Increasing a country's economic efficiency, production cost, and profitability in

the age of globalization is a problem for all countries. As a result, Pakistan must
aim for innovations, raise product additional value, and improve productive
capacities. This aids Pakistan's survival in the wake of economic growth
competition. The study examines the purpose of the interaction between shopping
malls and people by identifying public places that impact customer impressions of
shopping malls. Pakistan has several cultural parks that have been reduced to
unused places. The world's shifting plates are causing shopping malls to become the
preferred leisure destinations. The analysis includes a comparative case study of
two shopping malls of Gujranwala to examine the flows and architectural aspects of
the buildings and to measure the extent to which sense of culture is involved in
public space design. Shopping malls are no longer built with a single functional
purpose in mind. The modern retail mall displays a wide range of artistic and
cultural expressions. Retail malls today have more complicated and rich cultural
roles than shopping places in the past. Another purpose is to create an interesting
environment that, via its architecture and interior design, gives visitors a
culturally innovative and distinctive impression. A shopping mall, as an experience
location, must have a distinct and specific environment that is conducive to
socializing. The spaces of retail malls must not be placeless in order to achieve
such purposes.
The growth of shopping malls has boosted the economy and enhanced people's
lifestyles and standard of living in emerging nations such as Pakistan. The
architectural features of contemporary shopping malls have influenced the modern
style of business by erecting architectural monuments under the supervision of
management. Most Asian nations have seen tremendous economic growth over the last
decade. The boom is the consequence of expanded shopping mall building, which has
completely transformed the economies of several Asian countries.
KING’S MALL, GUJRANWALA
King’s Mall is a mega mall located on By-Pass Road, Gujranwala. The shopping center
has more than 60 outlets that offer different retail, dining and entertainment
options—almost everything that helps ensure customer satisfaction and pleasure.
It was designed by “Fine Architects” and is located at “BYPASS ROAD, opposite WAPDA
TOWN, Judicial Housing Colony Gujranwala.” It is just a few minutes’ drive away
from GT Road.

I got to visit this mall after a few months of its construction. Being the very
first proper shopping mall of Gujranwala with renowned grocery store chain “Imtiaz
Super Market”, it became very popular in a very short time span. My first visit was
to its grocery store on the lower Ground floor. The mall was surrounded by a flood
of cars on all the sides. Although it has a parking lot in the basement, people
prefer more to park their cars on-site in valet parking. The entrance has a metal
detector which further leads to a stair hall which further leads toward the LG
floor. The stair hall is designed with circular stairs containing 5-6 steps and
apparently creates much negative space because of its huge diameter. The LG floor
has a vast grocery store “Imtiaz Super Market”, a pioneer retail chain with a
footfall volume of 100k customers per day. Grocery store is quite big in span and I
was exhausted after some time as everything is congested in a smaller span. But to
my surprise, it contained all the items that anyone could require, thus making it a
good experience to get everything under one roof. The ceiling of LG floor is out of
the human eye angle and you must look upward to read the indicating boards hanging
with the ceiling. The space becomes quite overcrowded in the peak hours and it
becomes very difficult to move with trolleys. It could have properly designed
corridors to move at least two trolleys in it at a time. After shopping, the main
concern is to get to the counter. Due to lesser number of counters, people are
quite accumulated in that area and it takes very long to get out of there. Behind
the counters, there exits the exit further leading towards travellator lobby. The
travellator destines to the ground floor from where you can directly access the
roads. Upper storeys and basement can also be accessed from this floor but the
vertical transportation in this floor in not centrally located. One requires to
move round the way to access it. The mall is small and so the whole mall can be
explored in a few hours without exhaustion. The movie theatre and restaurant are on
the top floor with a fun square for children and a food court.
I explored the whole mall in my next visit. I parked my car in the basement and
started the journey. The basement has enough parking which is limited to one
storey. It has a management office, prayer area and a boring staircase at one end
that leads towards the upper storeys. It could either have centralized escalators
that could enhance the aesthetics of the space. The ground and first floor contain
several national and international brands that are a primary source to attract the
public. The mall is all enclosed from the inside. There is no atrium which makes it
darker and gloomier. When you enter the space, it gives a feeling like you are
stuck inside the walls where no sun or wind can penetrate, and you are all away
from the nature and its aesthetics. The retails floors are like a maze. You must
find out where you want to go. The space is not self-leading and negates Frank
Lloyd Wright’s theory that how pieces of architecture should promote the concepts
of “within” and “continuity”. The function is not continuous and makes the flow
boring. You get exhausted after some time because of the lost spaces. The ceiling
height is quite low, and the space collectively gives a sense of compactness. The
outlets inside the mall have quite attractive interiors which make the space
attractive. The mall has kiosks in some central junctions. The space is not overall
justified as it has broken flow with respect to the form of the building. The
materials are good enough to sustain for a longer time. Lighter colors are used in
the interior to make the space appear enlightened. The mall is well-lit but low
ceiling height doesn’t let one take whole pleasure of the space. The mall has one
emergency exit which is lesser than the required number. In case of an emergency
the mall has very few pockets to escape.
Second floor of the mall contains cinema, fun square and food court. With number of
known international and national brands, it attracts a lot of customers in its food
court. Food court is quite spacious, but the tables are not well-organized which
makes the movement difficult inside the space and breaks the flow. The food court
never allows sunlight to penetrate through as it has no windows or atrium over it.
The whole mall is mechanically ventilated which is a major design concern. This
ultimately makes the space boring after some time as the user usually gets
exhausted by looking at faces only all the time. No presence of windows makes it
appear gloomy at some specific timings. Cinepax cinema, Pakistan's favorite cinema
chain, is also located on the second floor. Cinepax believes that be it comfort;
indulgence or state of the art visual/sound is key to enhancing a customer's
experience. It brings the future of cinema entertainment to doorstep offering
unsurpassed levels of service, online ticketing purchase at the comfort of home
mixed with the best digital experience. It has subtle sound absorbers and the
environment inside is quite peaceful and cozy. A brilliant initiative has been
taken in the shape of Fun Square Amusement Indoor Park in Gujranwala. It takes care
of all the entertainment needs from excellent rides to tasty food. It has amazing
atmosphere, modern rides with dull lights effect and music system. Every age group
can be entertained there. The only part that makes it a bit No Go place is the
entrance corridor. A thin corridor leads to this vast space which makes the space
appear horrible.
The mall is overall a good amusement spot for the people of Gujranwala but has some
major design flaws that need to be reconsidered. The flows must be connected so
that the space doesn’t appear like a mystery or a maze. An atrium should be
installed to let the sunlight and air penetrate inside the mall. Moreover, it has
no area specified for outdoor dining or roof top dining. In the current scenario of
COVID-19, it should have introduced some outdoor activity.
MALL OF GUJRANWALA
A project of Super Asia Group, designed by Afnan Architects, Mall of Gujranwala
(MOG) is arguably the most premium shopping destination in the city. Other than
being a one-stop shopping and leisure destination, Mall of Gujranwala also attracts
potential new businesses because of its location. Mall of Gujranwala is built on a
scale that the city has not yet experienced. It is set to revolutionize the city’s
property market.
Mall of Gujranwala is in Qazi Town on Grand Trunk Road (also known as GT Road). GT
Road provides easy access to people visiting the mall from different parts of the
city. The road also helps people traveling from Sialkot and Lahore connect to
Gujranwala and it’s also a good spot for grabbing a quick bite.
I got to visit this mall 8 months back. It is in 3km radius of King’s Mall and is a
prime focus of attraction now-a-days for the public of Gujranwala. It has
introduced international as well as local food chains not formerly present in
Gujranwala in Gujranwala. The mall has a vast scale as compared to King’s Mall and
has comparatively more attractive façade. The mall has clear depiction of Victorian
Architecture in its facades as well as planning. The mall is recessed enough from
the road to avoid the clash of the traffic of road and the cars coming out of the
mall. The mall’s territory starts with fountains on both the sides of the entrance.
Further it leads to valet parking meant for bikes. An artery extends from the
center of the symmetrical plan of mall, along which the cars are parked on site.
The area of parking is not enough to accommodate the required number of cars. The
central artery is adorned with numerous palm trees that enhance the appearance of
the mall. The mall has U-shaped symmetrical plan