The Future of Junkspace

 

With the realities of this pandemic comes the major shift from in-person shopping to online shopping.  Strip malls, outlets, and even shared common areas at the bases of hotels and high-rise apartments are slowly becoming more and more obsolete.  Where malls used to define convenience, it now seems that the simple click of a computer to place an order has taken over as the new convenience.  I think this brings up an interesting question…what if we started to eliminate these junkspaces?  It seems wasteful and impractical that every location of every establishment continuously maintains their stock on the chance that someone wants to buy it locally. 

Is it slowly going to start to make more sense that these junkspaces of local franchises transition over to large distribution centers/warehouse spaces?  This will ultimately reduce waste and shipping costs, but what impact will that have on architecture?  These warehouses are clearly designed from a purely functional standpoint, similar to that of a strip mall.  Can it be argued, then, that these warehouses are, themselves, examples of junkspace?  Would this transition ultimately just result in a varied form of junkspace: one that is no longer accessible to the general public? I believe this may be where we are headed, but think it is important for us, as architects, to consider ways of designing these spaces with form in mind as well, so that they do not become eyesores popping up in towns everywhere – replacing one junkspace with another, less accessible junkspace.