www.blackhorselane.com; pop up oasis in Bird Street, London; Silo Restaurant - www.silolondon.com; and Former Duke Street Emporium, Mayfair, London.