Il Foro di Trajano, Roma - an old ShoppingScape by G. Pirannesi

Theorectical Aproach to Shoppingscapes

The designation of "ShoppingScapes" tries to focus in a word the meeting of ideas related to the presence and meaning of commercial superstructures that have been spreading throughout the territory, transforming and (re)building the landscape, as well as affecting the development of cities in general. Similarly, the description also applies to a variant of the traditional shopping mall, which generally punctuates the suburban area, appearing as authentic commercial retail hubs, assuming their strange and contradictory condition of noncities, emptying the traditional city centre of characteristic activity with its displacement.

Thanks to such impacts, the presence and positioning of these superstructures is assuming a greater importance in the processes of territory organization and management, together with the emergent questions related with the current economic and financial crisis and the general lack of role models that may best suit these transformations to the new emerging societal paradigm.

However, today we see that urban life is easily confused with the experience of consumption, both being part of the same landscape. It is hard to dissociate the image of a shopping mall from an urban context, or to consider the contemporary city without the world of consumption that this commercial typology provides.

Interestingly, it turns out that the areas provided by these shopping structures appear not to be merely dedicated to consumption. In the theatrical and simulated environment of its "streets" and "squares" - free recreations of the structuring elements of the historic city - one can wander, eat, drink, rest and consume symbols and goods. But, as a product of globalization, symbol of a hyper-modernity, isn't the "shopping centre" a sign?

Presently, the current and transversal context of an economic and financial crisis has implied a clear shift in how we relate to these structures, not only by inducing changes in consumer habits, but also in terms of its urban presence and representativeness, affected by the questioning of the economic viability and sustainability of the model they represent. It is thus demonstrated that the shopping centre, despite presenting itself as a product of the typological evolution of a fundamental constituent of the landscape and urban activity, does not represent a permanent or unchanging formula, but rather a flexible piece of limited duration that, much like the factories of older times, might become one of the futures brownfields for urban expansions and retrofits of a city yet to come. We should reflect on situations which have already found an echo in the example of the dead mall, particularly on the logic underlying their changing processes.

This international conference will debate the following issues: The focus on major issues that formalize the listed aspects, in particular the possible concepts and interpretations behind the idea of a shoppingscape, the process of its evolution as a model and a typology, the relationship with the territories and the planning management, the social and cultural dynamics that it has been promoting and the considerations on its possible future. This event will be held in May 2013 (27 to 29), in the Institut Français du Portugal and at the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, in Lisbon (Portugal).

International Call for Papers

The International Seminar ShoppingScapes'13 invites researchers and professionals to contribute with their specific vision through scientific articles to be presented in the scheduled sessions on May 28 and 29. Proposals for papers should consider the following elements: title of the proposal; applicant’s identification (name, institution, country, position and email); abstract (should not exceed 500 words, can countain no more than 2 jpeg images, and should includ some major bibliographic references); and a short curriculum vitae (should not exceed 300 words). All proposals must present original research, and must not have been previously published. Conference papers will be published on a conference proceeding CD with ISBN. The guidelines for full paper will be available in late January 2013.

Theme I: Typologies, history & geography
Which models and types (past, present and future) can be catalogued as "shoppingscapes"? How did they evoluted? How to distinguish and characterize these models and types according to their geographical locations? Which will be their future, given the current socio-economic constraints?

Theme II: Territory and landscape
What are the effects of the current consumption practices in the process of transformation of the territory and the landscape? What about its impact on urban form and on city structure and organization? What kind of relationship can be established with the historic city? What kind of models for territorial and urban planning can be suitable for current consumption practices? How can they evolve, or how should they have evolved?

Theme III: Architecture, spaciality and perception
What kind/type of appropriations and spatial perceptions can we describe and identify in the relationship to the structures and objects defined as "shoppingscapes"? What (new) conceptual models for these megastructures? What kind of architectural values can be, or should be identified? What do they represent? Are these structures providing, or should they provide a new kind of public space? Are they changing the concept of public space?

Applications should be sent through email, in one single pdf file, to: vasco.pinheiro@ulusofona.pt


Keynote Speakers


Nuno Mateus (ARX Portugal)
Born in Castelo Branco (Portugal), in 09 of August 1961, has graduated in Architecture from Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (FAUTL) in 1984
In 1987 obtained a Master of Science in Architecture and Building Design at Columbia University in New York. 
Has worked among others with Peter Eisenman in New York from 1987 until 1991 and with Daniel Libeskind in Berlim in 1991
He has teached in several Architecture schools, national and international. Currently teaching Final Project - Master Thesis in FAUTL (Universidade Técnica de Lisboa - Faculdade de Arquitectura) and Project VII and VII at UAL (Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa), Nuno Mateus as also been UAL's Director of the Architecture Department , from 2004 until 2007, having teached also Project III and IV. He was as well visiting professor in Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (ESARQ-UIC) in Barcelona and followed Architectural thesis projects at ESAP (Escola Superior Artística do Porto). 
Lecturer in different countries about ARX´s work and juri member in several national and international architectural competitions.
In 1991, together with José Paulo Mateus, he founded ARX Portugal Arquitectos.
The office work is wide spread from private to public commissions in Portugal and abroad as well as several international competitions. Some of its major projects are built and a few are currently under construction.
ARX´s work has obtained several prizes and mentions such as the International Architecture Awards The Chicago Athenaeum, USA (Ílhavo Library), International Association of the Art Critics, Prize in Architecture 2003 (Maritime Museum), and Nominations for the Sécil and Mies Van der Rohe Prize, 2002 (Maritime Museum).
Beyond projects, articles and references in specialized newspapers and magazines, three monographic books were published on ARX´s work: A Second Nature (Blau 1993), Realidade-Real (CCB 1993) and Ílhavo Maritime Museum (Caleidoscópio 2004).
In 2007 the Portuguese Postal Services has issued a national stamp featuringIlhavo Maritime Museum, currently in circulation

José Mateus (ARX Portugal)
Born in Castelo Branco in 1963, has graduated in Architecture from the Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (FAUTL) in 1986.
Together with Nuno Mateus, founded in 1991 ARX Portugal Arquitectos.
Currently President of the Director's Board of Lisbon Architecture Triennale, was also Executive Director of the events Trienal 2007 and Trienal 2010.
Currently a member of Babel’s Editorial Board.
Was President of the Southern Regional Assembly of the Ordem Arquitectos, as well as Vice President of the Direction of the same Regional Section between 2005-2007.
Guest professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon, he was teacher at the Escola Técnica Superior d’ Arquitectura of the Universitat Internacional da Catalunya (ESARQ-UIC), in Barcelona; at the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa (ISCTE) and at the Escola Superior de Artes Decorativas de Lisboa (ESAD).
Author/coordinator of the magazine Linha (Architecture, Design and Landscape) of the weekly newspaper Expresso. He was also author/coordinator of the two television series Tempo & Traço for SIC Notícias channel. He was a regular participant on the radio program Na Ordem do Dia on TSF.
Lecturer in several different countries such as Portugal, Spain, USA, Hungary, England, Brazil, Belgium and Italy. He took part of the jury of the Architecture Prize of São Paulo Biennial in 2003, Europan Spain 2007 and ArchiFad 2011.
In 1993, the work of ARX was shown on the Exhibition Realidade Real at CCB and took part in many others, namely Percurso/Útvonal — ARX Portugal (Budapest, 2000), Influx 0.1 (Fundação de Serralves, 2002), Contaminantes/Comunicantes (Lisboa, 2000) and Nara Triennial (1994). Together with Centro Regional de Sangue do Porto, it took part of the exhibition Architectura e Design del Portogallo 1998-2004 of Milan Triennial.
ARX’s projects received numberless prizes, mentions and nominations, namely the International Architecture Award 2006 with the project for the Biblioteca Municipal de Ílhavo (The Chicago Athenaeum) and the Prize AICA 2003 (International Association of Art Critics) with the project for the Museu Marítimo de Ílhavo, also nominated for the Prémios SECIL 2002 and Mies van der Rohe 2002. Received also the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award 2007 to House in Martinhal and 2008 to Technology College of Barreiro. This project was also in the short list of the Enor and Fad prices 2009. Also in 2009, House in Romeirão was awarded with Mafra's Municipality Architecture Award.
Beyond projects, articles and references on specialized newspapers and magazines, also published three monographs on ARX’s work: Uma Segunda Natureza (Blau, 1993), Realidade Real (CCB, 1993) and Museu Marítimo de Ílhavo (Caleidoscópio, 2004)

David Mangin
Is a French architect and town planner.After graduating from university in 1976, he campaigned actively for public architecture agencies. In 1989 he joined Seura, working with Florence Bougnoux and Jean-Marc Fritz. 
He has a keen interest in drawing and some of his sketchpads have been exhibited and published (Le Moniteur, Urbanisme). 
His project for redeveloping the Les Halles area was chosen by the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, in 2004. Guided by a desire to "build an empty space", he first planned to redevelop the area around the gardens. His plan for a 50 metre-high building on the southern side of the 9-hectare garden was rejected in the first phase and Mangin then designed a low, minimalist building at tree height: a translucent, 9 metre-high canopy abutting a 4.5-hectare garden, described as a "roof in a garden". 
David Mangin campaigns for protecting public spaces from commercial development and privatisation. He works with elected officials and the public to defend the principles of diversity and openness in urban planning, under attack today from marketing and short-term interests. This is the vision he continues to defend in the consultation for the urban renewal of Greater Paris, where he contributes his unique approach to transport, travel times and residential policies in the region.

Margaret Crawford
Is Professor of Urban Design and Planning Theory at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Her research focuses on the evolution, uses and meanings of urban space. Her book, Building the Workingman's Paradise: The Design of American Company Towns, examines the rise and fall of professionally designed industrial environments. She edited The Car and the City: The Automobile, the Built Environment and Daily Urban Life and Everyday Urbanism, and has published numerous articles on shopping malls, public space, and other issues in the American built environment. Before coming to the GSD, Crawford was the Chair of the History, Theory and Humanities program at the Southern California Institute for Architecture. She has also taught at the University of Southern California, the University of California at San Diego, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Florence, Italy.

Thomas Sieverts
Is a German architect and urban planner. He studied architecture and urban design in Stuttgart, Liverpool, and Berlin between 1955 and 1962. He became an assistant lecturer at the Technical University of Berlin. In 1965 he formed the "Freie Planungsgruppe Berlin", becoming Professor of Urban Design at the Hochschule der bildenden Künste, Berlin, between 1967 and 1970. He was briefly a guest professor in the Urban Design Program at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was the Professor of Urban Design at the Technical University Darmstadt from 1971 to 1999, and worked also as a Professor at the School of Town Planning, University of Nottingham, from 1984 to 1989. He served as Scientific Director for the International Building Exhibition (IBA), Emscher Park, Gelsenkirchen from 1989 to 1994, and Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Berlin from 1995 to 1996.
He is currently a partner in S.K.A.T., Architekten und Stadtplaner, which began in 2000.

Invited KeynoteSpeakers (to be confirmed)
Alain Bourdin
Corina Morandi 
Nuno Portas 
Paulo Martins Barata
Ann Klingmann