Monday, 9 September 2013

MALL-ture

In one swift move that has perhaps permanently changed the way Barodians look at their city, K Raheja Corp launched its chain- the Inorbit mall in Vadodara's orbit (pun intended) amidst much fanfare and chaos last week. For Inorbit malls CEO Kishore Bhatija, the Vadodara launch just marks the beginning of a long term strategy for their branch expansion to tier-II and tier-III cities however, for this sleepy town the launch means a lot more than that.

Since a very long time now Vadodara has been living in the shadow of her elder sister Ahmedabad, definitely not in class but in terms of culture, luxury, eateries, and more simply put- just something to boast about. Although one might argue that a 'mall' is nothing to boast of, it is almost certainly a response to a long unanswered question of what to do in Vadodara on a Sunday.

Last Sunday, me like most other Barodians (and some non Barodians I suspect) went to the "navo mall gorwa baju (new mall near Gorwa)" to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised to see its sheer scale. All around the mall there were a lot of people regarding it with appreciation and reverence. I half expected people to take off their footwear before they entered.

Standing tall and proud like a magnificent beast it seemed to have landed on its feet. What's interesting here is to note that even though work began on the mall way back in 2007, there was never any discussion or debate about it. This has probably worked to it's advantage because the mall seems to have been constructed almost overnight as if in a silent black and white film without any drama or over-hype.


In terms of its architecture, there does not seem to be anything extraordinary as far as malls go. Quite frankly, if the truss roof structure had to be defined in one word it would be- morose. In a mall that had a Rs 300 Crore budget, one is bound to expect a design that reflects the culture and context of the city and is meaningful on a lot of different levels. However the Inorbit not unlike all the other malls fails to start that trend. The landscaping also seems to have been added as an after thought with no clear pedestrianized zones or walkways in front of the entrance. Even though there is a mini amphitheater of sorts, it is right in between the parking and the drop off zone just further adding to the confusion and chaos of honking car horns and blasting stereos, making it a not-so-ideal location to sit and enjoy the ambiance that comes with a public design of this scale. On the very same road, it's frenemy-The CentreSquare mall, although much smaller in scale manages to bring people together simply by its bold and voluminous external public plaza.


One must accept that malls are slowly but surely becoming a part of developing India but it is also the right time to ask, in what way are they improving the quality of life for the people they are designed for? It is time for designers to wake up and realize the potential that a good design for such public malls would hold.



3 comments:

  1. Wow... That is pretty accurate. I have been to the mall. In terms of shopping though it is a huge leap. The best feature is the CCD.

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  2. Couldn't agree more Jignasha! Beautifully designed and such an inviting entrance facade!

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