RETAIL AND PRESENTATION

Dear Readers,

in today’s world, dedicating oneself to retail and exhibition design with a clear conscience is no longer a given. The fast-paced trends of iconic stores and the short lifespan of custom-designed trade fair stands seem at odds with the necessary sustainability and societal relevance. Product-specific eco-labels are not enough; new societal values demanding transparency and authenticity must be established. The current megatrend, according to futurologists, is neo-ecology! This sustainability paradigm questions the codes of global society, culture and politics and realigns business practices and the entire economic system – change in retail! It sounds promising and is happening in small, economically viable steps: circular economy, sharing concepts and a new business morality are already taking root. At least that’s what we observed when selecting over 20 projects (from p. 50) from Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Ahmedabad, London, Milan, Zurich, Bucharest, Kiev, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Laumersheim, focused on “Sales and Presentation.” Trade fair stands and exhibition concepts (from p. 72) are no longer just flashy, disposable products but are adaptable and reusable. When designing boutiques and concept stores – such as Fyra Collective 2.0 in Stuttgart (photo above, from p. 88) – designers opted for recyclable or already existing materials or products, or devised intelligent low-budget concepts, which is why the bookstore Readellion in Kiev (from p. 108) has received multiple awards. In Ahrweiler, a bookstore fell victim to the flood disaster three years ago. Per Hoberg from zweiheit innenarchitekten describes the new concept and the more than successful reconstruction from page 118. Torsten Dietz, CEO of Liganova in Stuttgart, views pop-up stores and roadshows as crucial drivers of retail evolution and explains this in his article “On the Move” (from p. 110). And those who previously believed that the signature “AD” was reserved solely for Albrecht Dürer’s works will be pleasantly surprised from page 48, as Benjamin Reding introduces impressive museum architecture in Hagen. Kengo Kuma has designed an audio museum for Seoul (from p. 68), he has written another book and is celebrating his 70th birthday. Congratulations!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect