Architecture

Retail
Ayutthaya
Capital asset

Thailand’s newest shopping centre, in the city of Ayutthaya, follows a building formula that has proved successful for the nation’s retail developers. In short: invest in quality architecture. However, Central Ayutthaya takes a humbler approach to its design than Bangkok’s shopping meccas created by the likes of Tokyo architect Oki Sato and London’s Amanda Levete. “The location of the mall is in the old town of Ayutthaya, which was once the capital of Siam,” says Siriyot Chaiamnuay, a principal architect at Bangkok firm Onion. The firm completed the project for Central Group in 2021. Siriyot adds that because of the building’s dual purpose as a retail provider and a sprawling public space in the historic city, the architecture is all about approachability. “The old city was mainly built with Thai bricks,” he says. “White plaster walls were a feature of the buildings and gold was present in temples. All of this was referenced in the design.”