Rachel Hampton

Rachel Hampton

Despite both being shopping malls, these two spaces are drastically different. The Copley and Prudential center shopping mall is designed for consumerism. The flow of the space effortlessly directs one along a path of retail. It is one long tunnel of retail opportunities, designed in a way to make the space seem more like a neighborhood of shops. This illusion is created by turns in the tunnel, the addition of glass ceilings, brick walls, pedestrian walkways, and food areas all of which break up the monotonous presence of shops. Newbury Street on the other hand actually does seem to be a neighborhood of shops. This is particularly evident in the multiuse nature of the buildings. In fact the retail, despite being almost overwhelming present in advertising and signage, occupies mostly the street level or underground level, while the upper levels appeared to be residential, office, and even school space. As well, significantly more restaurants and food vendors compete with the retail on Newbury Street and give it a very different feel. These restaurants make Newbury Street more than just a destination for shopping. As well the way that Newbury Street fits into the surrounding area gives it much less of a focus on shopping, with the crisscross of cars and pedestrians just passing by on their way to somewhere else in the city. Newbury Street has had to adjust to this and make more of an effort than the shops in the Copley Mall. In fact, Newbury Street has seemingly attempted to emulate a traditional mall like the Copley Mall with its large window displays and intense advertising. Architecturally the buildings themselves protrude into the street, which allows the shops to catch the eye of the consumer. I found the Copley Mall to be exhausting even just to walk through. It was a much more social experience and a much more intense experience with all of the design aspects aiding in the marketing of the stores (the lights, the colors of the floor, the mahogany lined panels) which heightened my senses greatly. In taking a harder look at these malls I really feel that I saw them both in a new light, seeing how both have used design (inside and out) to create a space fit for the American consumer.