The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2010 Future Image Architecture Competition challenged industry visionaries to conjure up the shopping center of the future. This year participants were tasked with contemplating the future impact of big-box buildings on local economies and anticipating viable and innovative new uses for these structures in the future. Awards were presented in the following categories: Re-Envisioned Shopping Environments, Re-Envisioned Mixed-Use or Non-Shopping Environments, Green and General Brilliance and Innovation. Additionally, an honorable mention was given in the Re-Envisioned Shopping Environments category.
This year's winners are CommArts for reBox in the category of General Brilliance & Innovation; MulvannyG2 for Restart, Reconnect, Revive... in the Green category; Boxx City for The Buddy System in the Re-Envisioned Shopping Environment category; and Nicolette Mastrangelo for Big Box Mega Project in the Re-Envisioned Mixed-Use category. Additionally, an honorable mention in the Re-Envisioned Shopping Environment category was given to RTKL for its entry The CIB: Community Interaction Box.
From its earliest days, the shopping center has been analyzed and improved upon by myriad individuals, inviting constructive criticism and ultimately helping it attain new levels of success. All of these individuals, whether they are architects, designers, owners or developers have inspired momentous positive change within the industry. To inspire these visionaries to continue to push the envelope of shopping center creativity, ICSC asked them to think "outside the big-box" by imagining new ways to position and utilize the big-box building.
Entrants were challenged to re-envision the large scale buildings typically occupied by department store anchors in suburban shopping centers. The competition sought ideas for adapting these structures to new retail configurations, mixed-use and even non-retail uses. Solutions were judged on the following criteria:
1. Innovations that enhance the long term viability of the shopping center.
2. Creative proposals for adaptive re-use of these structures.
3. Concepts that will compliment and enhance the shopping experience.
Entries into the competition were judged by Brooke Hodge, New York Times online design columnist and former curator of architecture and design at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and Randall Shearin, editor at Shopping Center Business Magazine.