"Reconnecting Urban Life with Nature Through A Flowing Shopping Experience"
The sheer size of Megabangna shopping complex is as large as a small town. Its central building is perceived as a downtown, whereas Foodwalk zone on the east wing is portrayed as countryside with more green areas and canals. The new extension of retail zone located on the eastern periphery beyond the existing zone could then be conceptualized as a "Valley". The architectural concept of the new extension, "The Valley", therefore derives from the geographic character of its metaphor. The layout of the new open-air mall is composed around a central courtyard space, in which a sunken plaza with an amphitheatre down below acts as a customers‚ main social space for gathering and holding all kinds of events.
Continuing from the sunken plaza on the bottom level, the sloping green area in the middle of the layout, called "the Hill", ascends to connect with the existing Mega Plaza on level 1. The Hill is intended to be a relaxing space where people can immerse themselves into the lush landscape. By embedding a greenery into the courtyard and throughout the building, the project becomes a hybrid of a market place and a public park where social interactions are encouraged among people.
Simultaneously, network of walkways along shopfronts on every level is connected to the existing corridor and a new car parking building via link bridges and covered walkway to complete a seamless circulation system between the two phases without dead end.
Moreover, A series of minimum 1:15 sloping walkways are positioned continuously, descending from upper to lower levels, to create an experience of "hill walk". It results in increased salable areas on the lower floor but also an infinite loop of spiral circulation, circling endlessly on all levels.