Drawing room

The design at Citywalk attempts to address critical issues. Starting from traffic management to balanced navigation on all levels, to secure parking at minus-one level, there is a palpable sense of detailing. Around 90,000 square feet of ground level has been dedicated for landscaping. An open theatre, fountains, street. all elements put together in a seemingly random manner, but making a cohesive impact.

Sinha makes it vivid: "You see the colonnade, you see storefronts, you see cafés and bistros-outdoor areas are very well-integrated at every level because Delhi is a city where you can pretty much enjoy the outdoors practically throughout the year. The outdoor plaza is also themed on the history of the city-that's why you see the Jantar Mantar type of structure. We plan to hold events here, which will respect the city's history and culture. Equally, it has the potential to become a nice town square; a nice public-square environment that the people of the city take pride in. Equally, it becomes the anchor for the shopping centre-the reason people will come here."

Inside, the retail and entertainment concoction comes alive. On ground level are fashion brand outlets, some of them international majors marking their debut in Delhi - Nine West, Charles & Keith, La Senza, Aldo, Inglot, and EDC by Esprit are among them. The internationally acclaimed Promod store faces Rajesh Pratap, an Indian designer, who is not far away from his ramp counterpart Vallaya. Tissot and Ethos Watch Studio are neighbours. Forest Essentials and Lancome share common walls, while Gant awaits a good neighbour. Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Clinique are the other majors along a common corridor, which has a Gourmet Food Bazaar on one end, and a cosmetics hub of Arcelia on the other.

Level one is fashion fusion and an interesting model of adjacency planning. The big Pantaloons store and the Raymond Shop next door are probably vying for each other's customers, while shoppers at Accessorize can be overheard talking about the Hidesign store or the Kipling store along the same aisle. Da Milano customers can well be attracted by other brands in the category, like Rocia or Lucera, who are right in front of its store. Allen Solly's left wall is Van Huesen's right. A Levi's patron will notice the Pepe store in front, while Nike fans can choose to greet their Reebok buddies. Dockers, Benetton, After Shock, Swatch, Esprit, Body Shop, Kazo and Puma are some of the other major attractions on the floor.

For leisure shoppers, there is Barista, the coffee shop, located strategically with three sides opening, as in a loggia. While two sides face the centre's corridors, the third opens on to a veranda with a view of the landscape in front of the mall.

Going for a movie at a PVR in Select means, you go round and round and round, passing by the show windows of your favorite brands until the ticket counter is reached. After the movie is over, you reverse through the same aisle, faced with a second reminder from the brands - 'won't you buy me today?' Here's a conceptual idea to stimulate that impulse buying.

The atrium is such that it provides a 360-degree view of almost the whole of the centre. The size and frontage of the stores lend a sense of uniformity amidst all the diversity of brands. Other design elements, be it furniture, furnishings and lighting, or the ad graphics and the promotional creatives. are in sync in order to enhance what they are there for - the customers' experience.

Sinha describes the structural division of the centre: "The shopping centre is cut into three broad chunks. Looking at the blend between tradition and modernity that the Delhi woman typifies, we understood that the sari is not going to go out of fashion. At the same time, though, an Esprit is definitely going to get into fashion. We've got pretty much everybody in beauty, skin, cosmetics, and fragrances, and to top it all, there is Arcelia, which is a new proposition by Shoppers' Stop - a house of cosmetics, fragrances and women's products. The other category we bet big on is children. There's a full zone with focus on children-we've got a kids' play-area indoors and another one outdoors (still under completion), and together with that, stores like Mothercare, Gini & Jony, Lilliput, Okaidi, Play-n-Pets. The third category that we felt bullish on was home. Good Earth is doing a 22,000 square feet store with us. We've got Home Stop by Shoppers' Stop, in about 25,000-30,000 square feet; then, there are Fabindia, Maspar, Art d'inox and OMA - a stunning store in terms of looks, feel and character, and elements of style.