Architecture as Retail Leverage

Alessandro Giulio


INTRODUCTION
Chances are, you already know the effects of bad architecture in retail spaces. The positioning and layout of space intended for displaying objects is more crucial than one would expect. Take for example our common department stores. How often have you found yourself disoriented in a mass of department store merchandise poorly laid out? And how often were those times due to strange circulation patterns and ambiguous vision caused by floor to ceiling mirrors? I have found myself judging such spaces throughout my adult life living in constant hustle of Chicago and experiencing such spaces first hand. The lecture from which this text follows introduced some great retail architecture designed by leading architects of today. Among these architects were Renzo Piano, Herzog & deMeuron, OMA and Elmgreen & Dragset. The majority of the works presented in the seminar were those commissioned by the Italian clothing company, Prada. Having realized the importance of strong architecture in the retail environment, Prada has since commissioned notable work for architects in pursuit of enabling architecture as retail leverage against other worldwide competing clothing companies.

RETAIL ARCHITECTURE FOR PRADA
As mentioned before, Prada’s initiative for superior retail experience was driven by finely executed design and architecture of their retail spaces. Since its conception, Prada has stood for one of Italy’s top and most elite of clothing companies. It should come as no surprise how Prada believed in clean and finely articulated architectural space. Take for example, OMA’s New York Prada store. The original building was retrofitted to house the merchandise in a fresh and elegant design, allowing for crafted materiality to take over. A double-height space is partially taken up by both a waving and stepped wooden structure. From the stepped portions of the structure, shoes and clothing have taken their place neatly along the edge. The natural palettes of wood and concrete found in the space are adequately contrasted by a vibrantly colored mural along the length of the store. In my opinion, this is Prada’s way of showing the power of displaying few items at a time as oppose to confusing and annoying a customer with abundance and multiplicity.

RETAIL ARCHITECTURE AS ART INSTALLATION
Amidst the Donald Judd dominated area of Marfa, Texas stands Elgreen & Dragset’s Prada Marfa installation. Essentially a sealed and inaccessible store, this installation remains an unusual endeavor fronted by Prada. Distant from any particular busy street, this installation appears to have been dropped from the sky, clearly unrelated to the Texan desert scenery surrounding it. Quite an eerie experience to find an uninhabited space in the middle of the desert, Prada attempted to make a powerful impression on the visitors of the Marfa Prada “store”. From what I’ve understood, the Marfa store is a statement by Prada; the Prada items art, regardless of whether you find them in the installation or in their stores.