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Weco.Hub
2020 | Losing Your Anchor | Westfield Doncaster
//Weco. Hub is a brand new anchor store that will differ from the old and are more attuned to shifting consumer demands. It will be experiential, practical and provide an entirely new type of experience compared to traditional anchor stores. A fun, exciting, and enjoyable experience is what consumers now expect when they visit a physical retail space.//
The advent of e-commerce has changed how people usually shop for goods and also altered the role of these anchor stores. Over the last few years, we see significant anchors going bankrupt or being shuttered. The concept of 'anchor store' now has evolved to become an 'anchor site' that can fill vacancies and drive foot traffic for shopping centres.
To consider what we can add to the existing setting of Westfield Doncaster except for its hospitality and retail aspect and to enrich the concept that Scentre Group delivered as a 'living centre', we intend to convert the former anchor store into a mixed-use destination that adds a layer of social and communal context.
Weco.hub - Anchor Store
Lookout Platform
The current health pandemic has made us reconsider how we live, and our traditional models of life and work are changing. The project aims to widen the possibility of a variety of flexible living arrangements for visitors to explore.
Combination and extension of the modular unit
The modular unit system is introduced for this proposal taking on thoughts of a society where the individual is equally important from a broader community. Through duplicating the individual unit, the larger spaces get shaped. The 3 by 3 by 3 module unit will be housing different program elements that can be combined to create a variety of flexible living arrangements and a village-like typology for visitors to explore.
Floor Plan Development
Floor Plan Refinement
Design Compoment
The unit can be attached and extended flexibly to react to different requirements and programs. The modular units provide the opportunity for residents to easily calculate the available floor space in their premises and be able to take action by partially close certain areas.
This central courtyard allows different potential purposes. To narrow the distance and build long-term relationships between people and the shopping centre, this central courtyard can not only be performed as a community garden but also a space for events such as retail pop-ups, product launches or exhibitions that collaborate with Westfield or local communities. It also can serve as a communal festival space to hold communal dinners or food festivals.
Central Courtyard
What makes a place meaningful is not always about how wonderful the physical building is, but its functionality and context.
The revival of this new space is to bring people together and be a true collective that showcases Australian creativity and rich traditions. The proposed space will curate various people's communication and interaction activities, engagement and collaboration, cultural exchange, and economic development. And it will consist of different functional areas such as workshops, community garden, library, exhibition, retail and food.
The one-stop service area has been deconstructed into an individual presented functional store by using the modular unit system, well organized in proper structure with specific space to display the products.
A kiosk is usually a small standing area with limited condensed space. Therefore a series of shelving methods will be preferable for a well-used space with different displays and functions. It's smartly innovated into a central hub as a gathering and sharing point that encourages collaboration and interaction between craftsmen and customers.
Design Drawing
Our urban life is more like a negotiation between where we need to be and where we want to be. As life increasingly moves toward crowds and chaos, we are interested in creating a space that caters to the enjoyment of that space. Therefore, Weco. Hub promotes new commonly shared spaces and social interactions between its residents. It will give access to what you need daily and hold events and activities such as communal dinners, shared daycare, urban gardening, groceries, shops, as well as workshops or classes to make Weco. Hub is a supportive everyday community for people of all ages, positions and backgrounds.