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The
Baazar -
Getting Bigger & Better
The
newest and the most distinctive addition to this
growing pool of shopping malls is the United World
Trade Centre at Tripureshwor owned by United Trade
Builders. Sitting on approximately twelve ropanis of
land owned by Tribhuvan University on a lease of
over thirty years, the building occupies 43,000 sq.
ft of plinth area. For the past few years, curious
city locals had been anxiously awaiting the
completion of this building; and today it sits
pretty on a once vacant land giving a new identity
to the entire area with its unmistakable presence.
The building, an un-apologetically postmodern
design, suitably uses the combination of concrete,
metal and glass as the main construction materials
alongside a measured utilization of historical
elements on its facades.
As required for a building of this magnitude,
sufficient open space has been provided as set-back
and side-walks, which gives a certain openness to
the building. As per the site constraints, the
building with its entrances, all suitably expand
towards the access of the road. There seems to be a
deliberate attempt to connect the building with the
site, not just physically, but also in terms of
creating an urban landmark.
The green façade with its seemingly never-ending
rows of glazed glass teasingly invites you to come
within and explore the new order - far off from the
disorderly scenes of the busy traffic junction
outside; and away from the madness of the crowd, the
noise and the heterogeneity, exists the other order
- the recreated street. As you enter through the
main entrance guided subtly by the road junction,
you get all but a glimpse of the vast building.
Immediately, the brightly lit lobby with the
interior palette of pastel green and cream in
co-ordination with the tiles psychologically
produces a calming and soothing effect welcoming you
inside. As you enter, the most striking feature of
the building is the central core or the atriums
which seem to bind the entire complex together,
unlike some atriums it is not the ‘other space’ but
a vital part of the complex. These atriums, which
are neither exterior nor interior, act as an
in-between space. They are a part of the private
shopping areas, but have been designed as an
extension of the street or a faux street, i.e. a
street distilled of all its impurities as it lets an
urban culture flourish in the midst of the chaotic
city outside. Even though it is a direct result of
human aspirations and FAR regulations, the atria
certainly allow an nflated sense of monumentality to
the building, almost echoing the Dutch architect,
Rem Koolhaas’ words, “The atrium allows a building
to be inflated from within to the ‘T’.” In terms of
the all important movement patterns too, the atria
here plays a key role. The passages arranged around
the outer periphery of the two atriums, bathed in
the glow of natural light with the sun-light
filtering through the transparent roofing allows a
grand view of the interiors. Needless to say, there
is a free flowing pattern within the building with
minimum dead-end corners which also adds to the
process of discovering the spaces weaved
interestingly at different parts. Major mass flow
occurs through this central core, through the
staircases, the pairs of escalators on each floor
located at either end of the central core, and the
twin-capsule lifts located centrally in between the
two atriums alongside the passage linking the
building’s longer sides. Overall, the common areas
such as the lobbies, atria, walkways and stairs,
features used for recreation and entertainment;
overall theme and character, not only serve the
function of circulation but allow leverage for those
in-between spaces where you can just stand and
observe. The steel staircase located near the
central entrance alongside the water fountain with
its soothing sound of trickling water; adds to the
inner dynamism and overall appeal. Inconspicuously
hidden, but certainly not insignificant, are the
food stalls located at the ground floor. They
provide the much needed human scale in an otherwise
imposing space.
The other feature you can’t miss is the shopping
element where, for once, architecture takes a back
seat - and the products displayed amidst all the
glitter and glam come to the forefront. These
stores, invariably white on the insides with their
pastel shaded tiles, allow items to take centre
stage, where Tag Heuer watches sparkle brightly
behind inaccessible glass cages - and Gucci bags
constantly invite you to splurge your wealth. With
all these branded signage and beautifully designed
interiors, it’s hard to forget where you are
standing. Certainly, we have come a long way from
our traditional concept of shopping with its origins
in the ‘market place’ or ‘market street’ of our
city-centre where all could gather for the purpose
of shopping for necessities. Akin to a typical
Benetton ad with its diverse colors, shopping
centres today flaunt assorted products from around
the world; and as products of urbanization and
consumerism, they have now become a ubiquitous
feature of our city’s centres as an extension of the
public space of the streets where an urban culture
flourishes.
Did I just say urban culture? Well then, in that
case, it’ll be unjust to leave out those spaces that
let this culture thrive. Within the complex,
restaurants of varying scales, a bowling alley, food
stores, department stores, an exhibition and
conference centre, shops, display areas, banks and
public hang-outs freely intertwine resulting in a
mosaic of episodes that regularly contest each
other. To avoid monotony from repetition of a single
function, this method of cross programming of
multiple functions leading to a plethora of possible
public functions, mixed with branded retail, lets a
vibrant culture develop inside the complex. This
variety of services within the complex - claiming to
be one of the largest business complexes of our city
- makes it truly viable indeed. The provision of a
health-club on the top floor with a 30' x 50'
swimming pool as future attractions, certainly
promises more delights.
One such diverse space spread over the entire fourth
floor covering an area of 25450 sq. ft. is the
Direction Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).
This floor has been planned and developed to provide
different utility sections offering facilities
required to successfully conduct any kind of event,
exhibition, trade fair and seminar. Deepak K. Thapa,
the DECC Director, feels that so far there has been
a good response to this novel concept and believes
that it can only grow from here. With the large
number of facilities including a fully furnished
12,000 sq. ft. Exhibition Hall with a capacity of
holding nearly 70 standard shell scheme booths (3m x
3m), a 1650 sq. ft. Seminar cum Banquet Hall for
nearly 150 participants, a 2425 sq. ft. food outlet
/ kitchen with a capacity to cater to 100 customers
at a time, a special VIP suite, 12 fully facilitated
Business to Business chambers, a Business Centre
providing secretarial services, a Liaison Office, a
Media Centre, a 1350 sq. ft multi-purpose hall with
a capacity for 120 people and other display areas,
they have certainly set up a state of the art,
exhibition centre at a prime location within the
city. Judging by the growing list of events
organized here, it will not be a surprise to see
more of these spaces coming up at other centres too.
Some recent events that have taken place here
include the Wedding & Gift Expo 2007, CAN Softech
2007, Home & Décor Expo 2007 and the Dashain
Festival, held most recently, to name a few.
From the service point of view, the wide and
brightly-lit passages, strategically placed
staircases and lifts, parking spaces, power-backup
and the multiple entrance / exits provided highlight
the fact that providing proper service in a building
of such magnitude has been an integral part of the
planning process. For example, the bulk of the
basement allotted as parking space certainly
relieves some traffic in an area already under
tremendous stress due to the city’s burgeoning
traffic queues. That said, the already chaotic
traffic has been further worsened by the roadside
parking, causing considerable problems to the casual
passer-by. You can only imagine the tremendous load
on this route when both the United World Trade
Centre as well as the Dashrath Stadium, opposite to
it, are functional at the same time; this may create
yet another mayhem which this area can certainly do
without. But, perhaps, this requires planning at a
larger level!
In conclusion, it won’t be wrong to say that within
a relatively short period of time, the building has
successfully managed to be a place of entertainment
and excitement, and, in the process, attracting
customers by becoming a destination in itself.
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