Inconsequential Architecture: Looking at shopping malls in a new light

Abstract

This thesis pursues a radical transformation in architecture that may seem inconsequential, bringing light to what possibilities existing buildings hold. Shopping malls become the case study for this exploration, chosen to demonstrate a radical transformation in an iconic typology. Despite their cultural significance, the American shopping mall type is becoming an obsolete structure sitting as vacant fortresses within suburban communities. Neighborhoods must navigate around these unoccupied sites, typically in centralized locations, that once made them vital within commerce and culture. Should the vacant shopping mall be demolished for new development or can its carcass inspire a new function that may have never been seen before? While this thesis will not be the first project to reimagine shopping malls, it is setting out to challenge our conventional techniques of adaptive reuse. To study radical building transformation, the shopping mall becomes a case study of rebirth. Thoroughly understanding the buildings design origins can indicate a key factor for regeneration: sunlight. Using daylighting manipulation, the building's new program can reveal itself beyond conventional developer techniques, but more organically seen through light and shadow. When the process of adaptive reuse is approached nontraditionally, opportunities and inspirations become boundless.