Markets & Grocery Stores Contextual Requirements The impact of a grocery store or market isn’t limited to the services it can provide; the building that houses the store can have an immense impact on the neighborhood that is serves. Contextual requirements are truly at the heart of thoughtful design and the first step in the success of a new grocery store location. Michael Parotti Chipman Design Architecture
Being a Good Neighbor A commonality among modern grocery stores is the “big box, bigger parking lot” layout. Once a profitable response to the midcentury flight to the suburbs, the world has become more urbanized and produce retailers are finding that they need to adapt. The ubiquitous large, austere grocery building may be permissible when set away from other structures in suburban outlots, however this approach does not lend itself to the city environment.
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have proven that windowless sides of buildings have higher instances of being a magnet location for crime. Most importantly however, people are drawn to buildings that fit within their neighborhood. If a main street is known for colorful, textured storefronts, white EIFS walls disrupt the pattern. A town this is filled with historic brick structures will experience a sudden shift in the mood of the environment with the introduction of these large, unarticulated surfaces. If rows of gables abut a rigid parapet roof, citizens will bemoan the loss of their town’s endearing personality.
Communities are searching for a grocery experience that feels authentic and is convenient.
An immense, severe building dominates its visual surroundings and expansive, blank walls take up valuable street-front real estate in a dense, urban neighborhood. In addition, urban crime studies
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In order to meet these contextual requirements, both the architectural designer and the client must commit the time to study the
Markets & Grocery Stores - Contextual Requirements