Bangkok 2015 - Siam Square One Shopping Mall

According to Travel & Leisure Magazine Bangkok is the best city in the world for travel. It is not surprising - as Bangkok has shed its seedy reputation in the past and is easily one of the most exciting, interesting and affordable cities for travelers. Rarely do you visit Bangkok and not find a few new things here and there - a new cafe, restaurant or hotel.

It may be a distant memory now - but it was only 6 years back that there was a huge conflict between the red shirts and the yellow shirts in Bangkok over politics. At the time, the crowds rampaged through several parts of the city and set fire to a few of Bangkok's icons. The popular Siam Square was one of those areas that were heavily damaged. Today standing in its place is a brand new shopping mall - Siam Square One.

Siam Square One is one of the new generations of shopping malls that tries to break away from the traditional mall-in-a-box concept. Here the circulation areas are designed like streets, and the corridors are open and naturally ventilated. It seems to work well, as when I was there it never felt too warm.

The open street concept is carried through to the retail levels, and overall the shopping centre has an edgy urban vibe to it. 

I like Siam Square One but overall the tenant mix seems to be geared towards the young and trendy crowd. Put in a good bookshop or some nice cafes and restaurants and I may have more good reasons to go back other than just the architecture.