The informal becomes the formal…

“The new skills we need all have to do with cooperation. Sharing environmental qualities makes us listen to others.  Change must honour what was done earlier by others and performance must offer space who will come later.  Distribution of design control calls for ways to parse design tasks so that they support one another.”

Habraken’s perspective on informal design methods, in Questions That Will Not Go Away, is something I agree with.  An architect does not strive to design a background building, but rather an outstanding building that captures everyone’s attention and embodies that space to the fullest existence.  Incorporating an informal method in a rather formal environment, is a tactic that I believe is strong and influential to the growth of architectural design methodologies.

There are several building typologies that no longer meet the needs our ever-changing society, but instead of letting them sit vacant, perhaps they deserve a facelift.  This ideal of retrofitting older spaces, such as mills, warehouses, and commercial shopping malls, transforms architecture.  A historic building may no longer be able function as it stands, but once it’s gutted and redeveloped with a modern twist, it now serves a new purpose; historic shell/façade, with many possibilities, and one day will need to update to accommodate to new qualities.

This process of observing a permanent structure versus a temporary inhabitance, makes me think about a childhood memory, Randall Park Mall; once one of the largest malls in the U.S., located in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.  This once thriving mall, did have the opportunity of experiencing retrofitting, as department stores deteriorated because of online sales, and a college sports institute quickly moved in; however, with the economy not considering changes, rent and property taxes drastically climbed through the roof, and the mall did not stand a chance of survival.  The formal shopping mall’s footprint now holds Amazon’s newest distribution plant.

It’s quite ironic how the place where families use to gather for a day of fun at the indoor amusement park, shop back-to-school deals in the department stores, watch the latest movies and enjoy cuisine, is now home to a warehouse that delivers all that and more to your doorstep in less than 48 hours.  I believe as designers we need to take back our spaces, create for the people, and stop encouraging these big-name companies’ warehouses that aren’t really helping the growth of the built environment.