the Travel Enthusiast
- 10 Apr
itachan in Travel Planning | 1 COMMENTThe world’s weirdest shopping malls
Bullring, photo by Ell Brown on Flickr
If your tastes in architecture run towards the more classical styles, you can’t help but feel baffled by the turn that modern architecture is taking, and how everything built recently looks more and more like props from a sci-fi movie.
But love it or hate it, today’s new buildings look really intriguing, and it’s ot that crazy to travel somewhere just to see the newest and weirdest masterpiece of an eccentric architect. Shopping malls have been around for a while, but they are no strangers to bizarre styles.
Some malls might seem completely generic, just a place for shops to take up space, but others look completely out of this world. Here are some of the world’s weirdest shopping malls, for the viewing pleasure of travelers who like to see out strange things.
Iluma, Singapore
Most of the time, what’s inside a mall is more interesting than its outside, but Iluma in Singapore is certain to attract the eyes of everyone passing by. This shopping mall was built so as to break out of the mold, both when it comes to its design, and its purpose – it’s more of an urban entertainment complex than a shopping venue. The convex part of the facade is a ‘crystal mesh’ that plays with light, while the flat parts are covered in billboards.
The Bullring, Birmingham, UK
Iluma, photo by Nicolas Lannuzel on Flickr
The Bullring shopping center is one of the most iconic features of Birmingham, standing out like a sore thumb against the more regular looking buildings surrounding it.
The Bullring is shaped like a ring, and the part of it occupied by the famous Selfridges department store is covered in aluminum disks set against a blue background, and they light up at night creating a surreal vision.
Khan Shatyr, Astana, Kazakhstan
The Kazakh capital is not the most popular tourist destination in the world, but it is definitely a place that’s worth visiting for many reasons. One of these reasons is its completely surprising shopping and entertainment center, Khan Shatyr, which is shaped like gigantic transparent tent.
Khan Shatyr is the largest tent in the world, bigger than ten football stadiums, and it even has a boating river and an indoor beach resort.
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travel search by Travelgrove (get this widget)Canal City, Fukuoka, Japan
Khan Shatyr, photo by upyernoz on Flickr
Canal City is not so much strange as unique – it is built around canal that runs through the interior, and abides by a traditional Japanese style. While other shopping malls can be overwhelming and stressful to navigate, a stroll through Canal City will feel like a walk in a peaceful Japanese garden.
Il Vulcano Buono, Nola, Italy
Il Vulcano Buono (the ‘good volcano’, as opposed to the nearby and troublesome Mount Vesuvius) has a design that was inspired by the landscape, and if you squint it really does look similar to a volcano. The mall is built in a series of concentric circles with different slopes, creating a conical shape.
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Great places for shopping over different countries. I am very anxious to visit all these malls. I am extremely inspired with the list here. Thanks for the share.