The booming domestic retail industry has opened a window of opportunities for mall architects. To tap the growing potential, international design firms are setting up shop in the country.
While the UK-based Zachary Design has already set up offices in India, others such as Chapman Taylor Partners and the Rockwell Group are working for the Pantaloon Retail-promoted Kshitij Venture Fund and Inorbit malls.
"Building malls entails huge investments as designs cannot be changed easily. This is why people prefer architecture firms abroad as they have more experience in the field," said Anand Sundaram, general manager, Inorbit Mall.
There are various aspects, ranging from people movement to sufficient focus on common areas, which need to be kept in mind while constructing a mall.
"In other retail formats as well, aspects such as maximum display and ensuring that the corporate identity comes through across the stores is extremely important," said Stephen Zachary, managing partner, Zachary Design. The firm has worked for Piramyd Retail and is now working with supermarket chain Spinach.
It is mainly for these reasons that the local mall developers prefer opting for international design companies.
For the design firms too, this is a great opportunity as India is undergoing a retail boom with malls coming up even in tier-II and tier-III towns.
"Mall design lies at the heart of setting up malls," said Shishir Baijal, managing director and chief executive officer, KVF. The company is working with David Rockwell and Callison for their upcoming properties.
There is also a large amount of Indianisation that happens and almost all companies have also taken on local architects to work with these architects.
"While the basic design and structure may be international, some amount of localisation is needed in terms of customising it to suit the catchment area which is why it is important to make sure that you consult both the local and international architects," says Sundaram.