[See Saw Seen BKK] Bangkok Has Enough Malls. So Why Does It Keep Getting More? 4 Malls Beyond Shopping

#SeeSawSeenBKK #Bangkok #BangkokMalls #UrbanLife #ConsumerBehaviour #CommunitySpace #Sustainability #EchoAsiaThailand #ICONSIAM #GaysornAmarin #TheCirCleRatchapruk #Hatai

Written by Phutta Sap. Edited by Kate Chu. KV designed by Panisra Tat

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[SEE SAW SEEN] Let’s Take a Closer Look at Bangkok.

See Saw Seen BKK by ECHO ASIA is our way of looking at Bangkok a little more closely: what has shaped the city, what is shifting around us now, and what might be coming next. Sometimes, the biggest changes are not the loudest ones. They are hiding in familiar places, in the businesses we pass every day, and in the small ways people move, gather and live.

Along the way, we may throw in a few questions that make you stop and think. Other times, we’ll simply bring you stories worth noticing – especially the ones that show how sustainability is already quietly becoming part of everyday life.

As society never stops changing, sustainability has become one of the important waves shaping people, the environment, and businesses.

At Echo Asia, we believe that businesses that want to grow with meaning need to understand these changes and keep up with them. Echo Asia’s team helps sustainable businesses communicate their impact, build authentic connections with their audience, and grow with purpose.

[360° Around Us] Bangkokian Don’t You Guys Ever Get Bored of Going to Malls?

People in Bangkok have probably heard this question at least once: “Don’t you ever get bored of going to malls?”

Stand somewhere in central Bangkok, turn 360 degrees, and chances are there will be a shopping mall not far away. Some sit right beside a BTS station, some anchor a busy street corner, and sometimes there is another one just across the road.

With so many malls around us, it is hard not to wonder why people still keep coming back – to meet friends, walk around, grab a meal, or simply spend time there, even when there is nothing in particular they need to buy.

And that leads to an even bigger question: if shopping malls are already such a familiar part of everyday life in Bangkok, why do new ones keep opening?

[Travel Back 10 Years] Remember What Malls Were Like When We Were Kids?

As kids, a trip to the mall could feel like a small event. The moment Dad said we were going shopping – and getting ice cream – we were already halfway out the door, hoping traffic would be kind, wearing our favourite pink shoes, ready for cool air-conditioning, toy shops, snacks and dinner before heading home.

3 hours, maybe less. Then back home, full and sleepy.

But if that same kid woke up in 2026, the mall would probably feel like a very different place – more layered, more complex, with far more reasons to stay.

What used to be a simple routine of shop, eat, go home can now stretch into an entire day. We might have lunch, work for a while, see an exhibition, catch a concert, take the kids somewhere to play, walk the dog – or sometimes spend hours there without buying anything at all.

When we look at how malls develop, a lot of it comes back to who they are trying to serve. The retail mix, activities, spaces and experiences are designed around the lifestyle and needs of the people in that area.

–Associate Professor Dr. Peeradorn Kaewlai – Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University.

Dr. Peeradorn Kaewlai explained that, for Bangkokians, malls have long played a similar role to public spaces – places where we meet friends, hang out and socialize.

“Ultimately, retail is competing for our time. As we only have a limited amount of it each day, and if a place can make us choose to spend our time there, that is where its value lies,” Dr. Peeradorn Kaewlai said.

[4 Spaces in Bangkok] Malls That’s More Than Just a Place to Shop.

Today, Bangkok’s major mall operators – from Siam Piwat and Central Pattana to The Mall Group – are expanding the role of shopping centres beyond retail. Their spaces increasingly bring together dining, entertainment, leisure, activities and places for people to meet and spend time.

You could almost call it 1 place, many characters.

And when you look a little closer, it becomes clear that each mall is not designed for one single idea of the “Bangkokian.” Instead, each one is trying to understand different kinds of people – and create its own reasons for why they might want to spend time there.

[SOOKSIAM|ICONSIAM] Taste and Experience Thailand All at Once.

ICONSIAM has become one of Bangkok’s must-visit landmarks for international travellers, and perhaps for many Thais too – a place to experience for yourself just how far the idea of “Thai-ness” can be reimagined on this scale.

Step off the Gold Line and the sense of scale hits almost immediately. Look up at the carved details and ornate finishes, then listen closely and you may hear Thai music drifting up from the G floor – home to SOOKSIAM.

At SOOKSIAM, stories from Thailand’s 4 regions come together through food, crafts, art, festivals and performances. It is a place to see, taste and experience different sides of the country in one stop.

And perhaps this is where sustainability takes on another meaning: giving local businesses access to new audiences, while keeping community stories, culture and diversity visible as Bangkok continues to change.

[Gaysorn Amarin] A Heart of Ratchaprasong Makes Room for Thai Craft Brands.

People around Chidlom will probably know Gaysorn Amarin well – its grand architecture, Roman columns, luxury stores and central-city offices have long made it a familiar part of Ratchaprasong.

But in an area often associated with international brands, Gaysorn Amarin is also making more room for Thai brands and local businesses across its first four floors.

Across the first 3 floors, Gaysorn Amarin puts Thai brands in the spotlight, spanning fashion, lifestyle and design. Names like Disaya and Painkiller sit alongside Thai craft brands, giving locally made products more room to tell their stories and reach new audiences.

The 4 floor shifts the focus to food, with THE COOK – Best Street Food of Bangkok, which brings together familiar street-food names alongside rotating vendors.

This may well be how a shopping destination quietly adapts to the rhythm of the city: crafting a distinct character for those who spend their time here, while carving out space for Thai brands and local businesses to grow right alongside it.

[The Circle Ratchapruk] Easy Days for Families, Kids and Four-Legged Friends.

Move away from central Bangkok and out towards Ratchapruk. The Circle Ratchapruk reflects that shift. It is a place where people in the neighbourhood can bring their families, dogs or other pets, stop for a meal, and spend a slow weekend in a green, open-air setting.

Its landscape redesign also received a Commercial: Excellent Award from the Thai Association of Landscape Architects in 2019.

Across the project, spaces like the Urban Forest, Forest Trail, and Hidden Forest each serve a different purpose. The Hidden Forest, for instance, uses dense planting to cool the area, while elevated ground, different soil types, and a water reservoir are worked into the landscape to support greater plant diversity.

EA BKK team interviewed The Circle Ratchapruk Team recently; they explained the space as a “second home” for people in the neighbourhood – a Green Community where families, friends and pets can spend time together.

“Everyday convenience sits alongside green space designed for people to slow down and unwind,” The Circle Ratchapruk Team said.

The Circle Ratchapruk Team is looking to take the Forest concept further through Wellbeing and Active Lifestyle, while making sustainability easier to bring into everyday life. From sorting waste and reducing single-use items to using resources more thoughtfully, the idea is to make greener choices feel less complicated. For the team, caring for the environment goes hand in hand with a better quality of life, healthier living and a more liveable community.

[Hatai] A New Oasis in Silom.

Mention Silom, and the first image that comes to mind may be Bangkok’s busy business district – high-rises, office crowds and the fast pace of city life. On the former site of the Narai Hotel, Hatai is introducing another side of the neighbourhood through its idea of “The New Heart of Silom.”

Scheduled to open in early 2028, the project brings together hotels, retail and public space. Rather than competing on scale, the focus is on giving people more reasons to spend time in Silom – somewhere to pause, stay a little longer and enjoy the everyday moments around them.

The project will bring together Six Senses Bangkok and the return of Narai Hotel, now part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, alongside more than 6,000 sq.m. of retail space.

Heatherwick Studio, working with Thai design teams, has drawn inspiration from traditional Thai lanterns for the architecture, under the idea of “The Lantern Quarter.” More than 30% of the project area is planned as outdoor and green space, with Biophilic Design and ergonomic principles woven into the way the spaces are designed for comfort and wellbeing.

Sustainability has been part of the thinking from the start. Hatai is targeting LEED Gold and WELL Gold certification, covering areas such as energy and water use, material choices and indoor environmental quality.

Another idea running through the project is “Creating Illuminating Moments.” It ties together the design, retail mix and activities through the smaller moments people may remember – spending time among greenery, discovering a new place to eat, or simply enjoying the space as part of the day.

–When we spoke with Nathee Nithivasin, Chief Executive Officer of Narai Hospitality Group, he described Hatai as a new chapter in the long relationship between Narai Hotel and Silom. Building on the group’s hospitality roots, the project is being shaped not just for hotel guests and visitors, but for people who live nearby, office workers, and others moving through the neighbourhood throughout the day.

He wants Hatai to feel like a place to “pause” – somewhere people can return to with ease, whether for a good meal, time with friends and family, or simply a quiet break in the middle of the day. The space is designed for both lively social moments and quieter moments to slow down, so people can drop by without needing a special occasion – and, over time, become part of the everyday rhythm of life in Silom.

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And perhaps this could become one kind of commercial space that does more than invite people in to spend money – it might also give something back to both people and the city.

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–Dr. Sutee Anantsuksomsri explained that Thailand’s department store industry has been around for nearly 100 years, continuously evolving with consumer behavior. Some have grown, while others have downsized or closed. Lessons from the USA show that e-commerce and competition have been key forces driving businesses to adapt. Many leading American department stores have changed their business models, with some downsizing and others shutting down.

In Thailand, he noted that many department stores have also evolved from places mainly for shopping into lifestyle destinations where people can relax and spend time. By bringing together restaurants, entertainment and social spaces, malls can offer experiences that are harder for online shopping to replace.

Dr. Sutee Anantsuksomsri also highlighted how shopping malls have increasingly become part of the city’s urban infrastructure, connecting with public transportation and bringing various services together in one place – from banks and post offices to ID card and passport services. This makes it easier for people to handle multiple errands in one location. Some malls also serve as community hubs for meetups, events, and supporting local businesses. As a result, their role is becoming increasingly connected to everyday life and the needs of the community.

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What does a good life actually mean?

People today – especially in big cities – are moving at an ever faster pace. Work, work, work became a familiar phrase during Chadchart Sittipunt’s campaign for Bangkok governor, and it still captures something about the rhythm of urban life.

With that pace comes stress, and a quick trip to shop, eat and head home may no longer feel like enough reason to give up a precious weekend. That is why many of these spaces are being shaped around how people actually want to spend their time – to unwind, connect, experience something new, or simply stay a little longer.

Our founder, Samson Tong, who has spent years working across marketing, communications and sustainability, also sees this shift as part of a bigger question: what should a place really give back to the people who spend time there?

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Maybe Bangkok does not need just another mall. What it needs are places where people can live a little more fully – somewhere to connect, slow down, and feel that the time they spend there was worth it.

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Expert Contributors

Associate Professor Dr. Peeradorn Kaewlai
Associate Professor of Architecture, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University.

Associate Professor Dr. Sutee Anantsuksomsri
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University.

Reference

Prasertsri, W. and Anantsuksomsri, S. (2026). ‘A hundred-year evolution of shopping malls in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region’. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1629, 012030. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/y75hak5s (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

The Mall Group (2024). The Mall Lifestore. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdh8nh8k (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Central Pattana Public Company Limited (n.d.). Home. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/4esd882e (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Siam Piwat (2026). VISION & MISSION. Available at:https://tinyurl.com/yj5msvc3 (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Sooksiam (2018). เล่าเรื่องเมืองสุข. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/mu5kr8yb (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Gaysorn Village (n.d.). THE COOK | Best Street Food of Bangkok. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/45yecrxu (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Gaysorn Village (n.d.). Fashion & Accessories. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/yetrx6nn (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

The Circle Ratchapruk (2019). About Us | The Circle. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/2y3m9txm (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Thai Association of Landscape Architects (2024). TALA – Thai Association of Landscape Architects. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/449rbsu9 (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Heatherwick Studio (2025). Hatai. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3ytatwbj (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

Hatai (2025). Home – Hatai. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/y5wmjwva (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

THE STANDARD TEAM (2022). ชัชชาติยืนยัน เตรียมเปิดตัวแคมเปญ #สภากาแฟเพื่อนชัชชาติ ในธีม ‘คุย คิด ทำ’ ร่วมออกแบบนโยบายรายเขต. THE STANDARD. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3t5v844x (Accessed 1 Sep. 2026).

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【About See Saw Seen BKK by ECHO ASIA】

See Saw Seen BKK is ECHO ASIA’s biweekly sustainability series exploring how Bangkok, Thailand, and the Asia-Pacific region are changing through sustainable business, carbon reduction, people, society, and the environment.

In every 7-minute read, we break down sustainability trends, business ideas, and everyday changes shaping Bangkok – from what we used to see, to what is happening now, and what may come next. Because change does not always happen loudly; sometimes, it is hidden in the places, businesses, and lifestyles we already know.

Tagged: #Bangkok, #BangkokMalls, #CommunitySpace, #ConsumerBehaviour, #EchoAsiaThailand, #gaysornamarin, #hatai, #iconsiam, #SeeSawSeenBKK, #thecircleratchapruk, #UrbanLife, #กิจกรรมในกรุงเทพ, #ห้าง, #ห้างเปิดใหม่, sustainability