How to resolve rapidly increasing retail vacancy issues in the U.S.?
The rise of e-commerce, and high rents for major retails chains are stripping communities across the nation of their brick and mortar retail environments. In 2019, more than 9300 stores were closing throughout the United States, 500 of the 1500 malls closed. Retail vacancy rates are continuously increasing which directly affects local businesses, especially in suburbs in Southeast and midwest America.
To resolve this issue, we are proposing ways to utilize the vacant retail spaces with mixed uses. M.Arch architects is currently designing and planning malls with vertical farms, offices, and schools in a unique design merged uses contious of todays trends of health and wellness.
Why Vertical Farms?
The Railway Exchange Building is a 1.3M sf landmark located in downtown st. Louis, Missouri. By utilizing the BIM model, we are simulating sun exposure throughout the year, and developing scenarios for utilizing each part of the building for a multi-purpose program.
The vertical farm will be an efficient way to utilize vacant urban spaces, increase in year-round crop production with sustainable energy use. Furthermore, it will contribute to the economy of the urban areas by providing jobs and traffic between urban areas. Office spaces and schools will benefit from its biophilic environment which increases productivity, and healthy work and learning environment for users.
