Bridges span a concourse lined with arcades and topped by a glass canopy in The Well, a mixed-use project in Toronto.
Photographer: Photo courtesy of RioCanToronto’s Answer to Hudson Yards Looks a Lot Like a Mall
A mixed-use megaproject called The Well draws on lessons from humble shopping centers to connect a residential neighborhood with an office corridor.
Friction is the enemy of shopping. Out of stock, out of your size, check another department. Go upstairs, go downstairs, go to the other store. Can’t find a sales associate, can’t find an open register. More recently, closed anchors and empty storefronts have emerged as obstacles to the trance-like state that retail stores hope to induce in consumers. There’s even a name for this effect: the Gruen transfer, after Victor Gruen, the father of the shopping mall.
But the first point of friction for any retail establishment is simply getting them in the door. Revolving or slider? Heavy or light? Push or pull? Neither shopper nor seller likes being embarrassed by a portal.