As a creative person, I enjoy expressing myself in many ways—through photography, fashion, and, most significantly, architecture. Being an architect has allowed me to create tangible, functional spaces that benefit people while leaving a lasting imprint of creativity in the physical world. Through my designs, I aspire to leave a legacy, share my vision for design, and perhaps even inspire others.
THESIS
“Experiential Sustainability in Retail: Designing Environmentally Conscious and Socially Engaging Apparel Stores.”
After the pandemic, the retail experience deteriorated. Reviving it back with a conscious mindset could create an opportunity to redefine retail culture and making a new stansard for sustainable retail..
Clothing has been an important industry that has lately become more and more proclaimed, introducing us to fast fashion. This is due to society always wanting something new, better, and different. Thanks to this, clothing has become a pollutant: “20% of wastewater comes from the fashion industry, and each year 100 billion apparel are produced, of which 92 million end up in landfills”
While many brands are now exploring ways to reduce their environmental impact during production, the sustainability of physical retail spaces has been largely overlooked. Additionally retail has also become less visited since people have mostly become online shoppers. Before retail resurgence begins, To address this gap, I propose transforming retail spaces into destinations that offer diverse, immersive experiences. This framework aims to create environmentally conscious and socially engaging store environments that encourage consumers to return to in-person shopping.
The project focuses on understanding spatial design, consumer behavior, and sustainable material selection to develop adaptable, eco-friendly retail spaces. Whether applied to new constructions or existing stores, fusing retail with other related services can transform locations into multi-functional, inviting, and sustainable environments. By incorporating responsible material choices and psychological insights into store design, retailers can enhance customer engagement while promoting a more sustainable shopping culture and reducing the dominance of online shopping.
For my thesis, I decided to take place in some pickleball courts located on a piece of land at the West Loop in Chicago. The empty space around the courts will allow a new addition to design a retail store for a biodegradable shoe company, a coffee service, and an area for upcycling apparel. Some farmer’s markets take place here too, so this new addition will benefit them in people getting to know more about their products. These different spaces would merge as a social space that will invite you to go out while raising awareness to have a conscious mindset on contributing to sustainable retail.