Valle Market

Deep-rooted traditions in commerce through casual modes of exchange have long been ingrained in the human experience. Contemporary society continues these traditions through informal retail typologies, often occupying more ephemeral and impermanent spaces such as markets, bazaars, and on a smaller scale, food stalls, mobile street vendors, kiosks, and newsstands. Aggregated into curated clusters, these typologies begin to further inform other critical cultural practices of production, consumption, and social needs while providing sophisticated ways to organize space. Informal retail typologies are prevalent in Austin. From farmers’ markets and food trailers to East Austin Studio Tours and other seasonal events featuring local artists and artisans, informal retail environments act as a vehicle for the commercial and artisanal expression of local cultural identity.

This studio has been developed to investigate how informal retail typologies translate into brick and mortar. Through this lens, the exploration of a range of design solutions that enhance the retail experience will be through a clearly defined program. The studio will investigate how retail interiors have the capacity to convey messages about form, substance, and culture on a broader scale. The final interior will be a proposal for an informal market-style retail space in Red Bluff Triangle, a new mixed-use retail/office development in East Austin. The retail program is an auxiliary use to a new boutique hotel across Red Bluff Rd, serving as a flexible, open social space offering hotel guests and locals a food kiosk with outdoor seating, multiple stalls featuring local artisanal wares, and a reading/lounge area. The program is intended to offer patrons a rich retail experience that is uniquely Austin, while simultaneously providing the convenience of a highly curated gift shop.