For my navigating space assignment, I am using the Brickell City Centre in Miami, Florida that I visited over spring break. The Brickell City Centre is a new high-end shopping mall located in downtown Miami. The mall is covered by a decorative, wavy, glass structure at the top, but other than that it is open air. There is really no ceiling or walls, but more of a canopy where the outside environment can be seen and felt directly with no windows or obstructions. So, while you are in the Brickell it is as if you are inside and outside at the same time. When you walk into the mall there is no door, you just enter the area like any other outdoor mall. Throughout some sections of the mall if you look up you would assume you were inside, while in other sections there is no cover and a lot of plants as if you were on a terrace.

The theme of the mall is mall is very luxurious and modern, matching the area of Miami it is located in. The architecture on the outside and inside is very clean and futuristic in a silver metal color. The shape of the outside of the shops, sitting areas, and the stairs are all very abstract and include a lot of detail. Even the bottom of the stairs have wood paneling, so no matter where you look it is going to be appealing and lavish looking. All the materials are very contemporary, whether it be the tile on the floor that looks like it would be at a 5-star hotel pool or the metal siding that is very similar to that of Hunt library. The designer also did a great job of incorporating outside elements, such as trees, throughout the mall while still keeping it very sleek and clean. The layout, textures, and design of the Brickell City Centre really communicate that it is different and more high-end than normal malls to its’ targeted upper-class customers. Just walking around it you feel as if you are in an art museum of some sort as everything is so attractive to the eye and clearly designed to stand out.

The individual stores within the mall are all very expensive and definitely chosen for certain, wealthier demographics. As the cheapest brand, I saw there was Lululemon, which is still quite pricey. The different brands represented in the mall represent that the mall and the Brickell itself is a fancy, luxurious area. The designer and owner of the mall communicate this by only having premium brands and even more noticeably, having very extravagant displays in each store. Each retail space had a theme and extreme setup to show what image they want their brand to portray. I also noticed that there did not appear to be much wayfinding throughout the mall other than a couple directories. This came across as trying to keep it more simple and sophisticated and suggested that it isn’t a place for the everyday shopper. I do not think I would make any changes in design choices as it does a great job of almost creating its’ own futuristic and luxurious world.