METRO
mela
SANA TABASSUM
SPRING / SUMMER
2121
UNIT 18
Literary Inspirations
3
Catalogue of Artifacts
4
Metro Centre
5
Durga Puja Pandals
6
Mall Pandal
7
deadmalls.com 8 Shopping Typologies Anatomy of a Mall
9 10
Cathedral of Consumption
11
Monuments Left Behind
12
Exhibition of Forgotten Artifacts
13
Shopping Trolley: The Musical
14
Programme 15 Britain’s Most Depressing High Street
16
Anatomy of a High Street
17
High Street Furniture
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Supermarket Articles
19
Shopping Devices
20
Short Elevation Collage
21
Glass Chapel
22
Garden of Eat’n
23
Hall of Forgotten Artifacts
24
Supermarket LARP Arena
25
Massing Studies
26
Initial Building Study
27
Sketch Plan & Elevation
28
RMIT Design Hub
29
Wim Delvoye Sculptures
30
Playing Shop
31
Garden of Eat’n
32
Shutter Ceremony
33
The Eat’n Booth
34
Eat’n Booth Elevation
35
Garden of Eat’n
36
Section Collage
37
Literary Inspirations
1
2
1. Motel of the Mysteries
2. Kingdom Come
Illustrative book describing the career of archaeologist Howard Carson as he discovers a buried motel room in the year 4022 which allows him to fabricate the story of an extraordinary civilisation.
This novel follows the exploits of Richard Pearson, a rebellious, unemployed advertising executive, whose father is gunned down by a deranged mental patient in a vast shopping mall outside Heathrow Airport.
3
Catalogue of Artifacts
motel room 26
HC01
HC02
HC03
HC04
Great Altar
Ceremonial Chest Plate
Sacred Communicator
Golden Band
HC05
HC06
HC07
HC08
Ceremonial Platform
Coin Holders
Unnamed
Unnamed
HC09
HC09
HC10
HC11
Containers for Offerings
Containers for Offerings
Unnamed
Unnamed
HC12
HC13
HC14
Mosaic Tile
Unnamed
I.C.E Internal Component Enclosure
[TV Unit]
[Bed]
[Beverage Bottles]
[Perforated Ceiling Tile]
The book is a satirical take on the archaeological profession, our views about past society and how objects are the gateway to learning more about the way we live our lives when importance is given to material culture.
[Bra]
[Shoes]
[Cups / Glasses]
[Lamp]
[Mobile Phone]
[Women’s Sandals]
[Picture Frame]
[Wristwatch]
[Underwear]
[Wallpaper]
[Ice Bucket]
4
Metro Centre
Collage of Metro Centre from Kingdom Come, novel by J.G. Ballard set in dystopian West London where shopping is treated as the sole cultural activity, removing the need for other community spaces in the city.
5
Durga Puja Pandals
1
2
Durga Puja Pandals take on a temporary presence within the streetscapes of Kolktata. They are inticately hand-crafted, emphasising the grandeur of the festival that encroaches on everyday spaces, causing a shift in the urban fabric.
1. Pandal taking over the street corner, pedestrianising the space 2. All remnants of the pandal are erased, returning back to its original purpose
6
Mall Pandal
A second iteration of a mall-inspired collage, exaggerating the use of Gothic architectural elements with the warm tones typically used in Pandals.
7
deadmalls.com
1
2
3
Dead malls are a phenomenon made popular by the closure of hundreds of malls in the past decade alone. These are documented and archived by ‘retail historians’ on their website.
1. Abandoned mall in Randall Park, Ohio 2. Jamestown Mall in Florissant, Missouri 3. Dead mall in Montreal
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Shopping Typologies
Regional Centre
Shopping Park
Corner Shop / Off Licence
Supermarket
High Street
Local Shopping Mall
Relationships between various shopping typologies in the UK including High Streets and shopping malls in relation to suburban homes. There are overlapping characteristics in each as well as distinctive features that make each one an evolved version of the last.
9
Anatomy of a Mall
1
2
4 3 5
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7
8
9 10 11
Pictured are both Westfield Malls in London, each with an indistinguishable architectural language, designed to replicate the qualities of the outdoor market place (or high street) and introduce natural qualities whilst providing a clear circulation throughout.
12
1
Tree Nodes
2
Stall
3
Makeup Counter
4
Large Seating Area
5
Wayfinder
6
Escalator
7
Glass Roof
8
Interior Lighting
9
Shop Windows
10
Signage
11
Information Point
12
Digital Billboard
10
Cathedral of Consumption
A visual representation of possible mall spaces at varied scales, ilustrating potential ideas relating to shopping as a religion or escape. This collage expresses a temple-like structure situated in Stratford.
11
Monuments Left Behind
This collage represents an exclusive and secretive architecture that is fenced off by columns that act as monuments for this shopping festival which are left behind each time the building moves location, making its mark on the high street.
12
Exhibition of Forgotten Artifacts
Imagining a future society where the activity of shopping in actual shops is a mere myth, the hall of forgotten artifacts displays history’s most valued and purchased items and memorabillia through the decades.
13
Shopping Trolley: The Musical
14
Programme
Kumbh Mela
Shopping Mall
Maha Aarti
Hall of Forgotten Artifacts
Prayer songs are recited twice a day on a platform near the Ghats (banks of the holy rivers)
An exclusive collection of worldy possessions and material objects from lost eras of civilisations that are exhibited in an immersive digital wonderland
The priests lift the dazzling lamps and start rotating them in circles whilst mantras are chanted
Artifacts include plastic credit cards, disposable face masks and the biggest collection of coins
Deep Dan: The Lighting of Earthen Lamps Lighting of handmade earthen lamps called Diyas that are placed inside the temples, near river banks and in other sacred spots This ritual is to symbolise driving darkness out from any place
A Shopping Trolley: The Musical Theatrical performance re-enacting life through a series of decades that explore the ritual of shopping and its transformation that led to the demise of shopping A historical and educative experience
Snan - Religious Bath
Shop Till You Drop
The religious bathing is the most significant ritual of the entire festival which starts from as early as 3am
Free-for-all shopping experience that revives lost retail chains and stores with veteran actors and exact shop replicas of some of the world’s most famous shopping malls
Pilgrims take a dip and bathe, hoping to achieve atonement of their sins and reach salvation
Shoppers are given digital spending credit based on their performance through the year
Darshan: Interacting with the Sages Darshan is a form of interaction with the Sadhus; orthodox religious worshippers who are free from materialistic desires This interaction is also known as Pravachan where the saints recite notable texts from holy books as a way of passing on the teachings of the religion that are rooted in Hindu mythology
Superstore LARP An exclusive, interactive role-playing activity where users can take on the persona of the shopper, employer or employee to indulge in several levels of shopping. Treated as a popular game, the LARPing has an incredibly competitive side as shoppers race each other and compete at checkout tills.
Mahaprasada and Langar: Celebratory Feast
The Garden of Eat’n
Street vendors set up stalls to indulge locals and tourists with local cuisines. Auspicious food is also prepared and distributed to pilgrims as a blessing of God.
Traditional shopping-mall food is not the only thing available in this multi-faceted food court.
A communal, vegetarian feast is prepared for the priests and hungry pilgrims that is funded by donations
The court is perfect for all ages ranging from children on sugar highs, teens on awkward first dates or adults enjoying the cocktail bars. The Garden also has amazing views of the entire festival.
15
Britain’s Most Depressing High Street
Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent is the country’s biggest ghost town, with 44 shops sitting empty, at a time when High Streets across the country are experiencing record store closures.
16
Anatomy of a High Street
6 1 4 5
2
7
3
9
11
8 10
Relationships between various shopping typologies in the UK including High Streets and shopping malls in relation to suburban homes. There are overlapping characteristics in each as well as distinctive features that make each one an evolved version of the last.
12
1
Signboard
2
Signage
3
Bollards
4
Street Sign
5
ATM Machine
6
Street Light
7
Bench
8
Post Box
9
LED Street Light
10
Outdoor Seating
11
Awning
12
Public Bin
17
High Street Furniture
Bus Stop
Photobooth
Postbox
Bike Stands
Digital Billboards
Public Litter Bin
Toy Capsule Vending Machine
Phone Booth
Metal Circular Bench
Bollards on Pavements
Pop-up Temporary Stalls
Street Lights & Hanging Baskets
Kit of Parts; typical high street objects and external furniture that is commonly found in a British high street.
18
Supermarket Articles
Checkout Till
Meat Counter
Checkout Till (Small)
Product Basket
Card Machine
Frozen Counter
Shopping Basket
Magazine Stand
Shelf
Flat Trolley
Shopping Cart
Vertical Trolley
Kit of Parts; typical supermarket articles that involve some kind of interaction with the user. These will begin to inform the materiality and structure of the building in further design studies.
19
Shopping Devices
Paper Bag
Wallet
Coffee & Receipt
Parking Ticket
Sanitizeer Station
Shopping Bag
Coins
Cash
Face Mask
Kit of Parts; a collection of various shopping devices and objects which is usually on a person. Since shopping isn’t restricted to a location the objects are also part of this lexicon.
20
Short Elevation Collage
1 2
4
3 6
5
7 8 9
10
11
12
13
14
17
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15
16
1
Plastic Bag
2
Flat Trolley
3
Security Gate
4
Bike Rack
5
Telephone Booth
6
Bollards
7
Shutters
8
Shop Door
9
Shopping Trolley
10
Shopping Baskets
11
Street Light
12
Closed Shutter
13
Public Bin
14
ATM Machine
15
Escalator Step
16
Digital Billboard
17
Scaffolding
18
Pavement
Prospective collage utilising high street furniture and consumerist objects to create a building structure that encroaches on a space without being permenant.
21
Glass Chapel
Designed by Rural Studio, the chapel serves multiple purposes including a transportation stop created from salvaged car windows that make up the striking roof form. In a similar way, we can repurpose shopping objects to form architectural elements.
22
Garden of Eat’n
Food Court and Viewing Deck
Plan
Food Stall
Long Elevation
Viewing Booth
The Garden is a autonomous atrium that caters to a diverse range of cuisines from fast food to gourmet. A minimal conveyor system helps deliver food to the exclusive viewing booths.
23
Hall of Forgotten Artifacts Exhibits Archive of lost British memorabilia
Plan
Hallway
Long Elevation
Sensory Chamber
Lost artifacts and quintessential British objects are displayed in inter-connected hallways of the exhibition, taking the participant on a sensory journey with various material culture.
24
Supermarket LARP Arena Live Action Role Play Replica of British Supermarkets
Plan
Supemarket Aisle
Set in replicas of supermarket aisles, the LARP arena is a fluid space where participants are able to re-enact the shopping experience known as the ‘grocery run’. The space is then closed with a grand shutter ritual.
Long Elevation
Shutter Cladding
25
Massing Studies
Initial massing studies of the previous spaces combined at various scales to form the basis of the Metro Mela shopping mall.
26
Initial Building Study
Further experiemenation of previous forms and collages to better understand scale and configuration.
27
Sketch Plan & Elevation
This sketch plan envisions the previous spaces connected and arranged as one entity. Playing with the scale of the forms allows for a greater variation and creates a new language overall.
The food court space is centrically located, ideally suspended and connected to the other areas. The short elevation depicts shop shutters as a cladding material which becomes part of the festival.
28
RMIT Design Hub
The facade of the RMIT Design Hub is comprised of a double glazed inner skin as well an an automated operable second skin shading device, reminiscent of the way a shutter opens and closes.
29
Wim Delvoye Sculptures
1
2
Delvoye’s sculptural work involves adorning mundane 1. Cement Truck objects such as cement mixers, shovels, and gas 2. Concrete Mixer cylinders with decorative Delft patterning. This process can be applied in a similar way by treating the shopping objects as the building blocks for the architecture instead of traditional materials.
30
Playing Shop
Garden of Eat’n
Shutter Ceremony
The Eat’n Booth
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2
3
4 5 6
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8 9
12 11
10
13
Combining previous models to create a module for a food court booth that uses shop shutters as a cladding. The parts of the module are made up of shopping related objects including the conveyor belt that connects to the food stalls throughout the building.
1
Shop Shutters
6
Conveyor Belt
11
Trolley Handle
2
Checkout Divider
7
Food Court Booth
12
Floor Frame
3
AC Vent
8
Shop Shutters
13
Pavement Base
4
Tube Light
9
Booth
5
Security Gates
10
Table Legs
34
Eat’n Booth Elevation
Elevation
Axonometric Render
Garden of Eat’n Plan
Connecting the modules together forms the initial language and structure for the Garden of Eat’n that emulates a typical shopping mall architecture, replacing the shops with booths that are connected to extracts and sensory elements to heighten the experience throughout.
35
Garden of Eat’n
Garden of Eat’n Elevation
36
Section Collage
Sectional collage of the Garden of Eat’n set in Burslem High Street.
37