Five architectural firms with offices in the Union Square retail district of downtown San Francisco have been asked to design storefront displays for vacant windows. As part of the local community, we all agreed to jump in pro-bono and participate in a program called “Architecture in Windows”, a project of the Union Square Association. The Association is a dynamic non-profit group made up of businesses in the core retail district.

Our firm is known for clever solutions to design problems, so we took this opportunity to demonstrate our design philosophy. We designed a backdrop of architectural materials in steel and glass for mannequins wearing dresses made from the shopping bags of the downtown retailers. Serendipitously, we discovered that the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) has a campus in San Francisco near Union Square and they have produced paper dresses in the past.

The designs generated by the other firms are equally creative. Each of us has teamed up with a retail contractor who has pledged to help assemble the displays and materials distributors who have donated cutting-edge materials. Launch date is scheduled for 11/11/09.

We continue search for the perfect name for our design. The short-list includes: “Paper Dolls”, “It’s in the Bag”, “Paper or Plastic – Green is the New Black”, “Window Dressing”, and “the Bag-ettes”. Hopefully, whatever name is chosen, our display will illustrate how architects can apply their clever ideas beyond building design. And more importantly, the display might just attract a new tenant.