Our discussion started with the basic human needs and moved toward wants that are harder to define such as 'retail therapy'. The exercise had me thinking about our built environment as a product that caters for our needs and wants and draws attention to the 'selfishness' of humans. Retail malls are then temples of human consumption that represent the spectrum of human needs and desires. These retail malls are also socio-cultural centres that are responsible for social reproduction and communal adhesion which are fundamental principles that are critical to design outcomes.
Urban Layering
Our group envisioned Paddington Central in a future scenario and used the heirachy of human needs to inform an architectural concept. When considering future time frames we were conscious of cultural change driven by shifts in human needs and wants and wanted our architectural concept to respond to these shifts. We wanted our shopping centre design to remain flexible in its program so that it could be reconfigured for future scenarios. We envisioned a ring form that had clear layers vertically and horizontally that represented uses such as retail, residential and service spaces. The centre of the mall is a large open community space that prioritises community and social experience above all else.
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