The mall has changed the way we splurge. And almost nine years after the mall story began in India, while the concern is about construction and operational efficiencies, meeting environmental safety and conservation criteria, the initial attraction is often a project?s architectural and design aesthetics. With nearly 50 million square feet of mall space in various stages of completion across major cities in India, mall architecture looks to set to match the best the world has to offer.
Taking a step forward from the usual, run-of-the-mill rectangular buildings, and seeking inspiration from the towering modern day marvels in Shanghai, Beijing and Dubai, it?s now the turn of crescent-shaped or fish-shaped facades to make an appearance in the Indian mall arena. In first-world countries, it is generally accepted that if a retail environment lacks synergy between its diverse elements and experiences it will not be successful. Although location is important, the right expertise in conceptualisation, design, development and management of malls is absolutely necessary to optimise long-term sustainability and profitability.
Kunal Banerji, President, Ansal API, points to two architectural wonders coming up in Lucknow and Ludhiana. ?The mall in Lucknow has two towers on either side with a long horizontal passage connecting the two towers. This mall will house a hotel along with office complexes. Whereas the Boulevard in Ludhiana will be a boutique mall housing the high end luxury brands,? says Banerji.
According to a survey conducted by global property consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield, not all mall operators are likely to benefit equally from how the linear structures are giving way to more innovative forms: ?Only the ones in favourable locations and with the right format and suitable strategies are likely to be long-term players,? the survey states. ?Modern structures attract both consumers and retailers. With 97% of our retail market unorganised, malls offer a great business opportunity,? says Banerji.
A shopping mall should be able to bring together a perfect blend between the exterior and the interior elements under one roof. Industry experts say that the planning of existing malls in India lacked an understanding of mall culture. Large retailers were positioned incorrectly ? as a result the traffic flow of shoppers did not provide opportunity for the smaller retailers to increase trade and therefore for the developer to increase his return.
Sanjay Kataria, chief architect of Suncity Retail, who has designed the Jewel of India mall in Jaipur in a crescent shape, feels that early designs of Indian malls had dead ends that affected both the shopper and the retailer. ?The retailers that were placed at these dead ends failed to attract much sales as even shoppers did not prefer spending much time at their outlets,? he says. Jewel of India is based on the principle that ?life comes around in full circle? and has loops instead of dead ends. ?No retailer has an undue advantage of being positioned at a strategic space because of this,? says Kataria.
Sanjeev Mehra, vice president ? mall operations, South City Projects, who have designed the South City mall in Kolkata with a fish shaped atrium, believes that the design and the layout of a mall is its biggest USP. ?This helps in giving each store prime visibility and generate proper flow of shoppers,? says Mehra. He also adds that the design must be such that it stimulates shopping. ?If the environment of a mall isn?t favorable to shopping it won?t translate into retail success,? says Mehra. The luxury-end High Street Phoenix?s Palladium mall, coming up in Mumbai, will spread to the third level of the Rs 600 crore five-star hotel, Shangri-La, also being constructed on the premises. ?With parking levels on top of the mall and a five-star hotel above it, we are truly hoping to be a multi-level high end marvel,? says Rajesh Kulkarni, head architect, High Street Phoenix.
A drawback affecting Indian malls is that more is spent on looks rather than providing the basic amenities to shoppers. ?Whereas worldwide it?s just the other way round. For instance too much usage of glass though gives a beautiful look but imagine the high energy consumption to maintain temperature inside the mall. It simply escalates the maintenance cost adding on to the burden on the consumers,? says Sanjeev Srivastva, MD Assotech are building a mall in Rudrapur. A reason for this could be the lack of experience of the Indian developers in designing malls. However, Banerji clarifies that something which is dressed-up well attracts more people.
A few initiatives are visible in some upcoming projects. In Centra mall in Chandigarh, all the retail spaces have equal opportunity for a clear visibility even from outside the mall. ?The use of material has been sensitively handled by limiting glass only to the north side thereby reducing heat gain. This also provides for natural light right through the public areas ? which makes them livelier and reduces electrical energy consumption,? says Ajay Batra, associate vice president, Architecture, The Uppal Group. Gagan Singh, Managing Director, Sandalwood India, a 50:50 retail joint venture between Jones Lang LaSalle and Colonial First State Property Management, says that creating an iconic brand drives the ability to obtain sales from a broader catchment. ?Another reason to visit ?this? mall versus ?that.? Iconic malls only work when iconic architecture is supported by iconic service, experience, brand etc,? he further adds. As for the future hold for the mall design and architecture experts feel that the external shape and features of malls will continue to evolve and inspire the customer. ?Internally, the design will be more conducive to simple formats and ease of shopping,? says Singh. One can only hope that the futuristic designs and shapes of the Indian malls helps them make their presence felt in the international arena.