Parqal Mall recognized as one of the most beautiful architectures

An architectural group has recognized a newly built mall in Paranaque City as among the most beautiful structure globally. as one of beautiful structures.

Parqal Mall, located in Aseana City, was one of the seven buildings that made the list of The World’s Most Beautiful Emporiums for 2024 by Prix Versailles, an annual architectural competition.

Aside from Parqal Mall, other buildings include the Dior boutique in Geneva Switzerland, SKP Shopping Mall in Chengdu, China; Nouvelles Galleries in Annecy, France; Sabyasachi boutique in Mumbai, India; Bookshops at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy; and the Boucheron Ginza store in Tokyo, Japan.

Prix Versailles recognizes achievements in architectural design every year.  The categories are airports, campuses, passenger stations, sports, museums, emporiums, hotels, and restaurants.  

In 2023, Prix Versailles recognized the Clark International Airport as one of the World’s Most Beautiful Airports.

Prix Versailles, in its press release, described Parqal design as a “feat of urban planning”.

“Its originality stems from its main street which is protected by a glass roof that stretches more than 400 metres in length, allowing natural light to filter through – proof that an emporium can be a feat of urban planning, especially given this example occupies a piece of the city,” the press release read.

The organization also said that the design encourages people to “move’.

“Far from dressing itself up to the usual environmental finery, Parqal imposes its inclinations by encouraging people to move about walking, cycling, or taking public transport within a complicated architectural setting, making use of both Filipino traditions and Chinese as well as Spanish influences,” the press release said.

Further, the press release said the seven finalists “will be competing for three 2024 World Titles – Prix Versailles, Interior and Exterior”.  The winners will be announced on December 2, 2024 at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France.

Parqal was opened last September 2023, is a five-hectare mixed-use development that stretches from Diokno Avenue to Macapagal Boulevard in Aseana City.  It is owned by property developer D.. Wenceslao and Associates, Inc.

According to its website, Parqal is a word play between the words “park” and “kalye”  (streets).

“Parqal provides not only a retail spine of flagship stores and corporate offices but it also a place for [the] community to gather,” the website said.

It is also certified by the Philippine Green Building Council as a Building for Ecologically Responsive Design for Excellence (BERDE).