An emerging building type comprised solely of big-box retail, the Vertical Power Center is unlike the suburban mall and other shopping center types. Lacking the connective public tissue of the latter, the Vertical Power Center is a laminated organization of individual retailers, requiring complete autonomy among their operations. Each retailer requires its own front-door parking, HVAC, vertical conveyance, and structural template. The Vertical Power Center is more infrastructural than architectural, as independent buildings, rather than floors, are stacked.
