When an architect or client sets out to build a multistorey residential building for their own use, the end result is often more intriguing than what is typically generated through ordinary housing production – for example, a home base for a theatrical community or a combination of a private home and an editorial office for an architectural journal.
In mid-century USA, Victor Gruen developed the shopping mall, a typology that still raises questions on how contemporary cities should be designed. Antti Auvinen and Kristian Äijö explore the phenomenon.