since 2006, there have been no new shopping malls constructed in the united states (sanborn, 2017). this once-booming market has been affected mightily by the technological advancements achieved in the 21st century. a variety of factors have contributed to the decline of shopping mall visitation in recent decades, yet the most influential is the convenience of online shopping (ferreira and paiva, 2017). people no longer have to commute through traffic to physical malls, trouble themselves with long-lines, or deal with the commotion of a high-density environment (selvakumar and raghavan, 2017). the ease of shopping on devices from the comfort of homes have initiated a downward trend of visitation in physical shopping malls. between 2010 and 2013, mall visitation has dropped nearly 50% during the holiday season (mid-november through the end of december) than in years past. these peak times in shopping are when businesses rely on to meet end-of-year quotas.

major architectural, state-of-the-art facilities are closing down and remains are leaving a large footprint of empty buildings (rosenbaum, 2016). former shopping malls, that have once been a predominant wonder of the community, are closing and leaving a negative aesthetic appeal to communities. restoration potential for revitalization projects encapsulate the minds of city planners, contractors, and local residents to transform the architectural ghost-towns into something new (peterson, 2014). the large footprint and building structure of the malls contribute to endless possibilities of restoration projects.

i had the pleasure of interviewing a local resident residing in clay, new york, who has firsthand experienced the essence of mall history. numerous malls are located within 30 miles of clay, so 26-year-old corinna manzer is a key source of knowledge regarding shopping malls. from destiny usa, shoppingtown mall, and great northern mall, corinna has visited all three within her lifetime and remembers the prime of malls. living only two miles down the road from great northern mall, i was able to encapsulate a true history of the mall through a q&a session with her:

me: how do you think the mall has changed within the last 5-10 years?

corinna: the mall has become a ghost town. there are only a couple stores still in business there, and i don’t know how they’re still making money. all the parking lots are always empty and only dick’s sporting goods has more than maybe 10 cars parked in the lot. five years ago, the whole place has stores of all different categories, a movie theatre, and i used to go there more than once a week with my friends to hangout. it used to be such a convenience right down the road.

me: what is the reason for the decline of the mall?

corinna: definitely online shopping. there’s no reason to drive there and have to deal with people when i can just hop on my laptop and buy anything i want without sales people.

me: do you think the town should keep the mall standing?

corinna: i think the mall is taking up space and the huge building is being put to no use. [the town] should tear it down and put something else up like a restaurant some other food place. it’d be more popular.

me: what do you think of restoring [the mall] into a park or other green space?

corinna: that’s a great idea! it would really bring the community together and help better the environment rather than having it as an “industrial wasteland.” the mall is a huge eyesore where it is.

other uses for mall properties

the questions asked focused around the major areas of my research, and i was able to understand a consumer’s mindset regarding malls. i also asked corinna about how other malls are maintaining their business compared to the ones closing, and she replied by stating how other malls are transitioning to a more restaurant-based approach because “food keeps people interested.” she told me restaurants are the main reason [destiny usa mall] continues to flourish. restoring malls for green spaces were a point of interest in our interview, and would lead to a healthier community for the people and environment.

abandoned malls contribute restoration potentials from the sizable footprints of the buildings. while possibilities may seem endless for the future of the industrial sites, green projects wield a positive outlook. whether a green space for park leisure or an indoor-outdoor infusion of activity, the grass is most certainly greener on the other side of shopping malls.

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works cited

staeheli, l. a., & mitchell, d. (2006). usas destiny? regulating space and creating community in american shopping malls. urban studies, 43(5-6), 977-992. doi:10.1080/00420980600676493

ferreira, d., & paiva, d. (2017). the death and life of shopping malls: an empirical investigation on the dead malls in greater lisbon. the international review of retail, distribution and consumer research, 27(4), 317-333. doi:10.1080/09593969.2017.1309564

rosenbaum, m. s., otalora, m. l., & ramirez, g. c. (2016). the restorative potential of shopping malls. journal of retailing and consumer services, 31, 157-165. doi:10.1016/2016.02.011

watson, sarah, “what is happening to commercial malls: evaluating contradicting opinions” (2016). accounting. 11.   https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/honorscollege_accounting/11

sanburn, j. (2017, july 20). why the death of malls is about more than shopping. time.

dong, j., & gong, s. (2017). restoration and regeneration of industrial brownfield. boletín técnico,55(12), 314-319.

believe it or not, phipps conservatory and botanical gardens in pittsburgh’s oakland neighborhood is one of the many buildings vying for the “greenest” title. rising from the crest of a hill, the eye-catching conservatory is a beacon of sustainability in a city better known for its industrial past than its environmental forward-thinking.

referring to phipps as a building is a bit of a misnomer, as the campus includes a tropical forest conservatory, a production greenhouse, a welcome center and cafe, a research building, and a modular learning facility called the seed classroom.

now in its 125th year, phipps began to show clear commitment to a sustainable future in the last decade. it reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 56 percent per square foot over the course of a decade, exceeding the 2025 goals set by the paris agreement. the campus is powered 100 percent by on-site solar and wind or through the purchase of renewable energy credits. a majority of the sanitary water from the buildings is cleaned by constructed wetlands on the campus.

conservatory staples revitalized

most of the leed-silver certified welcome center is underground, as it is earth-bermed on three sides. its parking lot is on the grassy lawn — no asphalt required. the center’s cafe, which is 3 star certified green restaurant, composts 500,000 pounds of waste per year and sources organic and local foods whenever possible.

the seed classroom, which is used primarily for children’s education and activity programs, is net-zero energy and is petal certified by the living building challenge. it is a stand-alone building made primarily of lightweight, recycled materials and is intended to be a superior alternative to overflow trailers used by some schools. all of its mechanical systems are exposed so that students can learn through interaction.

even the botanical gardens themselves are full of surprises. mixed in with the living flowers are vibrant glass flowers that are instantly recognizable as the work of renowned artist dale chihuly.

the only greenhouse of its kind

there is only one greenhouse in the world to be leed-certified, and, not surprisingly, it’s at phipps. it has an open roof system and features 16 different growing climates thanks to highly sophisticated computer controls.

the tropical forest conservatory is the first conservatory in the world to be powered by a fuel cell. it is completely passively cooled by underground tubes in the earth that bring cool air up into the building.

the greenest building in the world (maybe)

the real highlight, though, is the center for sustainable landscapes, a 24,350-square foot education and research facility located behind the main conservatory building. it’s the only building in the world to have been awarded the four highest green building certifications: it was the first to get a four star sustainable sites certification; has the highest number of points for leed platinum v2.2; was the first well platinum building; and, most impressively, has certified living status under the living building challenge. it is one of only 15 buildings in the world to be certified living.

the center for sustainable landscapes has so many “green” qualifications that it becomes almost impossible to appreciate how remarkable each one is. not only does it power itself through solar and wind power, it produces enough electricity annually to power 12 homes. it uses 75-percent less energy and 90-percent less potable water than a typical office building, and it manages 3.25 million gallons of stormwater per year. the atrium and green roof feature over 100 native plant species and offer a stunning view of downtown pittsburgh.

why pittsburgh?

that phipps is achieving all of this in pittsburgh may be part of the awe value. in many minds, the city is known for steel manufacturing and pollution, not net-zero buildings and exotic plants. but pittsburgh is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, having cycled through the boom and bust of industrial america’s past. it’s a city on the rise, aided by sustainable titans like phipps.

this is not the new google campus or a shiny tower in a destination city. though its glass exterior gives the conservatory a futuristic appearance, phipps was founded in 1893 by steel magnate henry phipps, at the height of the city’s significance as an industrial center. it was even a stop on the tour of exotic plants from the 1893 chicago world’s fair. the welcome center, built in 2005, speaks to the conservatory’s gilded age roots with a gorgeous neo-victorian dome made of glass.

perhaps what is most impressive about phipps is not just its certifications or marvels of sustainability, but its roots in the community. the conservatory offers free children’s wellness events and resources, and its education programs are attended by 5,000 adults and 40,000 family groups annually. the homegrown program installed over 200 vegetable gardens in underserved neighborhoods in an effort to increase access to healthy, fresh food. phipps collaborates with local universities to research sustainability, botany, and environmental health issues, and it offers paid internships to high school students from low-income households.

one of the greenest buildings in the world is one you may not know about. but the people of pittsburgh know about it. it may be their best kept secret.

maybe you envision immense concrete blocks obscuring the skyline, or smoke stacks pumping out pollution or a quiet patch of land made barren in preparation for the next biggest development seen this side of the mississippi. 

if you recall early mornings waking up to the sounds of jackhammers, or detour signs lengthening your route to work, it certainly doesn’t improve your quality of life. this is something today’s sustainable development goals strive to do.

these mental manifestations of the construction industry aren’t entirely representative of reality, however, they can’t be written off as generalizations either. there are facts. the production of concrete, an extremely favorable building material, especially in dc, has contributed up to 5% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions in previous years. the u.s. green building council (usgbc) has reported that buildings account for more than 40% of the u.s.’s energy consumption.

as i have gone through three years of education and summer internships to prepare me for a post-graduate career in construction engineering i’ve had to consider these things and weigh them against my goals. thankfully, the industry is more than just those statistics; it is adapting to the standards we – as wiser inhabitants of earth – are setting. one of the biggest ways the construction industry is moving forward, with me happily following along, is with leed, or leadership in environmental and energy design.

first introduced in 1998 by the usgbc, leed started as a rating system with five simple categories to help promote conservation. it has progressed, offering the leed green associate credential (people are leed accredited, buildings are leed certified) to professionals who work in related industries. it has now even fostered its own sort of brand; often leed-certified buildings can be recognized by their use of glass, open spaces, inventive design, and natural elements. this has certainly helped improve the public conception of construction.

through my internship at clark construction this summer i’ve spent some time learning more about how leed works in the favor of construction. though these buildings do save money and energy during their lifespan and are highly photogenic, there’s a larger element. a lot of the credits come into play during construction and are earned by the general contractor. there are goals for reducing light pollution on a site, goals for reducing the amount of heat reflected, goals for picking sites that are easily accessible by public transportation. almost every aspect of the process, from selecting where your lumber comes from to picking the paint on your roof, can create a positive effect.

though i’m learning more about smart ways to conserve and sustainable construction practices at clark, i still have some concerns about the future of keeping engineering green. firstly, the buildings that tend to be leed certified are large, and as i like to think, “glamorous.” projects like museums and skyscrapers, and massive residential buildings. sustainability doesn’t seem as accessible for the less attractive and lower budget projects.

if small town needs to create more places for its growing population to live, or if a suburb badly needs to update their water treatment plant, leed doesn’t feel like the best fit. however there are other green rating systems, like envision, which focuses on civil infrastructure. they adopt the same objectives and adjust the criteria for a better fit. usgbc also offers other higher-level accreditations past green associate which include focuses on neighborhood development and homes. this issue is being addressed and i hope it becomes more and more standard for business to adopt these common goals.

what i don’t hope, is that green building becomes an excuse to build anything. if a parcel of land is available on the edge of a city, it might not necessarily need to be developed into the newest high rise apartment building. even if it sources its lumber from responsible forests within a 50 mile radius and will foster more practice of mixed land use, what if the property disrupts a struggling native plant? or what if its attempt at development is really just enabling the gentrification of that neighborhood? or what if we just don’t need it? construction is a valuable industry because it services the needs and interests of the public. but we need to ensure scaling down its existing impact doesn’t allow new forms of excess.

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more information

– for an infographic on the future of concrete check out: https://ensia.com/infographics/the-future-of-low-carbon-cement/

– for more information on green building check out: https://www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-facts

– for some stunning examples of finished sustainable construction projects check out: https://www.clarkconstruction.com/our-work/expertise/sustainability