Need-Based Facilities in Shopping Malls: A Case Study of Emerald Mall, Karachi, Pakistan

Shopping is an activity embedded in society and is done in different modes in different societies. The objective of this research is to present contemporary shopping as a modified activity, which is widely practiced in shopping malls. Furthermore, it intends to examine contemporary shopping behavior in light of the user's need-based facilities. It signifies the use of the shopping mall as a multi-fold activity encompassing the allied facilities. These include a washroom, a prayer area, an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), currency exchange, lost and found, a rest room, a child care area, a baby cart, a first aid room, and a bank, to name a few. These user-based facilities have emerged as distinct attributes of shopping malls, defining the peculiarity of a mall. This research focuses on some need-based facilities mainly and then narrows down to sub-categories of need-based facilities in a selected shopping mall named Emerald Mall. The research adopts the quantitative method for data collection and presents findings statistically while the standards are relevant to the shopping mall attributes collectively. The findings include the identification of inadequate facilities such as a lost and found counter, an ATM, a prayer area, currency exchange, and washrooms. Furthermore, a rest room, a child care area, a baby cart, a bank, and a first aid room for emergency care were missing. The research concluded that the selected shopping mall needs improvements in many areas, while some areas are already established, including design consideration for physically challenged users. The research establishes its contribution as the provision of framework and modular analysis of selected study for contextual approach for the development of the architectural design. Research also recommends design innovations in the selected mall in order to address the discrepancies identified.