LaLaport BBCC is situated prominently within BBCC’s master plan at the intersection of Jalan Pudu and Jalan Hang Tuah, Kuala Lumpur. LaLaport intends to create a unique urban experience by having generous external public spaces and place-making efforts as a refreshing take on retail mall design in Malaysia.
Street-level connectivity and people-centric design were important to negotiate and retain the human scale amongst towering mixed-used components of BBCC. One of the key features is the introduction of a 16m wide central outdoor pedestrian spine, known as Gourmet Street which connects Jalan Pudu to Jalan Hang Tuah. Gourmet Street ties LaLaport with other commercial, entertainment, residential and office components in BBCC. The 200m long curved street provides ample shelter from the sun and rain with a variety of alfresco dining options.
The main external event space is at the WOW Plaza, which is a 5-storey-high outdoor multipurpose public space at the heart of LaLaport and BBCC. Another key meeting place is the Fountain Plaza just offthe main road intersection of Jalan Pudu and Jalan Hang Tuah which is connected to the Roof Park via the 5-storey Grand Steps. From the rooftop Grand Lawn, visitors are surrounded by uninterrupted views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, a unique place-making feature in the city.
The rooftop garden on Level 4 of the retail mall is a place-making initiative to offer visitors a public space for recreation and events, with clear views towards KL cityscape from the rooftop Grand Lawn. By connecting the ground plane from the Fountain Plaza up to the Roof Park via the Grand Steps, an extension of the public realm to the roof is intended to integrate the open spaces throughout the mall with the urban fabric.
“The innovative design offers a unique shopping experience amidst a harmonious fusion of contemporary aesthetics and views of the surroundings, particularly at the rooftop gardens, creating a captivating and immersive retail destination.”
LaLaport originated from Japan, and being the first LaLaport in Southeast Asia, the façade treatment was intended to reflect Japanese design sensibilities through rigorous colour and material selection, refined detailing and consistency in design elements and composition throughout the building.
The dramatic architectural corner treatment of the building is elevated by creating a ‘glass beacon’ at the corner of Jalan Hang Tuah and Jalan Pudu. External façade lighting is intended to architecturally define, highlight and break down the building massing relative to the urban scale, especially at street level.
The spatial volume and scale of the Main Entrance Glass Atrium allow the visitor to experience a grand welcoming space, transitioning from the street level at the Fountain Plaza to the Retail Mall through a series of stepped terraces.
Internally, dramatic atrium spaces, skylights and volumes are designed to invite a generous amount of natural light into the space. The three circular atriums also function as nodes and wayfinding orientation guides through differentiating the shapes, volumetric space, material palettes and colours of the main spaces. Among the main components of the Retail Mall is the pedestrian connectivity to the public transportation hub and neighbouring districts via seamless elevated pedestrian bridges integrated with the masterplan. Each parcel in the development is connected to the retail mall via pedestrian link bridge connections.
