EmQuartier Shopping Mall in Bangkok

If you love to shop, eat, and be entertained, be sure to check out EmQuartier shopping mall. EmQuartier opened in March 2015 as the second mall of the ‘EM District’ project. It can be found on Sukhumvit Road across the way from Benchasiri Park and the Emporium. EmQuartier is unique for its futuristic architecture, its wide selection of high-end luxury retail items and designer brands, and its incorporation of green space and water to create a back to nature feel in the midst of the urban metropolis of Bangkok. EmQuartier is not just a mall, but a centre for fitness, fun, and entertainment. The structure is an architectural landmark and a work of art in itself, not to be missed.

EM Quartier was designed for The Mall Group as part of the 800 million dollar EM District project. The project includes three malls, the Emporium, which was built in 1997 and recently renovated, EmQuartier, and EmSphere, a spherical shaped mall with a giant glass roof. The goal of the project is to create a world class shopping, dining, and entertainment destination.

Step into the Future at EmQuartier

Part of what makes this structure more than just an ordinary mall is its ultramodern architecture. From the enormous glass panels providing magnificent views to the futuristic floors, everything about this mall will have you feeling like you have entered a new world.

Designed by Leeser Architecture, a Brooklyn-based New York design firm known for its cutting edge and innovative creations, the mall is monumental in scope and size. The space measures an immense 250,000 square metres. The design follows a classic spiral shape, but the floor plates are shifted so that the floors do not align. This is meant to represent the unpredictability of nature and city life.

In addition to luxury brand retail and entertainment venues, it features floating gardens, a five-story waterfall, green spaces with grass, plants, and trees on each level, outdoor terraces, and an automated parking service where drivers put their cars on automated plates which escort them to an open space. EmQuartier earned recognition with the 2014 Asia Pacific International Property Award for Best Commercial Architectural Design.

Everything about the design of the mall is thoughtful and planned. When you enter, you walk on a red carpet and the colour red is featured throughout the design. An enclosed outside concourse space contributes to the theme of merging interior and exterior spaces. There are three zones at EmQuartier, the Glass Quartier, the Helix Quartier, and the Waterfall Quartier. Each has its own unique design and personality and they are connected by several walkways.

The Glass Quartier

This zone’s large glass panels and soft curves create a sense of openness that blurs the boundaries between outside and inside. The Glass Quartier is where you will find high-end luxury shops and designer products.

Here you will also find Virgin Active, a unique fitness club designed by Orbit Design Studio. Aiming to capture the pace of urban life, it is decorated with bold colours, geometric shapes, and it uses lighting to create a fun and playful ambience. Indoor swimming pools, climbing walls, a cycle studio, and a café are included as are sleeping pods where you can catch up on your sleep or just enjoy some quiet relaxation.

For more fun and fitness, check out Bounce, an Australian-born trampoline park geared for all ages. This second Bangkok location for Bounce offers free jumping on 80 interconnected trampolines, special trampolines that help you run up the wall, trampoline dodge ball, and performance trampolines for highly skilled jumpers.

The Bhiraj Tower rises high above the Glass Quartier. It has forty-five levels of office space at the top of which is Sky Cliff. Sky Cliff offers a stunning panoramic view of the area not to be missed.

The Helix Quartier

Shaped like a spiralling coil, the Helix Quartier offers an assortment of fine dining options featuring food from around the world in over fifty restaurants. Its innovative structure incorporates a spiral staircase motif and a rooftop garden.

In keeping with the back to nature theme, it features a long ‘rainforest chandelier’ and an outside courtyard with trees, benches, pools of flowing water, and spectacular city views. On the fifth floor is the 280 square metre Water Garden, an indoor tropical garden with wild orchids and lush ferns, and a lovely illuminated pond. Also on the fifth floor is Bangkok Urban Adventure, where kids can balance and climb on a rope course while teenagers and adults can zip line across the Water Garden. The restaurants on the sixth through ninth floors are high-end with awesome views.

The Waterfall Quartier

The Waterfall Quartier is named for its breathtaking and refreshing 40 metre-high cascade of water, the largest man made waterfall in Southeast Asia. It hosts a variety of shops, the Take Home Beauty Salon and Spa, and the Qurator which showcases Thai designers. This is also where you will find the state-of-the-art Quartier Cine-Art, an eight-theatre cinema that also offers one IMAX theater.

Even the adjacent BTS Skytrain Station is a design marvel. With its stylish platform, it is the first modern, redesigned station in Bangkok, and there is direct access to the mall from the Skytrain.

A Shopping Extravaganza

The shopping experience at EmQuartier is sure to overwhelm you. To begin with, you will find all the high-end designers represented here. Top brands like Burberry, Dior, Kate Spade, and Issey Miyake are located on the ground floor of the Glass Quartier, while Prada, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Coach, Kids 21, Tory Burch, Club 21, Dior, and many others can found on the Mezzanine. Q Stadium, a two-story multi-label urban wear store on the Mezzanine and the first floor, offers name brand sportswear and fitness products. Zara, H&M, Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, and other affordable brands can be found on the higher levels. Over four hundred labels are represented occupying 4000 square metres.

EmQuartier also offers an array of shopping experiences beyond fashion. Another Story, on the fourth floor of Helix Quartier, offers an assortment of eclectic items from around the world. As the name indicates, it sees itself as more than just another store but aims to tell a story by providing a journey through the history of design. It features everything from fashion, funky gadgets, fine home products, stationary, flowers, and food to curious objects and vintage.

The Qurator on the second floor of the Waterfall Quartier presents the ideas of the Thai fashion industry and highlights over sixty iconic and emerging Thai designers. This is the place to go if you are interested in learning more about the Thai fashion industry.

Food Galore

After a full day of shopping, you will surely have worked up an appetite. Fortunately there is an incredible selection of delicious food to choose from at EmQuarter. The Helix Quartier is the centre of the dining scene with a wide range of restaurants. Whatever type of food you like, you will find it at the Helix Quartier. With over fifty restaurants, the choices are practically endless, ranging from Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, European, and Mexican to ramen and seafood.

There are so many delicious options that you might find it hard to choose just one. For Thai food alone, there are many choices and varieties. For example, Pot Ministry offers regional specialties and hot pots, while Full Flavor offers Thai cuisine with modern inspiration. Nara Thai is the place to go for authentic Thai food. La Monita is a Mexican restaurant, which specializes in hard-to-find dishes and makes its own tortillas. You will even find a New England style seafood restaurant, Crab & Claw, and the Belon Oyster & Raw Bar, which serves several varieties of imported oysters. Wine I Love You is a rooftop wine bar and Gram Gourmet is geared toward people with special dietary needs. For western comfort food in a casual atmosphere, try Scruffy Apron which offers choices like chili dogs, popcorn shrimp, and truffle fries.

For quicker bites and convenient grab and go options, check out the Quartier food hall and food court in the basement of the Glass Quartier. The food hall features Chinese, Japanese, Western, and of course Thai fast food, alongside cafes, snacks, sweets, and beverages. The food court offers a drink bar, several noodle shops, and Indian and vegetarian options.

Additional cafes and restaurants can be found on the ground floor and throughout the Helix and Glass Quartiers. On the ground floor of the Waterfall Quartier, there is a huge gourmet market with over 40,000 products. It features fresh produce, gourmet soup and salad, a gourmet wine cellar, books, and a pharmacy.

Clearly, EmQuartier is a unique mall and much more. It has something to offer everyone in the family. It is worth visiting just to experience its impressive and ground-breaking architecture and to appreciate its innovative concepts, but if you love to shop and dine, then you will probably want to come back for more.