IAPM Shanghai
China
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ICONSIAM
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Client
- Siam Piwat and Magnolia Quality Development Corporation
- Services
- Architecture, Interior Design, Wayfinding
- Sector
- Retail
- Accreditations
- Numerous including: World Retail Awards, 2019: Best Design; ICSC: Three Gold Awards
A powerful new landmark for Thailand
Set on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River, the artery of Bangkok, ICONSIAM transforms a former rice warehouse site into one of Southeast Asia’s largest retail and cultural destinations. Developed by Siam Piwat and Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, the 750,000m2 complex brings together a contemporary shopping mall and the luxury ICONLUXE mall, along with a 3,500-seat auditorium and two waterfront residential towers. Benoy led the retail interior design and devised the architectural concept for wider the development. Within its first year, ICONSIAM was drawing 150,000 visitors a day.
Dates2018
Size
750,000m2
Most of Bangkok’s established retail sits on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya. The design challenge was to create a destination compelling enough to draw visitors across, not just to shop, but to encounter Thailand. The ground floor SookSiam market brings together communities from all 77 Thai provinces, offering crafts, food and performance from across the country that both tourists and locals can enjoy. Outside, a 10,000m2 riverside park, open daily to the public, connects the development to the city and establishes a welcoming presence along the river.
A lotus in full bloom
The interior concept draws from two references: the river and the lotus flower. Circulation routes follow sinuous, rounded corridors that echo the movement of water, while the building’s vertical organisation culminates in a sculptural crown referencing the lotus in bloom. For ICONLUXE, the palette draws on Thai temple architecture, ornate decoration, floral garlands and gold detailing, translated into a contemporary luxury retail environment.
Benoy’s spatial concept centred on a central void with perimeter circulation in a figure-eight configuration, housing multi-storey flagship stores, ‘buildings within a building’, whose geometry, also inspired by the lotus flower, allows brands to create fully immersive 360-degree experiences.
A symbol of the city
Since opening, ICONSIAM has established itself as both culturally significant and commercially powerful. Attracting over 42 million visitors in its first year, it has become a multi-award-winning symbol of Bangkok, generating over 300,000 jobs and catalysing investment across the western bank of the river.
