A Dead Mall’s Fantasy: An Allegory of Consumerism | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

The hypothesis reimagines Citi Mall, one of Mumbai’s oldest shopping centers, as a post-consumerist architectural experiment. Once a bustling hub of commerce and consumerism, the mall has fallen into disuse, becoming a symbol of the unsustainable nature of the very lifestyle it once promoted. By transforming this “dead mall” into a recycling facility and a data center, the project seeks to challenge and subvert traditional notions of what a mall represents.

Design Process

The project draws from the idea that in a world dominated by consumerist imagery, our perceptions of reality are often mediated and distorted by the images we consume. As consumers, we are not just influenced by what we buy but are also defined by it.

The thesis asserts that behind the glossy facade of consumerism lies a hidden treachery: the unchecked consumption that leads to enormous waste generation and environmental degradation. The “dead mall” becomes a powerful metaphor for this reality, a space once bustling with life and glamor now reduced to a hollow shell, reflecting the consequences of our consumer-driven lifestyles.

Final Outcome

The thesis explores the potential of a dead mall to evolve into a space that serves a new, more purposeful role in society. By recycling the waste generated by consumerism and supporting the infrastructure of our increasingly digitized world, the mall takes on a new identity. It shifts from being a space of spectacle and superficial value to one that generates tangible, functional use-value. This transformation is not presented as a distant dystopia or a utopian vision but as a reflection of the present moment—a critique of the Anthropocene era where the detritus of our consumer habits is repurposed into something new.

The project acts as a mirror to contemporary society, illustrating the cyclical nature of consumption and waste. The once vibrant mall, a temple of consumerism, now houses the remnants of its own legacy. Products that once graced its aisles return to be recycled, and the consumers who once filled its corridors are now represented by the data generated by their digital footprints. The thesis paints a picture of a Post-Anthropocene society where the physical and digital realms of consumerism intertwine, and the once-celebrated spaces of capitalism are repurposed to serve a new, more sustainable function.

Conclusion: “A Dead Mall’s Fantasy” is a project that challenges us to reconsider the role of architecture in addressing the consequences of consumerism. It transforms a dead mall into a recycling facility and data center, questioning the sustainability of our current lifestyles and suggesting a future where consumerism spaces are repurposed to address the issues they created.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]