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What is a Destination Design? What is a Retail destination? The Apple dictionary defines a definition as follows:
destination |ˌdestəˈnā sh ən|
noun
the place to which someone or something is going or being sent : a popular destination for golfers.
adjective
being a place that people will make a special trip to visit : a destination restaurant.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin destinatio(n-), from destinare ‘make firm, establish.’ The original sense was [the action of intending someone or something for a particular purpose,] later [being destined for a particular place,] hence (from the early 19th cent.) the place itself.
Obvious. But when a retail architect is designing in the context of created places, what makes a great retail destination, and what makes people want to go there, stay there and be there?
1. People
People want to got to a retail destination because other people, many other people, go there. People want to be there, like to be there. The primary reason people go to successful retail destinations is because other people go there – because crowds of people go there. People go to watch people, be with people, meet people.
People are the single most important form of entertainment. The best movie watched in an empty theater falls flat. An exceptional meal in an empty restaurant is not enjoyed but endured. A crowded theme park frustrates, but an empty park is no fun at all. An empty resort is spooky and odd, and an empty urban town center is frightening and perhaps dangerous. One traveling to a resort seeking serenity will likely do so only if others have previously done so and vouched for the quality of the experience.
2. Choices
People go to a retail destination because they have chosen to do so. This is at the essence of the definition of destination design. They could easily choose to go elsewhere. Whether traveling on foot, by car or by plane, they have embarked on a trip with the express purpose of ending up in a specific destination. Once they have decided to make a trip, they have choices – they could just as easily walk, drive or fly to any number of other destinations. It it therefore imperative that a retail destination provide potential guests with reasons for it to be their choice. A retail architect must create a place with wide appeal, unique experiences, and perceived value or cache.
3. A Place People Want to Be
People choose to travel to a destination because they want to be there. Great retail destinations have a magical quality. While one considers pragmatic concerns, such as travel time, cost, parking and ease of use, when selecting a destination it is the magic of a place that attracts the masses. The most successful destinations often are often very difficult to use, in part because they are so successful. Venice, Italy, is horribly crowded, difficult to access and very expensive; yet magical and one of the earth’s most visited destinations. Venice has magic – an attraction difficult to define, yet remarkable to experience.
When pragmatic issues are equal, and often when they are not, people will decide to go where they most want to be.
4. Entertainment
Because people desire to be in a place resplendent with magical quality, entertainment is a common thread in most great destinations. Whether the destination is an active participant in the entertainment, such as a theme park with its shows and rides, a cultural center with movies, plays or a concerts, or a passive participant, such as a retail center with fabulous architecture, people watching, shopping and dining, the entertainment provides an element of escape. A successful retail architect knows escape from the cares and concerns of everyday life creates magic.
Master Planning | Planning places people love
GDW | 2018 Winter Olympics Master Plan
master plan |ˈmæstər ˈˌplæn|
noun
a comprehensive or far-reaching plan of action.
Master plan has many meanings. Generally refers to comprehensive plans or strategies. In design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, the terms masterplan, master plan, or master planning, commonly refer to:
■ strategic placement of facilities and spaces
■ scale or relative size
■ location
■ proximity
■ functional relationship [with respect to components of a city, area, neighborhood, site, building, room, etc.]
The focus, however, of any good master plan is not on the physical aspects of the plan, but on the GUESTS that will use the plan, and on the EXPERIENCE they will enjoy once in the proposed place.
For our purposes, Master Planning refers to an actionable set of deliverables describing the essence of a place, its components, and its magic. Deliverables necessary for this description typically include a site plan, tenant plan, functional diagrams, bird’s-eye and POV [eye level] renderings, image photos and an economic strategy and feasibility plan.
Master Planning | International design studio expert in master planning and architectural design of destinations that delight, places people love.
Resort Master Planning | International design studio expert in master planning and architectural design of destinations that delight, places people love.
Our resort master planning concept for the FlowerIslands resort presented graphically in a short video format.
Retail Architect | Retail design studio expert at master planning retail, mixed-use and town center destinations that delight, places people love.
