EP.16 / John K Chan, AIA on Atwater Canyon and Creating Great Retail Spaces
Today, I’m joined by John K Chan, AIA, LEED AP the Co-Founder and Design Director at Formation Association, to discuss how to create a great retail experience, as exemplified by his firm’s design of the Atwater Canyon retail complex.
Atwater Canyon is an adaptive reuse project located in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles. In our conversation, we cover the importance of retail spaces as integral parts of thriving neighborhoods, how they can engage with communities, and factors that contribute to a successful retail space in Los Angeles.
Atwater Canyon is a unique and beautiful space with unusual materiality choices drawn from the history of LA architecture. John explains the international and local inspirations behind the design and the challenges he faced during the design process. We discuss how the LA city government can improve urban planning and the economic and social benefits of community-focused projects. John also reflects on his journey into architecture and how he started Formation Association with a vision for socially impactful projects.
Plus, we take a trip outside of our recording room to explore Atwater Canyon on-site with the owner and developer Myles Rogg. We highlight the separation from the street, which shelters pedestrians and visitors, and the signature archways which frame the retail interiors. Myles articulates how he approached this development, and why the decision to create 3 retail spaces instead of one has created additional value. This retail space embodies true experiential design by creating an urban atmosphere that’s evocative of the best retail destinations both in and outside of the US.
About John K Chan, AIA, LEED AP
John K Chan, AIA, LEED AP, is an architect and founder of Formation Association, an award-winning architecture and environmental design collaborative based in Los Angeles. After graduating from the USC School of Architecture, he worked in noteworthy Los Angeles offices building extensive experience in large scale projects across the United States and abroad, including public buildings, universities, and master planning.
As the Design Director of Formation Association, John has worked with creative clients on award-winning residential, commercial, and cultural projects. His collaborations and on-going work with LA artists have been presented both locally and internationally via cultural channels and institutions such as the Main Museum, the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, the Hammer Museum, MIT List Visual Arts Center, and the Mona Bismarck American Center for Art and Culture in Paris. He has been invited as guest critic and lecturer at the architecture departments at USC, UCLA, Woodbury University, Sci-Arc and Tunghai University in Taiwan.
John is a member of the Centennial Council for the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation, whose site includes the Hollyhock House and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.
Topics Covered
John’s approach to designing a great retail experience
The international references and local inspirations behind Atwater Canyon
How retail spaces in LA attract tenants/people and the factors John considered for Atwater Canyon
The major lessons and design ideas drawn from the project
Why Atwater Village is a successful retail corridor and why other streets in LA are not
Atwater Canyon’s beautiful and unusual materiality choices
The opportunity the developer Myles Rogg saw with the existing building
How the developers built off of the existing structure and history of the building
The response from the tenants
John’s journey into architecture and who he has been inspired by
Why John decided to start his own company and the origin of its name
Did you love this episode? Let us know by rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts. It’s easy - simply click this link, click on Listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Write a Review”. Let us know what you liked best about the episode, and what others can expect when they listen to our show.
While you’re at it, consider subscribing to Building LA. When you subscribe, you can guarantee you never miss a conversation with one our renowned designers, architects, and developers. Subscribe now!