WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA (USA)
Client: West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency
Date: 2017-2019
Status: in progress
Program: Mixed-use space for 12 retails, a restaurant and community gatherings
Scope: Schematic Design, Design Development and Construction Documents
The Thoroughfare is an innovative concept located at the very heart of Downtown West Palm Beach. The space is conceived as a covered public space connecting the most representative street of the city (Clematis Street) and its rear alleyway, to be transformed in the short term as in this block the pilot project of the Active Passageway reactivation strategy will be implemented.
The Thoroughfare pursues two main objectives: on one hand this 12,000 sq.ft. space offers an affordable alternative for many start-ups and local businesses that aspire to have their retail space in the Downtown at a reasonable rent. On the other hand, it introduces a mix of activities that dynamize a strategic piece of the Downtown that otherwise would have been empty and abandoned for an undefined period. This intervention is the result of a collaboration between the private and public sector and it has been partially financed by the Knight Foundation.
12 modular pods characterized by their attractive design and colorful graphic patterns provide enclosed space for retail and food businesses. Their activities occupy and colonize other shared spaces, creating a multi-use stimulating environment. The Thoroughfare is not just a market, neither a food court, or a community center as it is a mix of them all; visitors at The Thoroughfare can shop, eat, meet, work, watch a movie, attend a fashion show, and much more. The space and its concept foster entrepreneurship, community engagement and the local reactivation of a main street, giving the public more reasons to come and mingle in a space that provides experiences through its common areas, events possibilities and local atmosphere.
