Principles of the Formation of Architectural Environment of a Modern Shopping Center Focused on Non-Commercial Attractive Qualities

Abstract Article is dedicated to identifying the principles of the formation of architectural environment of modern shopping centers focused on realizing their non-commercial attractive qualities. This task is made relevant by the present shift in views on these buildings that accentuates visitor’s experience, sense of place, public functions, mixed use and greater diversity of their formats. For this goal, the theoretical model of the shopping center system as a socially and culturally significant “place” of urban life has been constructed. Consequently, three clusters of principles of its formation are identified with the use of “black box” method on the base of three categories of non-commercial attractiveness of shopping centers discovered by previous studies. The clusters are composed of specific principles realizing their influence on the level of architectural design. Cluster of “creation of convenient conditions for activity” consists of principles of accessibility and negation of distracting factors. Cluster of “mutual energization of activities” includes principles of flexibility and permeability of structure. Cluster of “aesthetic articulation of the place” consists of principles of readability and conceptual-aesthetic integrity. Specific methods of architectural and functional composition of shopping centers are grouped under the discovered principles; particularities of their use in creating an attractive architectural environment in the perception of visitors are considered. Consequently, suggestions about the importance of particular principles and corresponding methods for different spatial types and formats of shopping centers are proposed.