Shopping Mall Design

10 things to remember while designing shopping malls

Shopping malls are India’s greatest contribution to the economy. It gives consumers the benefit to choose from the infinite choices of merchandise spread across vast categories. But nowadays, malls are much more than just avenues for shopping and conducting business. Akin to how the internet has brought people virtually close to each other, social spaces like megastores and giant shopping malls are such physical spaces that help people reconnect with each other. It is a place where people love to spend their time, mainly for 3 reasons – entertainment, dining, and leisure.

These malls are endowed with entertainment spaces like game rooms and gaming arenas, movie theatres, multiplexes, book shops, etc., leisure spaces like spas, saunas, salons, massage centers, etc., eateries including fine dine restaurants, fast food corners, dessert points, coffee shops, etc. Ask anybody and you will be told that one of the ideal rendezvous places is most commonly the mall! Proper planning is necessary for the provision of these spaces by blending them into the grandeur and spirited environment.

The following are some points that need to be emphasized while designing a shopping mall.

1. Know your Market

Market analysis helps in determining whether the surroundings will support the mall or not. It is important to learn about the competition in and around the locality (or in some cases, the entire city). It gives clarity on what kind of spaces should be created in a mall, what retailers must be invited, or what elements should be added to make it a landmark location.

2. Site design

Site design majorly includes orientation and layout of the building, circulation and parking layout, landscaping, water supply, drainage retention, and various other elements. The quality of the pedestrian environment should be considered a central defining aspect of the site layout and design theme for all types of commercial centers.

3. Cater to the Parking requirement more?

Accurate parking layouts should be a significant part of the design development procedure. In case of insufficient site area, basement parking is always preferable. It should be planned according to the orientation of the mall structures so that the vehicular and pedestrian movements are in the same direction. Valet services are becoming an important amenity in many malls these days. In addition to this, landscape islands and medians, as well as interconnected networks of pedestrian walkways should be designed as an integrated component of the parking lot layout.

4. A grand entrance

The building entrance is an important feature that provides a transitional element between the inside and outside functions. It creates the first impression of the space a person is about to enter. Hence, its design should be given great thought. For example, a water fountain, or a well-lit mural displaying the theme of the mall can be used to exhibit the grandeur of the mall.

5. Create a space that invites all categories of people

This is an essential requirement as the mall should cater to all types of people, including the disabled. Provisions should be made from the parking to the top level of the mall to make it disabled-friendly, thereby promising the specific demographic, comfortable, and surreal experience of the mall. Ensuring that the mall caters to all age groups and diverse interests will help in increasing footfalls as well as increasing spending per person.

6. Depending on retail stores only to draw traffic

In this era of online shopping, it is not possible to expect people to come to malls only for shopping merchandise. The primary reason people visit malls these days is to spend some leisure time. Hence restaurants, multiplexes, play areas, gaming arenas, etc. are the basic requirements a mall must-have. Apart from this, many malls have large indoor amusement parks, aquariums, casinos, snow worlds, theme parks, etc. which enhance the footfall of the mall.

7. Connect the spaces

When the site is small, the connectivity of spaces is easily manageable. But in large sites where there are numerous buildings and distributed parking, connecting the dots becomes a bit critical. But it can be solved by providing simple road layouts and circulation pathways, shuttle bus or go-kart services on the site, clear signage, and sidewalk connections.

8. Sustainability – an important ingredient in the mix

Energy-efficient buildings are the need of the day, especially in malls, where there is a high requirement for lighting, air conditioning, and ventilation, which leads to large amounts of carbon emissions. Sustainability should be a key priority while planning the mall. Green roofs, solar panels, low carbon building materials, etc. are some of the many options that are used to minimize the carbon footprint of the building.

9. Building envelope design

Shopping malls are not just buildings; they represent the locality or the surroundings. Hence, they are now more than just a block of glass. With the innovations that have developed in fa?ade designs over the last decade, building envelopes have become advanced, aesthetically, and sustainably.

10. The Wow! Factor

There should be an element of surprise which becomes an identity for the mall. It can be a part of the interior decoration, the building entrance, or an extraordinary activity for leisure. It should not just be a feature, but an experience for the people. Very few malls have extravagant features that have increased the count of people by a large margin.

" Indian Retail Space has transformed from Mom & Pop Stores to Theme based Shopping Centers, Design plays an important role in becoming a destination in the neighbor hood"