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Greetings from the Chair
As this year’s chair for the AIA Retail and Entertainment
Knowledge Community (REC) Advisory Group, I would like to welcome
you to the team.
Two years ago, Ed Shriver, AIA, envisioned a place where retail and
entertainment leaders could learn about emerging trends and how the
built environment affects the places in which we entertain
ourselves. Thus started the incubation of the AIA REC Advisory
Group. Subsequently, we have grown from two folks to the original
five advisory group members to the current 690 knowledge community
members!
Who is REC?
• The REC fosters the creation, discussion, and dissemination
of knowledge about the retail and entertainment environments to
advance the practice and improve the quality of retail and
entertainment environments. REC is led by a five-person Advisory
Group.
• We are committed to expanding the understanding of retail
and entertainment as it relates to the principal areas of
Retail and Community—How does the architecture create and
affect a sense of community? What is the relationship between
design solutions and sociological/anthropological responses? What
should communities look for in good retail design? Can we identify
successful examples of retail architecture where the retail has
created a sense of place and identity for a community?
Retail and Sustainability—There is both a need and an
opportunity to inform and guide the development of sustainability
programs both through knowledge, experience, and through outside
research. We need to be a part of developing sustainable guidelines
for this design type. To do that, we need to know what is currently
being done, what works and what does not, and how more
sustainability (including, but not limited to USGBA LEED ratings)
can be designed into retail solutions.
Retail and the Marketplace—Successful retail/entertainment
architecture must be as much about successful business solutions as
it is about design. How does good retail or entertainment design
add value? Does design matter in this design type, and what
constitutes good design?
What is REC doing?
• Our first pre-convention workshop, Designing the Magic:
Imagineering’s Design Process, achieved sell-out attendance at
the 2006 AIA National Convention in Los Angeles. This year in San
Antonio we are focusing on the other part of our name: retail. The Tale of Two Malls: Learning from San Antonio
(WE22a) will focus on understanding what worked and didn’t
work, and why, for two malls that are adjacent to each other in the
host city. To register please click here.
• We have conducted roundtable discussions with allied
organizations such as ICSC and ULI, where we discussed emerging
trends, sustainability, and how architects can be the problem
solvers for the issues facing the retail and entertainment sector
in the next decade and beyond.
Where is REC going?
• We would like client groups to see architects, particularly
AIA architects, as more expertise driven than commodity based.
Retail and entertainment design will be viewed as providing
increased value to clients. AIA architects would be able to rely on
research and Performa data that will help the clients make
intelligent and informed decisions.
• Collateral organizations will gain from the knowledge that
architects bring to the table, learning about best practices and
new directions that may benefit their members or their communities.
The Retail Forum can provide a peer review function for retail
design concepts and knowledge that can support allied organizations
efforts.
• Better retail design can help communities to create or
repair the central social environment within their communities. A
better understanding of, and ability to achieve, a higher quality
of retail/entertainment design will allow architects to help
clients and communities to manage and control retail development to
achieve long-term community improvements. Retail is a critical
component of a vibrant community that entails places where people
can work, live, and play. Having all three represented helps reduce
the need for transportation, increases the tax base in impoverished
areas, and brings vitality back to the community.
• Much like AIA is celebrating AIA150, we would like to
publish a book on the top 150 retail and entertainment
architectural projects.
Information
In an effort to reach our goal of providing knowledge about the
retail and entertainment industry, we will begin to periodically
post relevant articles and case studies to the REC Web site. Our
first article, “The Life in Lifestyle Centers” is written
by one of our own Advisory Group members and past chair, Jeff
Gunning. It appears in the August 2006 issue of Urban Land.
For REC to be successful and grow, we need every one of our 690
members to help us achieve our goals. Our Advisory Group is looking
for articles, research, and best practices to highlight and share
among our membership. To submit materials or become more involved,
please contact Allison Fax at afax@aia.org.
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