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Brian Fleener realized the possibilities of retail design when he traveled to Brazil.

鈥淭hey do it in a way we really haven’t done here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here wasn’t one moment that I wasn’t asking questions.鈥�

Fleener, vice president of retail stores development for , visited Sao Paulo for a global conference on retail merchandising and visual display. But he was affected more profoundly by walks along the city’s streets. He saw retail structures designed via a method called regionalism: use of local materials and aesthetics to create a blend with surroundings.

The technique isn’t used often in Portland, but it should be, according to Fleener.

鈥淲e have a social responsibility to understand the materials that are local,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are compelling reasons to use them more.鈥�

Regionalism is based on two themes: sustainability and client experience. By using local materials 鈥� such as wood, rocks and plants 鈥� architects can ensure that projects will have a smaller carbon footprint, no harmful elements and limited negative environmental impacts from shipments.

Regionalism also is about creating a connection with clients 鈥� or, as Fleener calls it, a 鈥渉armonic resignation.鈥�

鈥淭hey’re going to feel more at home and they’ll think, 鈥榃ow. This is local,’ 鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou want to understand how (clients) are wired almost instantly. As you respond to them as they are, you create that harmony and that harmony builds trust and rapport.鈥�

Fleener noticed that Brazilian shops used indigenous wood for almost everything 鈥� from countertops to floorboards. In other instances, indigenous plants and stones were used as building facades, lighting fixtures and shelves.

However, regionalism goes beyond just materials; it’s also about matching the aesthetics of nearby buildings, which also contributes to harmonic resignation. For example, many stores in Brazil had board-formed concrete walls and not many windows, Fleener said. They matched the local houses, which were built in the 1950s with the same concrete.

Not all cities in Brazil are like Sao Paulo, where a chapter of the Retail Design Institute is located. But substantial use of regionalism may be why the country is atop the A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index of emerging retail markets. For the index, a number of variables are used to determine which countries have the highest potential for retailers.

One of the reasons Portland designers don’t use regionalism as much is cost. More time and money are needed to use local materials and match surroundings, according to Shauna Stinson, owner of Portland-based Vizwerks.

Stinson wishes she could use the strategy more, but clients’ budgets don’t always allow for it, she said.

鈥淚t’s almost always part of the discussion,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat percentage of that actually comes out where you end up using regional materials? It’s not as often as everyone would like.鈥�

Also, use of regionalism depends on what constitutes 鈥渞egional,鈥� Stinson said. Vizwerks, for example, sometimes chooses materials to suit the area’s climate.

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects also tries to incorporate regionalism in its retail designs, though such projects make up only a small portion of the firm’s business, said Fred Painter, a senior associate.

鈥淲e try to make (projects) look as much like the Northwest as possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m not sure how (Brazilian designers) do it, but (we use local materials) on accents, like columns, wall areas and trellises.鈥�

Fleener believes local retail projects can incorporate regionalism to a greater degree. For example, a store on Mount Tabor, a dormant volcanic cinder cone, could feature volcanic rock in its finishes, he said. Or a waterfront restaurant could use Willamette River wood debris for its countertops. This is the type of creativity and resourcefulness used in Brazil, Fleener said.

He hopes to incorporate it more in MulvannyG2’s upcoming projects and that other architects and project owners will do the same.

鈥淲here (Brazil is) at culturally and socially in terms of design aesthetic 鈥� it seemed like they had it down in spades,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m currently talking to retailers about these ideas. This is something I’m very passionate about.鈥�