Most Americans have shopped in a "big box" discount store at one time or another. Consider the permanence of infrastructure and the products it delivers by exploring this trend in suburbia.

A structure too well built may be difficult to adapt to new uses. A structure poorly built will not function well. Without regular maintenance, nothing functions well for long.

The experience of shopping in a big box discount store is used by the exhibit to engage audiences with issues that revolve around permanence. The store's design and products explore why and how civil engineers design life span.