Times Square Mall

Times Square Shopping Mall is a design project for an entire micro-urbanism. Spreading across an area of 8100 square metres, the identities of the mall, both as a commercial space & a sustainable complex are understood to be symbols projected onto the administrative capital of the State of Chhattisgarh representing Naya Raipur as India’s fourth prosperous & planned smart city. A Mall, being a commercial building, requires a critical approach towards positioning, zoning & magnetic aspects. After a deep insight towards these critical factors, Creative Group took forward the planning & design of a mall with a sustainable & charasmatic approach which pleases not just the client but also the visitor. It is aptly placed around the administrative buildings in the vicinity serving as a landmark and a turning point for the otherwise structured building envelopes.

Breaking away from the age- old philosophy & concept of a mall to be a conventional glass building with no play of forms, Ar. Gurpreet Shah, Principal Architect, Creative Group accomodates an abstract use of Jaali work as an elevation feature with a dynamic built form where the building facade changes at every viewing angle. The concept is based on an emerging curve which rises from the ground and showcases the aspirations of a development of a new city Naya Raipur. Hoardings solve purpose of acting as a second sun screen apart from being a decorative element in the building; imbibed in the niches of metal jallis. The helical form of the building emerges from the ground floor, as if originating from the surrounding landscape.
Creative Group worked across scales to doubly awe visitors with vast spaces and welcome them with measures of comfort. In following, coherence and hierarchy were critical to the mall’s planning. The architects have delivered a highly sustainable and viable contemporary built-form which is enhanced by their capability to engage themselves right from the initial phase of the project.The design creates open spaces and stepped terraces with the view of providing maximum commercial viability. The stepped terraces add extra area to each floor, thereby increasing the saleable areas and acting as recreational spaces. At smaller scales, architectural details provide a visual dynamism that extends though each of the mall’s spaces. It is interwoven with all characteristics of an iconic marvel which are responsive to its environment.

As the city of Raipur is still growing, affordability is still a criteria. Thus, the ideology behind this commercial complex was to apply basic design principles like mutual shading and building orientation, so as to conceive a sustainable mall with minimum energy consumption.

Shaded courtyards in the centre create recreational relaxing spaces. Wind tunnels are created in the central courtyard for the flow of air and the kiosks are placed around the courtyard for the ease of consumers. Food and beverages are provided on the ground –floor for convenience. The highest point of the building being at the South-West protects the building from harsh summer sun. The lake & the central park, right across the mall further enhances the cooling effect.
The client’s vision of a mall which provides value for money with functional aspects being catered to is translated into the dimensions of physical space with a unique design approach. Times Square imparts an entire new definition to architecture by using natural air and avoiding the use of artificial cooling systems.

Creative Group projects Times Square mall as a step towards responsive architecture and design for the next- GEN catering to all aspects of sustainable and affordable design with economic viability and commercial feasability.

Architects : M/s Creative Group
Founding Principal: Prof. (Ar.) Charanjit Shah
Principal Architect: Ar. Gurpreet Shah
Financial Expert and Real Estate Advisor: Mr. Prabhpreet Shah

Times Square Mall by Gurpreet Shah in India won the WA Award Cycle 21. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.