Internal Mall Changes
The Tanjong Katong Complex boasts a collection of 147 shops and a supermarket, with 21 offices on the fourth floor. It is a rectangular four-storey block, with a simple grid layout, that has an interior atrium which serves as a central space that gives the impression of airiness and spaciousness despite its size.
In addition, the curved shell skylights contribute to the feeling of airiness while cutting out the glare of the sun, thus meeting the 45W/sq m OTTV (Overall Thermal Transfer Value) requirement which was a standard feature of air-conditioned buildings at the time.
This entrance into the atrium was designed with the shopper experience in mind, ensuring that the shopper is able to view most of the shops, which are arranged in a terrace configuration, upon entering the complex.
The Complex shows the change in the concept of shopping at the time, thus reflecting the shopping habits of the residents in the past.
The atrium is often empty, but will sometimes be occupied by a mini-bazaar during special seasons such as Ramadan. The space can be rented for $800 per day, according to Mr Zaini, 63, owner of Kresai Indah shop.
Nearing Hari Raya there will be a ballot for shops looking to hold pop-up stores at the atrium, which is divided into 8 boxes. Each box costs $150 per day to operate: while customers are not allowed to try on clothes at the pop-up atrium shops, Mr Kresai says that customers usually flock there first as they perceive clothes at the atrium to be the cheapest.
Shops clamour to take part in this balloting opportunity, where they are able to boost their sales by up to 6-7 times by attracting customers with promotions right at the entrance.
Despite being a simple block, the complex is able to overcome the issue of corner shops which have minimum frontage and maximum space within. The interior atrium concept is most beneficial to smaller periphery shops of the centre in terms of frontage exposure.
However, in such buildings, there are large, almost stagnant areas in the corners with minimum frontage facing the atrium.
According to Mr Goh Hup Chor, the senior principal architect of the Tanjong Katong Complex, large and famous departmental stores were placed there to act as magnets to shoppers, which would thus be a way to avoid the formation of stagnant areas in the corner areas of the mall. Thus, they needed to create extra large shop spaces for these departmental stores and the like, for which the drum form was a perfect solution.
The majority of shops at Tanjong Katong Complex sell Malay clothing. The rest sell a mix of electronics, furniture, renovation shops and the odd specialty shops such as travel agencies, wedding planners and carpets. The type of shops varied on each floor:
The first floor is the most varied in goods and services offered, where one is able to find products from household appliances, apparel and photo development services.
Most of the shops sell Malay clothing on the second floor, with the more unique shops offering Malay bridal clothing and even bespoke tailoring. These shops are owned by Singaporeans, most of whom are of Malay, Arab or Iranian ethnicity.
However, there are exceptions where Chinese shop-owners specifically sell Malay clothing to cater to the influx of Malay customers. On the third floor, the majority of shops offer renovation and design services while the fourth floor is occupied by offices.
The offices on the fourth floor include a maid agency and management offices, with a restaurant as well.
In general, the goods and services in the mall cater to the Malay community, with niche services like wedding planning services, renovation and design, and tourism companies modifying their services to suit the Malay community. For example, the aforementioned travel and tourism company specialises in Haj, which is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Such Malay-centric services require in-depth knowledge of Muslim traditions and cultural practices to satisfy the customers’ needs.
References:
The New Tanjong Katong Complex: Is the HDB changing its role? (1980, December). Southeast Asian Building Materials and Equipment, 43-47.
The Tanjong Katong Marketplace
The Atrium Marketplace,
$800 per day in whole, $150 a square bloc during Hari Raya
The atrium dates back to a 2000-year history as a grand entrance space, focal courtyard and sheltered semi-public area. As the centrepiece of the household in ancient Roman architecture, the atrium is still used in modern times to allow natural light in, as well as to connect the protected inside space to the outdoor environment, thereby adding natural beauty to the space.
During colonial times, Asia became heavily influenced by their European colonial masters. Most buildings started to show European architectural influences, while still keeping the traditional Asian concepts (i.e having a good 'feng shui' ) Hence, the European style of designing atriums for buildings was slowly incorporated into Asian architecture, and over time became permanently adopted.
In Tanjong Katong Complex, the atrium space is fully optimised during Hari Raya season in order to cater to its most prominent community and patrons— the Malays. During the festive season, the space is rented out to up to 10 mall tenants for $150 per day for a 5m by 5m bloc. During non-festive seasons the whole atrium space is leased out to external tenants for $800 a day.
The Malay community who frequents Tanjong Katong Complex is greeted by a bustling bazaar the moment they enter the complex. As the most visually conspicuous spot in an entire building, the atrium serves to highlight the central attraction of the mall, allowing people to see in one glance the best that TKC has to offer.
As the majority of shops that rent the atrium space are specifically catered to the Malay community, selling Malay baju, clothes or food, the atrium in Tanjong Katong Complex can be read as a Malay space that celebrates a cosmopolitan Malay-ness, in providing spaces for interaction and allowing for economic exchanges across races i n Singapore. In subverting and reinforcing the pre-colonial practice of segmenting society into separate racial groups, the atrium is emblematic of what Joel Kahn argues as a cosmopolitan Kampung Melayu, or a 21st Century "Race Space" today.
References:
A. Sachari (2016) Visitors׳ perceptions on the important factors of atrium design in shopping centers: A study of Gandaria City Mall and Ciputra World in Indonesia
Ho Kah Chun (2005) An Influence of Colonial Architecture to Building Styles and Motifs in Colonial Cities in Malaysia
Kahn Joel S. Other Malays: Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Malay World. ASAA Southeast Asia Publications Series. pp.15
Melissa Olivieri (n.d) Atrium in Architecture: Definition & Overview
Richard Saxon (1983). Atrium Buildings development and design The Architectural Press Ltd London