The malls in the online shopping era

This study is focused on the evolution of massive retail architecture as polyvalent container and consistent public space no longer located in the periphery, but as generic spaces within inner cities. Its aim is also to reflect on the adaptation of these large commercial complexes as they are affected by the new digital market and their impact on the urban design concerning public interiors in European cities. Some exemplary types of shopping malls: L’Illa in Barcelona, Spain; Almere Stad shopping centre in Almere, Holland and St David’s in Cardiff, UK, have been critically compared by analysing their urban, formal and functional transformations