Retail interiors : Reuse of historic buildings as a retail differentiation strategy

Abstract

Retail spaces are at the forefront of contemporary interior design because they are updated regularly to stay competitive and appealing. Some of the most innovative and interactive interiors can be seen in the retail sector. Retail design seems to boost the discipline of interior design by creating innovative design solutions. Nevertheless until recent time, when it comes to adaptive reuse design, retail seems to fall short to sectors like public buildings or offices. However after the war this situation has drastically changed in Sri Lankan context. This recent phenomenon on retail reuse was implemented as a part of an urban revitalization project to build up city image through preserving of architectural historic buildings. Today in Sri Lanka it has become a trend that historic colonial buildings without an immediate ‘use’ are adopted for retail function such as shops, restaurants or bars. These retail-shopping complexes have become successful recreational zones and shopping destinations within a short period of time. Most of the time the retail shops located in theses colonial buildings are branded shops with strong brand identities and values. This dissertation aims research on the tension between heritage and retail branding in historic colonial buildings in Sri Lanka. The first section of this dissertation contextualizes the tension between retail and adaptive reuse design and elaborate on the concept of authenticity as mediator. The Research question is how can retail design respect the historic value of the monument while maintain the retail brand Identity? The focus of this dissertation is reuse of historic buildings that from the scale of the building (the interior) and not form the largest scale (urban dimension). The dissertation exists of a general approach towards retail-reuse of various historic building types, based on literature review a classification scheme indication the different buildings strategies that can be suitable for retail-reuse is set up. Specific characteristics of the success full branded retail are identified and 2 case studies are analyzed in a structured manner and is evaluated on 3 different levels: (1) the typological characteristics and the specific Historic value of the building, (2) the specific qualities of retail banding design and (3) the after-life of the project. To conclude, recommendations for the Sri Lankan context are set up, based on comparison of literature and case studies. On the one hand, these recommendations could help retail designers in dealing with the complexity of the retail design of a store within a historic building, on the other hand the recommendations could be applied in evaluating retail- reuse projects as currently retail branding exercise, rather retail led stratergy towards retail activities in historical buildings. By providing a framework for evaluation, a more open attitude towards retail as new use for historic buildings could be possible.