Research Summary

The most prominent event that is shaping how businesses design commercial buildings is the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of social distancing caused retail/restaurant spaces to reduce capacity to half or less depending on the size of the space. The likelihood of there being another pandemic of this magnitude during our lifetime seems slim based on historical evidence. Even so, this pandemic will be in our minds while designing the space. Racks of merchandise will be on moveable racks to make social distancing in the future easier to accomplish. There might be some areas that are permanent displays, but a large portion will be mobile. Appropriate counter space at registers will be taken into account for the future use of plexiglass. An advanced HVAC system would be good to install since customers and employees will be sharing the same space for large amounts of time. Students will be a huge part of our target market since the retail space is located in a college town. In order to make it appeal to people of other ages and backgrounds we have decided to incorporate a space that offers sewing and tailoring classes. Many aging adults like to take on craft hobbies, and a wave of DIY has people trying to make and mend their own belongings. As students ourselves we realized that there is a lack of professional clothing stores that are not Kohl’s, Target, or Meijer in Mt Pleasant. Furthermore, we have noticed that the fashion majors at CMU do not have a runway space to hold events and display their work. The upstairs of this retail establishment will give them a space to do so. Using the display cases at the front of the building students could compete to have their work displayed. As we discussed in class, we do not want to incorporate design elements that may be offensive. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe lives in Mt Pleasant, and we want to be sure not to have design elements that may be seen as culturally insensitive. The design direction planned for the retail space will not be running into these issues, but we will keep them in mind, nonetheless. Weather is another aspect we have to think about when designing the retail space. Since Michigan experiences both hot and cold weather we will have to make sure there is proper circulation of AC and heat throughout. It is also important to note the political aspects of what is going on in society. The emergence of new gender pronouns has put public restrooms in an interesting position. The traditional male and female bathrooms are somewhat discriminatory to those who identify as they/them or something similar. Having a third option for those that do not identify with the dominant genders could attract more business for retail. It might also deter visitors that are not open minded, and it is important to create an environment that is welcoming to all. Fashion appears to be moving the fastest towards embracing gender expression, as many people use clothes as the dominant way to express themselves.