On Friday evening November 9th in Bangkok ICONSIAM, a stunning global landmark, held a private celebrity filled grand opening and then opened to the public on the following day.
Located on a 55-rai riverside site with 400 metres of Chao Phraya River frontage, Bangkok’s latest entry into the luxury mall foray appears to have set a standard that all future malls will measure themselves against.
With a cost of 55 billion THB ICONSIAM offers over 750,000 square metres of floor area and includes not one but two of the world’s most glamorous retail complexes as well as two luxury waterfront residential condominium buildings of 70 and 52 floors, one of which carries the Mandarin Oriental Residences brand which also sets a new standard for luxury residences based on square meter pricing.
ICONSIAM is being developed by three of Thailand’s most successful businesses, including Siam Piwat, the owner and operator of prestige retail developments such as Siam Center, Siam Paragon, and Siam Discovery; Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (MQDC), the owner and developer of luxury quality residential and mixed-use projects; and multi-national conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group. The Charoen Pokphand Group, based in Bangkok, is Thailand’s largest private company and one of world’s largest conglomerates.
According to Mr. Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director, ICONSIAM Co., Ltd., “ICONSIAM has opened the door to a mega city full of ‘superlatives’ and ‘first-ever’ wonders. Many of the world’s ultra-luxury brands have located their flagship stores in the stunning 25,000-square metre super luxury pavilion called ‘ICONLUXE’ which is situated next to the river and has the longest pillarless glass façade in the world. It is built with specially commissioned glass that is pleated around the building to create a nirvana of luxury worthy of the new landmark on the Chao Phraya River. More than 7,000 leading brands of the world and Thailand will have their presence in Thailand, many for the first time and with new concepts and special products exclusively at ICONSIAM.”
Among the ‘first-ever’ brands and stores is Siam Takashimaya. Takashimaya is a legendary department store from Japan that is highly admired. The group will have its first presence in Thailand and the Thai store has 36,000 square metres of floor space across seven floors. The Thai store will offer a wide variety of products for shoppers of every gender and age group. There are more than 500 brands, many being very well-known Japanese brands and more than 80 of them being made available in Thailand for the first time.
ICONSIAM also houses an empire of premium luxury automotive brands from many of the world’s most technologically advanced auto makers that offer exceptional experiences, including Rolls-Royce, Maserati, Mini, BMW Motorrad and Porsche. And most exclusively, BMW is ready to showcase, for the first time in Asia, its automobiles using Virtual Reality (VR). Through special eyeglasses, the automobile is presented in virtual images. Settings can be adjusted to try on different features, change the background to daytime or nighttime, change the colour of the vehicle body, or walk around and even get inside the automobile.
Mr.Visit Malaisirirat, Chief Executive Officer of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation (MQDC), developer of the two super-luxury residential towers at ICONSIAM, said, “Magnolia Waterfront Residences is the most luxurious condominiums ever with a magnificent location right on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The extraordinary 70-floor residential tower has 379 units. There is also a 52-floor, super-luxury tower which is branded as ‘The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok’ and which is the first Mandarin Oriental-branded residential development in Southeast Asia. Both residential towers have become phenomenal success stories for Thailand’s real estate industry setting unprecedented standards of quality and luxury. Their design and construction standards are equal to the best residential developments anywhere in the world’s great metropolises such as London, Tokyo and Shanghai. Residences in both towers have set records as the most expensive residential developments and have become superb investments as well. Prices start at around THB 85 million (US$2.58 million) for a two-bedroom condominium. The largest residence has 707 square metres and costs around THB 460 (US$ 14 million).”
