Inanam Mall And Hotel

The brief for this project was to design a three storey shopping complex with a 10-storey hotel and car parks. This development is located at the centre of Inanam town, which has been developing rapidly over the years. The objective was to introduce a new retail and entertainment culture to the town’s residents, while bringing in new leisure options as well as more business and job opportunities.

DESIGN AND SITE
One of the site constraints was the limited space available to cater for such a building, being the only vacant land surrounded by developed areas/structures. The underground part of the site had many existing utilities to be considered, such as cables, water pipes, etc. The consultants needed to Design the building in such a way that the utilities, which cannot be removed from the ground, were avoided. This was especially important for its superstructure. Therefore, the underground superstructure works were more tedious than those for most normal projects.

Another constraint was the surrounding site and building envelopes that were designed since the beginning of the town’s establishment. Both the developer and architect had opted for a more conventional façade design that will sit well within its context—one that looks traditional yet precedes its surrounding existing buildings in modernity.

The project was designed to improve circulation and traffic conditions at the site, such as the provision of pedestrian accessibility and more car parks. The developer is also considering connecting the mall to the opposite area by placing an extra overhead bridge for pedestrian crossing, subject to approval by the local authorities.

MATERIALS
The developer has yet to decide on the procurement of all building materials. Most of the building materials will generally be sourced locally, taking logistics, timing and sustainability aspects into consideration. However, finishing products such as tiles, electrical components and sanitary fittings may be sourced from overseas due to the availability of more choices and designs as well as better cost management options.