The architecture of Far Eastern commerce

Estimated layout of Far Eastern shops in Budapest / Points of concentration of Far Eastern migration in Budapest

Estimated layout of Far Eastern residential areas in Budapest / Estimated layout of Far Eastern restaurants in Budapest

Analysis of concentrated commercial units: density, planning, flexibility, legality, investment, turnover, usage of space

The basic architectural unit of Far Eastern commerce is the container, which in the markets can be found almost in its original form; initially used to ship goods into the country, they underwent the simplest functional alterations to become stalls. The various markets feature variations on the same containers. Points of sale installed in industrial halls adopted the same structure, practically adapting the same basic unit, which now is not the container, but a designed stall, which differs in the fact that it is not mobile and is not built from finished elements. Its variants of various stages of development appear in all those establishments where commerce has "moved into" existing built environments. The architecture of shopping centres has far less to do with the spontaneous systems of markets. If there are similarities between the two structures, like aiming for the maximum density of points of sale to increase the economy of space, shopping centres already feature functions that are ruled out by the rationality of the market (lifts, escalators, fountains, etc.). This is why Asia Center is an interesting phenomenon: a hugely capital-intensive development, it is meant to provide an alternative to Chinese markets. The architecture of the building, however, does not serve this function, in part precisely because it employs a general architectural formula, which ignores how Far Eastern (migrant) commerce works, and fails to satisfy its natural needs.

Architectural typoloty of selling stands - high-density commercial units

China Mart stand elevation