Beyond the Mall: Rethinking Retail Landscapes as Urban Public Space
Designaddvance 2026 invites participants to reimagine retail architecture as a civic catalyst – a place where commerce coexists with play, culture, movement, and everyday life. This year, with the theme “Beyond the Mall: Rethinking Retail Landscapes as Urban Public Space”, take a bold design step towards the future of malls.
Design Challenge: Reimagine the mall as an open, porous civic landscape woven into the city. Transform the inward-facing retail box into an accessible, socially active place where commerce, culture, recreation, and community coexist.
Design a mall that behaves like a city: open, connected, and alive.
Site Strategy (Choose One):
The site may be located in any thriving urban city across the world, but must be situated within a dense, active urban context, supported by clear evidence and a strong justification for its selection.
1. Retrofit Approach:
Select an existing, real-world shopping mall or commercial complex (not hypothetical) that is currently underperforming, obsolete, or lacks public engagement.
2. New Hybrid Proposal:
Propose a new development on an underutilized urban site.
Look for strong potential for accessibility/connectivity (streets/transit/pedestrian flows)
DOWNLOAD the FULL BRIEF from the attachments section below.
Eligibility:Designaddvance 2026 is open to Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, as well as recent graduates and young professionals (below 30 years of age) from the fields of Architecture, Planning, Civil Engineering, and Design globally based on below rules. Team- 3 members max
To Register visit: www.designaddvance.in
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