Communal Space Essay

Communal Spaces
Having little resting areas is an issue for malls today, as the malls mainly focuses on profit of the shops, and less on the well-being and experience of the users. Users are forced to walk through rows and rows of shops with little rest in between. Hence, by inserting communal spaces in between, users are able to replenish their energy from all the walking.
As the retail site is divided into clusters of little villages, each cluster houses their own central communal space which then branches out into the various retail shops and workshops. Resting areas are moulded into the small landscape area so people are able to take a break after shopping in each “village”.
The central exhibition hall also acts as a large communal space which bonds the small cluster of ‘villages’ together. The exhibition hall is various events are held from time to time, and hence forms a central gathering space for the users. This allows for interactions where they can gain knowledge of artisanal crafts.

Unlike normal retailers where the more items sold equates to higher profit, artisans do not rely on such methods to sustain their business, as one or two items can be sold at a high price, given the ‘artisanal’ value and quality in it. Not only does the communal spaces links the shops to one another, it also give rise to a small community of users and artisans in that area. Hence, the communal spaces serves as a platform for both users and artisans to gather and chat with one another, where the artisans can share knowledge of their crafts and get to know the users better. Thus allowing the users to gain knowledge of the crafts and be more appreciative of