Culture + Commerce
Joel Sanders Architect, 2013
Two trends signal the increasing intertwining of culture and commerce. Today cultural institutions, like museums and theaters, typically incorporate retail and food services, motivated by the need to generate increased revenue. At the same time, commercial venues sometimes partner with prestigious artistic organizations to attract discerning consumers. The Phoenix Mall capitalizes on both trends by inventing a new building type—a cultural mall—that harnesses the synergy generated when culture and retail mix.
Cultural mall
The project melds two generic building types—the mall and the cultural building—to create a unique hybrid, the “cultural mall.”
Here, the mall atrium void is replaced with a cultural solid; now as visitors shop, they circulate around four floors of stores and restaurants that serve the cultural institutions they surround.
Superblock urbanism
The urban design encourages foot-traffic by subdividing the superblock site into a sequence of human-scaled indoor and outdoor public spaces that seamlessly integrate into the surrounding city.
The superblock is crossed by two pedestrian corridors that sub-divide the site into four humanly scaled quadrants housing four cultural four mini-malls each dedicated to a different cultural program—performing arts (theater), arts and science (museum), education and fitness.
The elevated Book Mart crowns the entire complex, tying the four quadrants into a cohesive whole that lends a unified identity to superblock.
Project components
1 Office Tower - The slender proportions and solar orientation of the tower take advantage of favorable northern and southern exposure.
2 Rooftop Terrace - The sustainable green roof of the Book Mart serves as a cultural park. The pinnacle of each mini-mall pierces the roof, forming amenity spaces—sculpture pavilion, amphitheater, and spa.
3 Book Mart - Occupying the top floor, the Book Mart, marks the transition from retail podium to corporate tower, visually and symbolically tying the two together.
4 Cultural Mini-mall - The four mini-malls are composed of two nested elements—a Culture Core wrapped by a Retail Loop—encased in a glazed box that allows them to be seen from the street day and night.