SPACE July 2024 (No. 680)
LOTTE MALL is located between West Lake, Hanoi’s largest lake, and the developing new urban area. ©Junglim Architecture
interview Kim Junyoung head of overseas business, LOTTE Department Store, Lee Myungjin CEO & president, Junglim Architecture, Yoon Hayong mobility BU AP4, Junglim Architecture, Kim Doohyun residential complex BU AP4, Junglim Architecture, Gregory Kovacs design director, Benoy × Youn Yaelim
Planning and Operation: Meeting Local Demands with Expertise
Youn Yaelim: Let’s start by discussing the background to the LOTTE MALL Westlake Hanoi (hereinafter LOTTE MALL) project. What characterises Vietnam’s local shopping, accommodation, and cultural facilities, and what new potential did LOTTE MALL identify within this context?
Kim Junyoung: Vietnam is currently experiencing rapid economic growth, which means that Vietnam has a relatively brief history of modern retail facilities such as department stores and mixed-use shopping malls, only spanning about 20 years. The first department store opened in 2000, and modern shopping malls began to appear in the 2010s in earnest. Today, Hanoi has 23 major shopping malls, and Ho Chi Minh has 20. In spite of this growth, we saw an opportunity in that there remained a limited presence of global companies. The main shopping malls in Hanoi are developed by Vingroup Retail, a subsidiary of the local Vietnamese company Vingroup, primarily aiming at enhancing the convenience of residential complexes through large-scale regional development. On the other hand, LOTTE Group and Aeon Group are notable foreign companies, and Aeon Group’s Aeon Mall is mainly developed on the outskirts of the city to minimise investment costs and preempt local commercial areas. In contrast, LOTTE MALL targets a broader market area and distinguishes itself from existing shopping malls by offering an urban entertainment centre that includes a shopping mall, hotel, serviced residences, and offices. This comprehensive approach provides a competitive edge and sets LOTTE MALL apart.
LOTTE Group entered the Vietnamese market in 1998, starting with LOTTERIA and confectionery business, and has since expanded actively into various sectors including shopping malls, hotels, IT, and construction. In the department store sector, LOTTE Group began operating Diamond Plaza in 2008 and LOTTE Center Hanoi in 2014, gaining a deep understanding of the Vietnamese retail market. Vietnam has a significant population of people between ages 25 – 35 and young families, all with high levels of education. In addition, as the economy has developed, increased numbers of citizens are looking for family-friendly activities, attractions, and places to eat. Considering these cultural characteristics and needs, LOTTE MALL wanted to create a new experience space in Hanoi, the capital, and the political, cultural hub of Vietnam.
Youn Yaelim: LOTTE MALL is located between West Lake (Tây Hồ), Hanoi’s largest lake, and the rapidly developing Ciputra new urban area. What role did you envision for LOTTE MALL in relation to its surrounding area?
Kim Junyoung: The northern area of Hanoi, where LOTTE MALL is located, is at the centre of planned developments including the Ciputra Hanoi, Tay Ho Tay New Town, and Diplomatic Corps Urban Area. It is expected to become known as Hanoi’s new downtown. In 2016, when preparations for LOTTE MALL began, Hanoi was underdeveloped, and the site for LOTTE MALL had been abandoned for nine years with only the foundation work completed by an Indonesian developer. It was also perceived as an outlying area, far from the old city centre, which is centered around Hoàn Kiếm and forms the main political, administrative, and commercial centre of Hanoi. However, it was considered to have great potential for development due to its accessibility to the airport, its frontage on a major road, its proximity to West Lake, which is a significant cultural asset for Vietnamese citizens, and its vicinity to high-end villas and famous restaurants, making it a popular spot for leisure and relaxation. The limitations of its distance from the old city centre were overcome with content that attracts people, and since opening in September last year, it has become a central place from which to revitalise the local economy and accelerate development.
Gregory Kovacs (design derector, Benoy) and Kim Doohyun (residential complex BU AP4, Junglim Architecture) are explaining the design concept of LOTTE MALL. Image courtesy of Junglim Architecture
(left to right) Lee Myungjin (CEO & president, Junglim Architecture), Kim Junyoung (head of overseas business, LOTTE Department Store) and Gregory Kovacs are having a conversation. Image courtesy of Junglim Architecture
Youn Yaelim: LOTTE MALL is comprised of three towers, a hotel, serviced residences, and offices, which is centred around a five-storey shopping mall. It is interesting that over 40% of the mall’s space is dedicated to content designed to attract visitors, making it a place people want to stay. This approach aligns with the recent trend in Korea where offline spaces that connect experiences and locations attract large numbers of consumers. What is LOTTE MALL’s strategy, considering this trend and the guiding characteristics of the Vietnamese market?
Kim Junyoung: We found an intersection between know-how gained from the Korean retail industry and the needs of Vietnamese consumers. Unlike existing malls with standardised products and stores that lack uniqueness, LOTTE MALL presents differentiated products and spaces with 53 brands that had never been introduced in Vietnam or Hanoi, regularly changing pop-up stores, and distinct concepts for each floor. While typical department stores have a 8:2 ratio of product content and attraction content, LOTTE MALL has more than doubled the attraction content ratio to 5:5. Vietnam, a country that was once ruled by China and France where eastern and western cultures naturally coexist, has favorable conditions to incorporate not only Korean culture but also globally popular content. In particular, the ratio of specialised F&B such as local restaurants and K-food zones was increased, and renowned local restaurants were brought into the mall for the first time after extended negotiations. Additionally, responding to the high emphasis on education, LOTTE MALL opened Vietnam’s first KidZania, a children’s career experience facility proven successful in Korea. We also addressed the local lack of indoor cultural spaces by creating an open bookstore, exhibition spaces for local artists, and various other mixed cultural spaces.
Youn Yaelim: What were your thoughts on the architecture and spatial planning? What criteria were used to select the architects?
Kim Junyoung: As this is a large-scale architectural structure located on a major road leading from Noibai International Airport to downtown Hanoi, emphasis was placed on designing a building that would reflect its status as a local landmark and integrate well with its surrounding context. The interior spaces had to provide sufficient room and circulation for customers to shop and relax comfortably. The design proposed by Junglim Architecture and Benoy stood out for its incorporation of cultural heritage from both eastern and western countries, including Vietnam, into the architecture.
Space and Architecture: Balancing the Waves of Variables and Constants
The southeastern side of LOTTE MALL, facing the West Lake, has small-scale roads and single-storey buildings with higher pedestrian influx. In response to this urban context, the southeastern façade is designed as a series of small-scale masses. Between the masses, small alleys and terraces opening towards West Lake are created, aiming to bring the natural landscape of the lake into the building. ©Junglim Architecture
The internal circulation routes seamlessly extend to the exterior and lead to the rooftop garden, fostering continuous interaction with West Lake. Connecting routes between the shopping mall and office building allow office users to access rooftop garden and shopping mall without going down to the first floor. ©Junglim Architecture
The southeastern façade is prioritising the adjacent urban context and pedestrian experience in its design. The segmented elevation in a box form is a reinterpretation of the traditional architecture seen Vietnamese urban streets.
Youn Yaelim: The project involved two architectural firms, Junglim Architecture and Benoy. Over the course of the long-term vision necessitated by the project, at what stage did the two offices join forces and what was the nature of the collaboration?
Kim Doohyun: In 2015, when LOTTE Group acquired a low-rise shopping mall being developed by an Indonesian developer, Junglim Architecture took on consulting tasks such as evaluating the scale. Then, in May 2016, Junglim Architecture’s design was selected through a design competition. Benoy joined around 2018 and took over the schematic design previously executed by Junglim Architecture, continuing the project.
Yoon Hayong: When domestic and international architectural firms collaborate, the international firm typically takes the lead in designing the overall concept, while the domestic firm focuses on the implementation process. However, in the case of Junglim Architecture and Benoy, we both took leadership roles in the design process. Throughout the project, the roles and responsibilities of each firm fluctuated depending on the stage of the process, but both firms respected each other’s design credits and had a strong sense of responsibility and passion for the project, which allowed us to actively communicate throughout the whole process.
Gregory Kovacs: LOTTE MALL was a Korean project conducted in Vietnam, which made it complicated to consider the Korean requirements as well as Vietnamese local conditions. Throughout the process of finding operational methods that are effective for both Korean and Vietnamese cultures, Junglim Architecture played a crucial role as a bridge.
Youn Yaelim: As an architect, how did you read and approach the local conditions?
Gregory Kovacs: Local conditions include not only the physical environment but also the social and economical environment, cultural norms, and how people tend to use space. When I first came to Hanoi, I was surprised to see so many people enjoying outdoor leisure activities. Upon closer observation, I noticed that most people spend their time indoors during the hottest part of the day and head out to the old town in the evenings to enjoy food and drinks as the sun set. To meet both demands, LOTTE MALL was planned to provide cool indoor spaces throughout the day and a staircase terrace overlooking the West Lake, where people could stroll and dine regardless of the weather.
Physically, the site is unique in that its four sides have very different conditions. The northwestern side faces the major arterial road of the city with heavy traffic and many large-scale buildings. In contrast, the southeastern side, facing the West Lake, has smaller roads and single-storey buildings with higher pedestrian influx. We tried to understand and combine these different conditions.
The circulation of the five-storey shopping mall in LOTTE MALL resembles a racetrack, which is planned with a circular circulation route. A significant area is dedicated to pathways between stores and public areas, continuously exposing the façades of various stores. This strategy goes beyond simply selling products and aims to encourage consumers to linger in the space for longer periods.
LOTTE MALL has been planned to increase the proportion of attraction content, making it a place people want to stay beyond just consumption. The mall increases the ratio of specialised content such as local restaurants and K-food zones, and addresses the local lack of indoor cultural spaces by creating an open bookstore, exhibition spaces, and various other mixed cultural spaces.
Youn Yaelim: These efforts seem to be reflected in the massing and elevation design. With the site’s unique location, where the sides of the site meet the roads, distinctive designs are applied to each façade and images from the surrounding landscape are adopted to enhance symbolism.
Gregory Kovacs: Considering the experiential aspect of perceiving each façade, we applied different hierarchies to the mass and façades. Facing the arterial road, where viewers experience the site from the perspective of fast-moving cars, we applied a simple and large-scale façade reminiscent of the flowing waves of West Lake. Conversely, the West Lake side focuses on the adjacent urban context and the experience of pedestrians, breaking up the elevation into smaller-scale mass. As this is the main approach for the influx of visitors and passersby, we considered a human scale that would make people want to explore the shopping mall on their own. Between the masses, we created small alleys and terraces opening towards West Lake, aiming to bring the natural landscape of the lake into the building as much as possible.
Kim Doohyun: The segmented elevation in a box form is a reinterpretation of Vietnam’s urban landscape. The urban landscape of Vietnamese cities consists of buildings that are constructed in narrow and deep forms on plots divided into 3 – 4m widths. The combination of small, segmented masses evokes the architecture seen in such Vietnamese urban streets.
The massing and façade design of the three towers prioritises panoramic views. In particular, the façade of the hotel tower is designed in a gear-like shape, which was intended so as to allow all rooms to enjoy an unobstructed view of West Lake, even at the expense of the floor area. The serviced residence tower, on the other hand, twists the direction of the massing into a diagonal angle to secure an open view of the West Lake, which is blocked by the hotel tower.
The neutral colouring of the façade is optimal for the dusty environment of Hanoi. White or dark-coloured panels tend to make buildings appear aged over time. Recognising this fact, many local construction companies have been using shades of light gray for their apartments.
Youn Yaelim: The circulation planning took into account the different spatial characteristics of the hotel, serviced residences, and the diverse programmes of the shopping mall, and also considered the users.
Yoon Hayong: Due to the characteristics of the site, there are entrances from all adjacent roads to the facilities, effectively eliminating the concept of front and rear façades. Each facility has separate entrances and ensures clear distinctions between pedestrians and vehicle circulation. However, the shopping mall is planned to serve as the central hub connecting all circulation routes.
The design of the mall requires a circulation plan known as ‘malling’. This is a strategy that goes beyond simply selling products and aims to encourage consumers to linger and engage in various experiences within the space. Therefore, we dedicated a significant area to pathways between stores and public areas. Continuously exposing the façades of various stores enhances the visibility and accessibility, which is crucial. The circulation of LOTTE MALL resembles a racetrack, which is planned with a circular circulation route. This strategy of circular layouts has been applied to domestic mixed-use shopping malls.
Kim Doohyun: The large void at the centre serves to facilitate circulation and wayfinding while also functioning as a gathering space for events. Nowadays, shopping malls no longer exist solely as a place to shop. Intense consideration of scale and spatial experience is necessary.
Gregory Kovacs: The internal circulation routes seamlessly extend to the exterior, allowing visitors to transition between outdoor shops and indoor spaces, thereby following the circulation path throughout the mall while engaging in continuous interaction with the West Lake. At the end of these routes, visitors reach the rooftop garden. The external landscaping and paving are designed to create the feeling of strolling along the lakeshore, even without directly accessing the lake.
Kim Doohyun: Additionally, we focused on circulation planning for the convenience of users and residents, such as allocating the lower floors of the office building to a parking lot so that visitors can enter the mall directly after parking, and creating circulation routes that connect the shopping mall and the office building so that office users can access the mall and rooftop garden without having to go down to the first floor.
Youn Yaelim: The period of more than eight years from the project’s inception to its completion has weathered many changes, including the development of online shopping and the pandemic.
Yoon Hayong: In a project spanning such a long period, one must be proactive and flexible. This is particularly true of commercial facilities, where an owner’s requirements fluctuate constantly in response to shifting commercial trends and societal currents. Junglim Architecture’s ample experience with large-scale commercial facilities has enabled the management and staff to understand the whole process and be flexible.
Gregory Kovacs: Commercial facilities are always subject to change, and the role of an architect is to design buildings that remain effective even after decades. At the planning stage of LOTTE MALL, no one predicted a crisis like the pandemic. During the pandemic, it became evident that physical spaces where people can actually interact are essential. Especially in modern society, particularly in Asia, commercial facilities play a crucial role of fulfilling this need. With this in mind, we designed the space to serve as a social space where people can gather and interact.
Urban Entertainment Centre and Overseas Architecture: Insights Gained on Site
Youn Yaelim: Junglim Architecture has accumulated experience in various projects since establishing its local subsidiary in Vietnam in 2011. What are the points where this experience was leveraged in the LOTTE MALL project?
Lee Myungjin: Junglim Architecture has many years of experience in urban entertainment centres. The most significant first project was Times Square (2019), which is still recognised as the pioneering example of urban malling. Through this project, we confirmed the impact of large-scale urban commercial facilities on urban infrastructure and people’s everyday lives. Through projects like Starfield Hanam (2014), we absorbed the uniqueness of large-scale urban entertainment centres located in satellite cities. Furthermore, through overseas projects such as LOTTE WORLD Shenyang and LOTTE Center Hanoi (2014), we have thought of ways to optimise our design model for local conditions and accumulated experience. This LOTTE MALL project is an assemblage of our experience and expertise in urban and suburban entertainment centres, as well as overseas projects. While the site of the LOTTE MALL is located in the West Lake district, which belongs to one of the 12 districts in Hanoi’s urban area, it is situated at the northern end, somewhat detached from the traditional city centre, thus also carrying characteristics of suburban areas.
Since establishing a local subsidiary in Vietnam, we have encountered numerous issues that can only be seen by immersing ourselves in the local context. For instance, while there is an abundance of outdoor recreational spaces such as parks and lakes, there is a severe lack of sophisticated indoor spaces, and we have seen firsthand the need for cultural spaces that inspire communication rather than simple consumption. Through the process of finding solutions to these problems, we were able to incorporate the unique regional, political, and social characteristics of Vietnam into architecture.
Youn Yaelim: LOTTE Center Hanoi and LOTTE MALL have both become landmarks in Hanoi. Has there been a shift in Junglim Architecture’s perception of landmarks over time?
Lee Myungjin: While the basic architectural character of a landmark is its vertical height and large scale as an urban object, LOTTE MALL adds horizontality and a ‘mindmark’ character. I don’t think Vietnam is a city in which scale matters. Lakes and trees that have been built up over a long period of time, reflecting historical and cultural narratives, become significant landmarks in people’s memories. With the opening of the Nhật Tân Bridge in 2015, which directly connects airport to the old town, LOTTE MALL serves as a gateway to the beginning of the city of Hanoi. Moreover, LOTTE MALL aims to become a landmark with a sense of place that embraces the West Lake, which holds the stories of Vietnam’s numerous myths and peoples, and as a work of architecture and space that people can actually experience and remember.
Views of the lobby of the hotel and serviced residence towers
Views of the lobby of the hotel and serviced residence towers ©Junglim Architecture
Youn Yaelim: What is the driving vision of the Vietnam local subsidiary of Junglim Architecture?
Lee Myungjin: While Korea’s population is declining, Vietnam’s population surpassed 100 million last year, twice the population of Korea. Of them, 70% are under the age of 35. Although Vietnam’s GDP per capita is currently one-eighth of Korea’s, comparing the growth rates over the past 15 years, while Korea has grown two to three times, Vietnam has grown more than five times. It’s a young and rapidly growing country. According to Hanoi’s 2045 vision, the city has a lot of work to do in terms of urban planning. It is actively promoting urban construction, such as developing Dong Agh and Me Linh districts between Noibai International Airport and downtown Hanoi into a single city in the north and integrating Hoa Lac and Xuan Mai districts in the west to create a hub for entrepreneurship and research. Having grown up alongside Korea’s development history, Junglim Architecture believes that it has first-hand experience of rapid economic development and its contrasting highs and lows and can therefore propose a better development model for Vietnamese cities. In situations where substantial amounts of capital are flowing in, architecture often remains in the role of maximising the profits of development companies. Of course, development projects cannot be completely separated from the logic of capital. However, Junglim Architecture aims to propose a development model where the city’s culture, history, and its citizens who will continue to live here can breathe together and grow steadily.
View of the entrance of the hotel and serviced residence towers
The northwestern side of LOTTE MALL faces the major arterial road of the city with heavy traffic and many large-scale buildings. In consideration of fast-paced perspective of passing vehicles on the arterial road, the northwestern façade adopts a simple and large-scale design.
You can see more information on the SPACE No. July (2024).
Kim Junyoung
Kim Junyoung is a specialist in LOTTE Department Store’s overseas operations. During his career of about 20 years at Lotte Department Store, he spent 12 years working in China and Vietnam. His roles have included sales & MD general manager in HCM, Vietnam, general manager of Global MD at the head office, head of MD office in Shanghai, head of Vietnam business of LOTTE Department Store, and general director of LOTTE Properties Hanoi. He is currently in charge of LOTTE Department Store’s overseas business as the head of overseas business at LOTTE Department Store.
Lee Myungjin
Lee Myungjin joined Junglim Architecture to lead design projects in the Design Lab and Design Group and is now the CEO & president of Advanced Design Division. He has worked on projects across various fields such as office buildings, research facilities, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, production sites, and data centres. Lee has won awards such as the Korean Architecture Award and Korean Green Building Award, and has won major national and international competitions. Notable projects include SK Hynix Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, NAVER Data Center GAK Sejong and Hyundai Motor Company High Tech Center.
Yoon Hayong
Yoon Hayong graduated from the department of architecture at Induk University and has worked at various architectural firms before joining Junglim Architecture in 2012. He has been involved in projects such as LOTTE WORLD in Shenyang, Starfield Hanam and K-Valley Theme park.
Kim Doohyun
Kim Doohyun studied at Chungbuk National University and International School of Urban Sciences (ISUS) of University of Seoul. He joined Junglim Architecture in 2007, and has managed numerous international projects in over ten countries, starting with the JW Marriott Hotel in Tripoli. His notable works include Mando Corporation Factory in Mexico and Poland, Starlake Housing Complex in Hanoi, and etc.
Gregory Kovacs
Gregory Kovacs, a trained architect from the AA School in London, who has received the prestigious RIBA Goldfinger Award. He has engaged in teaching roles at the AA School and the Bartlett UCL, complemented by frequent lectures globally at universities and conferences. As design director at Benoy, he operates within the Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shenzhen studios, overseeing diverse projects spanning Asia and the Middle East.
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