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Shopping malls today are more than retail spaces—they are architectural landmarks that reflect the evolution of urban life. Once built simply for convenience, malls have now become social, cultural, and aesthetic experiences. The first fully enclosed mall, Southdale Center in Minnesota, designed by Victor Gruen in 1956, pioneered this concept. Gruen’s design transformed shopping from a chore into an experience, blending commerce with community. Since then, architects worldwide have reimagined the mall as a micro-city—complete with parks, entertainment zones, and architectural grandeur.
Here’s a look at ten of the world’s largest shopping malls and the design philosophies behind them.
1. Iran Mall
Year: 2018
Area: 1950.000 m²
Location: Tehran, Iran
Iran Mall, the world’s largest shopping mall, blends traditional Iranian architecture with contemporary design. Situated near Lake Chitgar, its domes, arches, and intricate ornaments draw inspiration from Persian palaces and bazaars. Large glass ceilings allow sunlight to flood the interiors, emphasizing natural illumination and openness. Beyond retail, the mall houses a grand library, a concert hall, sports facilities, and cultural spaces—nearly a fifth of its total area is dedicated to art and culture. With its combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern engineering, Iran Mall redefines the idea of a commercial complex as a cultural hub.
2. Dubai Mall
Year: 2008
Area: 1200.000 m²
Location: Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Designed by DP Architects, Dubai Mall sits beside the Burj Khalifa, mirroring the city’s vision of luxury and scale. The mall’s interiors shimmer with marble, crystal, and mosaic, inspired by Middle Eastern artistry. Its façade, patterned like constellations, evokes the desert night sky. Inside, zones are designed as urban “districts” connected through wide internal streets. The mall features one of the world’s largest aquariums, an Olympic-size ice rink, an indoor theme park, and 22 cinema screens. With more than 1,200 stores, it’s both a retail paradise and a feat of urban architecture—blending light, scale, and cultural symbolism.
3. The Avenues Mall
Year: 2007
Area: 1200.000 m²
Location: Kuwait, Kuwait
The Avenues Mall brings together contemporary design and Arab architectural traditions. Composed of 12 themed zones such as Grand Avenue, Prestige, and The Souk, each section has its own spatial identity—from glass-covered streets to traditional courtyard layouts. The design focuses on pedestrian experience, echoing the rhythm of old bazaars while incorporating modern materials like glass and steel. The interplay of natural light, greenery, and open-air walkways creates a sense of community. With over 1,100 stores and 13,000 parking spaces, it’s a model of how design can merge functionality with cultural storytelling.
4. IOI City Mall
Year: 2014
Area: 820,887 m²
Location: Putrajaya, Malaysia
Reflecting Malaysia’s tropical beauty, IOI City Mall integrates greenery and water features into its design. Natural light filters through its wide atriums, connecting visitors with the outdoors. The mall’s expansion in 2022 turned it into a recreational complex featuring an Olympic ice rink, an indoor adventure park, and a sustainable education zone called IOI City Farm. Designed as an urban ecosystem, it promotes social engagement and leisure through its mix of sports, retail, and entertainment spaces—all wrapped in a design that celebrates Malaysia’s natural landscape.
5. New South China Mall
Year:2005
Area: 659.612 m²
Location: Dongguan, China
Once dubbed the “Ghost Mall,” this ambitious project drew inspiration from the world’s landmarks—miniature versions of Venice’s canals, the Eiffel Tower, and Egyptian pyramids all coexist here. Its thematic architecture mirrors global tourism and urban diversity. Despite its slow start, the mall remains a fascinating study in large-scale design: a place where architectural fantasy meets commercial ambition. The spaces were later revitalized, turning it into a mixed-use destination with entertainment, dining, and retail under one elaborate roof.
6. SM Mall of Asia
Year: 2006
Area: 590.299 m²
Location: Manila, Philippines
Perched along Manila Bay, SM Mall of Asia seamlessly combines functionality with scenic beauty. Four interconnected buildings form its layout, with open walkways offering views of the sea. Designed for both leisure and commerce, the mall includes an IMAX theater, a museum, and a 20-seater tram that takes shoppers around its massive grounds. Its architecture uses light, air, and sea views to create an open, accessible feel—an example of how mall design can connect with its natural surroundings while serving as a social anchor for the city.
7. Golden Resources Mall
Year: 2004
Area: 557,419 m²
Location: Beijing, China
Nicknamed the “Great Mall of China,” Golden Resources showcases the power of scale and engineering. The structure rises six stories high with a vast glass façade that floods its corridors with daylight. The design combines modern minimalism with subtle Chinese motifs, creating a fusion of tradition and progress. Inside, massive open spaces are punctuated with restaurants, fountains, and a cinema complex, reflecting a growing trend of malls as “living cities” where leisure, shopping, and entertainment coexist.
8. 1 Utama Mall
Year: 1995
Area: 520.000 m²
Location: Selangor, Malaysia
One of Southeast Asia’s most innovative malls, 1 Utama blurs the line between architecture and landscape. It’s home to the “Secret Garden,” Southeast Asia’s largest rooftop garden, and features a tropical rainforest atrium inside the building. Skylights bring daylight deep into the interior, reducing energy use while enhancing ambience. With over 750 stores, cinemas, and sports zones, the mall celebrates nature within an urban framework, making it a benchmark for biophilic design.
9. West Edmonton Mall
Year: 1998
Area: 492.375m²
Location: Alberta, Canada
The largest mall in North America, West Edmonton Mall combines entertainment architecture with retail design. Built primarily with steel and glass, its grand dome roof and curved trusses give it an airy, futuristic look. The mall includes a massive indoor water park, a full-sized skating rink, and themed cultural zones. It was conceived as a “city under one roof”—a concept that has influenced mall design globally.
10. CentralWorld
Year: 1989
Area: 429.500 m²
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
CentralWorld is Thailand’s architectural statement of modernity. Its sleek glass façade, spanning 180 meters and covered with LED screens, anchors Bangkok’s cityscape. The design emphasizes verticality and light, with wide atriums, interconnected bridges, and thematically designed floors. After several renovations, it now includes art spaces, learning centers, and cultural venues. CentralWorld stands as a symbol of how retail design can evolve with urban identity—dynamic, digital, and deeply human.
From the domed opulence of Iran Mall to the sky-lit greenery of 1 Utama, these architectural giants show how malls have become reflections of their cities—each design telling a story of ambition, identity, and the human desire to gather under one roof.
