2018 in preview: Leonard Design
We asked David Leonard, Ian Staples and John Morgan who own and run Leonard Design Architects to set out their predictions for 2018 and beyond in the world of architecture and retail.
1. Redefining of retail store and department store model in the retail sector
We firmly expect to see retailers continuing to place emphasis on providing bespoke experiences for customers, and coming away from the traditional retail & department store models. Retailers are realising they have to work much harder to entice customers into a city centre to spend their money, and therefore the focus is shifting towards providing unique ‘limited edition’ experiences which provide a reason for customers to buy goods instore as opposed to online. For example, retailers are more often open to exploring pop-up initiatives which are only available for a limited period of time.
2. Local authorities and developers working more closely together in property development
2018 will see more developers working more closely in partnership with local authorities. We have already seen that this type of collaboration is productive as local authorities can help provide a more holistic view of the town or city in which development is taking place. The local authority can help developers by providing an overview of priorities for the region, and ultimately this makes the relationship between the two less frustrating and more efficient. This trend is already visible in Nottingham where the local authority is working closely with developers to transform derelict, historical buildings into active use that ultimately attract more tourism, business and trade.
3. Globalisation in architecture
The turn of the New Year will see an increase in architectural ideas being translated across the world to optimise city assets. Traditionally trends that emerge in one particular city in terms of design and architecture have taken some time to make their way across the globe. Today, however, what we’re already seeing and expect to see more of in 2018, is ideas and themes being transferred across countries and continents at a much faster pace. The world we live in allows for this transfer of knowledge more than ever as we are so connected, and will only continue to become more connected as time goes on.
4. Densification and variety in project types and uses
A final trend expected to come to the fore in 2018 is an increase in developers working with architects to make their assets and buildings work much harder by providing a variety of mixed uses in one scheme. This is an exciting concept and an area that Leonard Design is expecting to have more involvement in over the course of 2018.
The key to the success of any mixed use project is to get the placemaking and ground floor activation to work and to integrate seamlessly with the public realm to create a neighbourhood and a place, the Leonard Design team have seen and learnt how to develop and deliver this correctly in many projects in cities such as London, Oslo and Sheffield.
