The Mustafa Experience
Architecture - Interior
Step into Mustafa Centre and you will observe the interior architecture of the different wings is a reflection of its exterior architecture. The next time you feel lost and confused in 'The Mustafa Maze', just have look of the general structure, look up at the lights, or the tiles on the floor if this piques your fancy, and the metallic features to figure which extension you are at! Alternatively, if you find yourself having to put in 'extra effort' in getting from one level to another (Getting To Places), you will know you are at the oldest extension.
Structure of The Old Wing
Comparing the old and new wing on Mustafa centre, the feeling one would get is vastly different. In the older wings, you would sense that everything was more cluttered and messy, aisles were closer together and the colors were dimmer, less vibrant and modern. Despite it being less modern, it had a feeling that other malls did not - the lack of pretentiousness.
Look Up At The Lights
Look Up At The Lights
Take a look up at the lights! Another special thing about Mustafa is the different styles of light that they use in a single compound. The styles of light range from fluorescent light fixtures that are more functional than aesthetic, to more artistic and stylistic lights shaped like an hourglass and teardrops that are coherent with the eccentric wavy patterns of the new building like in the last picture. Each style of light reflects the time the extension was built. The next time you feel lost in Mustafa Centre, just look up at the lights to identify which extension you are at!
Metallic Features
The use of metallic materials as part of Mustafa Centre’s latest extension interior structure reflects its modern architecture. Notice the patterns of waves can be seen in both the interior and exterior of the building (images 2 and 3)! The metallic structures are very distinct to Mustafa – even in the lift on the way up to the roof terrace you can see the metallic wavy mural that evokes a feeling of sci-fi transportation. The metallic look and feel are in stark contrast with the metallic features observed in the old Mustafa Centre (image 1). The metallic handrails are used for function over aesthetics. It can also be seen that stairs is the medium to get from one level to another in the oldest building, while escalators are the medium in the latest extension. If you find yourself climbing the stairs up or down to the next level of Mustafa Centre, you are in extension 1!
Tiles
Floorings are interior designs people do not normally pay attention to. But looking at the tiles would allow one to identify which wing of Mustafa Centre you are at! Have a look at the pictures above, and you will observe the vast variety of tiles that Mustafa Centre uses. Glossier and modern tiles are mainly used during the refurbishment of the new extension, compared to the squared marble tiles used in the older extensions.
Getting To Places
What we noticed while we were navigating through the massive building were the different methods that can bring you from one level to the next! In the older wing of the building people used stairs to get to a different level while in the newer wings, there were elevators and escalators that were installed in later. Even in the designs of the lifts, the older extensions use lifts with metallic doors with matt designs imprinted on it, while the new extension lifts use doors with glass panels (image 4).