CROP studio proposes the adaptive reuse of the Miami International Mall building complex and adjacent “big box” facilities. Given the increasing decay of brick and mortar shopping vs its counterpart Online shopping, and its acceleration by the effects caused by COVID-19, the future of these type of big indoor commercial spaces is uncertain.
Adaptive Reuse had a peak moment after big warehouses and factories left by the industrial revolution were vacated giving way for gentrification to take place and rapidly turn these spaces into commercial and residential use. The “Online revolution” is just in its beginnings and we can already start to see spatial consequences, It seems only appropriate to take advantage of all the infrastructure and embedded energy left behind by the retail industry to be repurposed for current needs.