Atriums are fast disappearing in Singapore! These are centrepiece voids in the middle of shopping centres and hotels , mainstays in their design that allow you to see all the shops and shoppers, and they you, from whichever floor you are in.
Atriums increase social interaction between shoppers and also between shoppers and the shops. More importantly, it helps shoppers orientate their whereabouts by allowing them to triangulate their co-ordinates.
With the price of real estate soaring, atriums are now a luxury. Shopping centres are filling their atriums by building in them, filling them with…more shops.
Now, you can only see the shop before you, there is no space to roam, cruise around. Shopping is now even more claustrophobic.
Save the Atria!
Picture: Raffles City Shopping Centre gone the way of the dogs.