Our lives as social beings are guided by the spaces we inhabit. This week's top-reads list is punctuated by articles elaborating on this idea.

Community, not cars, drives the retail experience at this Rotterdam Nio showroom

A clubhouse space comprising a café, art gallery, play area and forum make the car shopping experience at Nio’s first showroom in Rotterdam more casual.

Read more here.

Social retail: 4 brands using their stores as community spaces 

Brands are increasingly leaning into their interactive advantage – especially in the wake of the pandemic – to cultivate community. We rounded up four spaces excelling in social retail. 

Read more here.

How EPDs will help clean up design’s greenwashing problem

Designed to verify the environmental impact of a product’s lifecycle – from production to waste – Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are being embraced by manufacturers, architects and designers to meet growing demands for sustainability in the built environment. 

Read more here.

Is AI the key to a dynamic retail experience? See this Random Studio-designed Gucci store

Combining the brand’s Italian heritage with Chengdu’s natural landscape, Gucci’s Chengdu store demonstrates AI’s potential for immersive retail.

Read more here.

What can the UK teach us about hyperlocal design? 

As the UK grapples with its post-Brexit economy – while battling the global issues of the climate and energy crises – the nation has a huge incentive for going local. That doesn’t mean its methods can’t be exported. 

Read more here.