Putting the A-factor into places
On the way back from Edinburgh recently I had some time to mull over the hugely positive human reaction to the opening of St James Quarter (link to last week’s blog here). It is true that the grim annus horribilis and a quarter of Covid has changed our perception of reality. We are not used to seeing large groups of people laughing, smiling, interacting with each other and generally having a fabulous time.
Why does it matter whether places are amazing (and have the A-factor) or not? The former create experiences and memories that are a crucial part of successful consumer engagement and help to achieve the always-desirable enhancement and alignment of brand, social and economic values.
And that was what was so joyous about the Edinburgh experience. But to put it down simply to Covid would be incorrect and doing a great disservice to the iconic architecture that has emerged at St James Quarter. If the surroundings there had been drab and dreary, would people have still been so happy? Hardly. At P-THREE, where people are part of our core mantra, we have always understood that, as human beings, we can’t help but be affected by our surroundings. It boils down to a simple statement:
People enjoy amazing places.
So what constitutes amazing? That, of course, is an interesting question, given that taste is largely subjective. What we can say for sure is that a sense of scale matters: our human minds can’t help being impressed by spaces and buildings much vaster than us (it is no coincidence that cathedrals, for example, are normally built to a grand scale). Conversely, we also respond to intimate spaces that make us feel safe and comforted. Size matters, then.
What else? Many of us are drawn towards historic structures. They often ooze character and authenticity, qualities we also often unconsciously look for as consumers. Yet many of us are also captivated by the brand new and the achingly modern, the spaces where we can almost peel off the clear protective film so to speak.
Apple, the embodiment of cool, isn’t afraid to experiment in both directions. Contrast the ultramodern Apple store opened in Dubai in 2017, with the one that opened just last week at the renovated Tower Theater, an incredible Art Deco edifice in Los Angeles. Both of these Apple examples appeal to the large scale I mentioned above, but small and local can also have considerable allure.
Consider the Thames Lido in Reading, another successful renovation, built around small swimming pool changing cubicles. There are so many other amazing places we’d run out of blog to list half of them, but here is our hand-picked selection:
La Samaritaine, Paris – an iconic department store, owned by LVMH, reopened last year after a 15-year refurbishment
La Felicita, Paris – an Italian mega food market in the heart of Paris, and Europe’s largest restaurant
T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, Venice – a luxury department store created within the confines of 13th century commercial trading centre
Foodhallen, Amsterdam – a converted tram depot has been a huge draw in the F-hub revolution
Little Island Park and Outdoor Theatre, New York – a 2.4 acre outdoor space by Brit designer Thomas Heatherwick built on a plinth in the Hudson river
RHS Bridgewater Garden, Salford – Europe’s largest hands-on horticultural project (154 acres) opened in May
The final ingredient that determines how amazing a place appears is context. A building or a place may, by itself, be impressive, but no more. To amaze requires an interior (for a building) or a concept (for an outdoor space) that simultaneously impresses and delights.
Why does it matter whether places are amazing (and have the A-factor) or not? The former create experiences and memories that are a crucial part of successful consumer engagement and help to achieve the always-desirable enhancement and alignment of brand, social and economic values. There is a chain reaction that we seek to illustrate to investors, occupiers and urban regeneration practitioners on an almost daily basis: those who push design boundaries (which, finance directors please note, does not necessarily mean costly) are able to create the amazing places that attract the high levels of footfall desirable to occupiers, which ultimately maximises investment returns. An amazing result all round.
Article by Justin Taylor, Co-founder P-THREE
Photo credits: https://www.tomstuartsmith.co.uk
