Architecture journey: Urban Leisure, Cihampelas Walk (Ci-walk)

Bahasa Indonesia

This article is written by Ade Yudirianto

Architecture journey
Urban Leisure: Cihampelas Walk (Ci-Walk)
Date article written: March 15, 2007
Category: Mall/ shopping center
Location: Jl. Cihampelas Bandung
Architect: Fauzan Noe'man B.Arch, for PT Birano (Architecture bureau of Ahmad Noe'man)
Land width: 3,5 ha

The way to behave regarding city environment ecology

First perception of malls usually super giant buildings with etalages in its interior. This can be found almost in every malls in Java. But my experience when visiting Cihampelas mall is different, this might make us think again about how we behave to the ecology of city environment.

About Cihampelas Walk

After entering busy Cihampelas street, we will find an oase on the western side of the street where we can see a passage that invite people to enter; a 1 meter tall wall with an eye catching Cihampelas Walk letters.

Ciwalk is a young mall in Bandung (operated since 2003), built with different touch of most malls. The mall integrate a natural landscape, with a nice integration. Big trees become an added value to the mall. CiWalk is built on a 3,5 ha land. From this wide land it is only 1/3 used for building, while 2/3 is used for parks, parking areas with many old trees.

Entering Ci-walk is an adventure inside a park in modern Bandung city. New capitalism is trying to embrace nature inside this mall, placed covered by giant trees and landscape parks. This is a strategic step because this area is surrounded by busy cihampelas street and become an oase that is fresh with greeneries and wide passages. Tenant and counters are placed in seperated buildings, enable visitors to enjoy stores from outside passages, different from most mall orientation. The circulation is arranged in site with contours, and visitors still able to see Cikapundung river and villages at the side of Ciwalk.

Design concept of Ci-walk

Design of this mall was made by Fauzan Noe'man the architect, and Deni as the investor. From my dialog with Fauzan the architect, he explained that he was amazed by the existing site of Ciwalk before the mall was built, fulled by big trees and grass surround Cikapundung river. He thinks; will I vanish these big trees? The basic idea came when visiting the location. What was in Fauzan's mind and his team was the theme; Bandung in the past, considering the historic value of Cihampelas street. Trees has become a part of the city and they are dissapearing.

In the design process, sinergy with Deni created a new synthesis. Client who grew up in Canada and Singapore was influenced by models of the malls in those countries and the concept become cosmopolitan mall, but there was a deal that contours of the landscape and big trees should become the main value of the site. This is the basic foundation of the mall later. To give unique shopping experience to visitors the stores are arranged in sideways like the old Braga street.

Fauzan realized that the Ci-walk will be a magnet of the area, and he took the step of placing the mall at the back part of the site, reducing traffic velocity on Cihampelas street. In the building process, marketing strategy, the economical side of this place is the main consideration like all other capital business. The commodity sold inside the mall is no different from others.