MegaBox opens this week, but another mega mall is coming at the end of 2007...
"MegaBox" in Kowloon Bay
MegaBox is actually part of Kerry Properties' Enterprise Square Phase V development (the office towers retain the name). The retail component itself is about 1,100,000 sq ft of floor space, undoubtedly one of the largest in Hong Kong. With Hong Kong's first IMAX Theatre and an international-standard-sized ice rink, MegaBox aims to become a new retail magnet for a new development area (they call it "up-and-coming"): Kowloon Bay. Standing at 19-storeys high, the design of MegaBox is revolutionary... with carparking at every level... can you imagine the time it'd take just driving up and down the parking garage? I haven't been there myself, but there are already many photos available online, and I could also see the big red box almost everyday when I commute.
"Elements" at Kowloon Station
While recent focus on Kowloon Station has been on the 118-floor International Commerce Centre (ICC), with the new Ritz-Carlton on the top 15 floors, and the twin-tower skycrapers, hotel-cum-service apartment W Hotel and "Cullinan" project next door, "Elements", the 1,000,000-plus square feet of retail space (comparable size to Mega Box, IFC Mall, etc) is another "Super Mall" that we will roam in the near future.
Named "Elements" there will be 5 Themed Areas, each devoted to one of Nature's Elements: Metals, Fire, Wood, Water, and Earth. In addition to large "duplex" shops, there will be a 700,000 sq ft. of outdoor space for shoppers to enjoy the podium space. There will also be an ice-skating rink, and a 14-screen cineplex. While this mall is positioned to be another upscale shopping mall (like IFC), it will also strengthen the weakest component of the whole development and the surroundings. Residents at The Waterfront, Harbourside, The Arch, and Sorrento currently have to commute to nearby Harbour City or Olympian City to stock up for their daily needs. It is hopeful that upon completion of Elements and ICC, the comprehensive development intention of this whole Site will be achieved.
I find the biggest failure of this whole development is its integration with the surrounding. It is virtually an "island" which you would only get there by MTR. There is NO pedestrian foot traffic at all, as surrounding uses are mostly elevated roadways, entrance portal to the Western Harbour Tunnel, a vacant waterfront site reserved for the West Kowloon Cultural District (which I should add is NOWHERE near implementation timeframe), and a temporary golf course and a Drive-In Theatre. Of course pedestrian traffic hinges on the implementation of the waterfront promenade that would be part of the WKCD, yet its development timeframe is so uncertain, Kowloon Station will remain a destination to be served mainly by MTR... which is not such a bad thing, as Hong Kong has always been known to have an efficient mass transit system. But from an urban planning and urban design point of view, we should encourage people to utilize outdoor spaces more often than air-conditioned indoor ones. Think about all the energy required to air condition a big space!? And a bit of walking and breathing of fresh air is good for the mind and the body.
Other big malls in Hong Kong:
Shatin New Town Plaza (including Phases I & III and Grand Central Tower): 2,000,000 sq ft.
Harbour City (including Ocean Terminal, Ocean Centre, and Harbour City): 1,913,000 sq ft.
Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong: 1,200,000 sq ft.
Cityplaza (Taikoo Shing): 1,100,000 sq ft.
Times Square: 936,000 sq ft.
Telford Plaza (Phases I & II): 850,000 sq ft.
IFC: 800,000 sq ft.
Grand Century Place (Mong Kok KCR): 720,000 sq ft.
Pacific Place: 700,000 sq ft.
apm (Kwun Tong MTR): 630,000 sq ft.
Tai Po Mega Mall: 600,000 sq ft.
Langham Place: 587,000 sq ft.
Tsuen Wan Plaza: 584,000 sq ft.
Metroplaza (Kwau Fong MTR): 540,000 sq ft.
Citygate (Tung Chung MTR): 520,000 sq ft.
Olympian City II: 510,000 sq ft.
Marine Square (Tsing Yi MTR): 500,000 sq ft.
The Landmark: 400,000 sq ft.
(I only realized we have so many medium-sized malls after doing this research)
下次再加多D！
