RE-generate

Across the United States there has been an increase in abandoned malls, with less than a thousand still active. The decline and abandonment of malls is a reaction to changes in consumer habits, economic disparity, and the 2020 Pandemic. Adaptive reuse gives a building that possesses cultural significance a second chance, which is now a vital strategy to lowering carbon emissions from building construction. As the last major mall in Delaware county and several surrounding counties, the Muncie Mall is on the decline with its major anchor stores leaving and only 53 percent of it being leased. I am proposing Ball State purchase the mall to help integrate the residents of Muncie and the students and faculty of the university by laying the foundation for a walkable city within a city, that focuses on community rather than retail and consumerism. The program is mixed-use with a focus on housing students, faculty, independent elders, and starter families alongside educational, entertainment, wellness, social, and food or retail spaces. The site design and architecture aim to regenerate life into a once bland and monotonous building through increased daylighting, materiality, unique form, lush-green spaces, and a network of paths to increase walkability.