This was a student project by Brooklyn Short for Beth Blostein's ARCH 241 course, Autumn 2008. Our studio began with a program to design a shoe store for the Short North area of Columbus, Ohio, with certain restrictions; the design was restricted to eight feet in width. The idea for the project evolved from the branding of shoes, so I proposed a store displaying five brands. I extracted prominent artwork shown on the shoes as inspiration for the facade. Each symbol blends into one another outside and between the two facades on which the shoes are displayed. The designs are organized not only from extremely geometric to fluid and organic, but also by color. Because the facade and mirror are hues of gray and clear, the shoes really 'pop'. The facade was built of polymer glue and the interior became a replica of the facade but completely mirrored, so that the person trying on the shoes would become the 'artwork', or the focus of attention when seen from outside the store. - Brooklyn Short
