The presence of water parks within shopping centres represents a distinctive approach to the broader strategy adopted by large retail complexes to attract and retain family audiences through a diverse offering of entertainment, culture, dining and leisure experiences. A paradigmatic large-scale example of this “retailtainment” model is The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi complex in Bangkok, Thailand.
Indeed, the rooftop of The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi houses Mega HarborLand, a leisure complex covering more than 11,000 m², featuring a dry play area called HarborLand and a 10,000 m² water park: Harbor Island. Following its inauguration in February 2025 — the year 2568 in the Thai calendar — the operator anticipated a 30% increase in visitor traffic to the shopping centre.
The project, representing an investment of between 500 and 600 million baht (€13.5 to €16.2 million), is the result of collaboration between The Mall Group — one of Thailand’s leading shopping centre operators — and HarborLand Group, an operator of indoor playgrounds. In fact, Harbor Island is the first water park developed by HarborLand Group. However, this is not The Mall Group’s first venture into aquatic leisure within a retail environment. In 1989 (2532 in the Thai calendar), the retail giant opened Thailand’s first rooftop water park, Fantasia Lagoon, at The Mall Tha Phra. The model has proven sufficiently successful that a second location has already been announced at The Mall Lifestore Bang Khae, also in Bangkok.
Harbor Island water park is organised into seven themed areas that structure activities according to intensity. The central and most action-packed feature is Super Island, a tower from which 18 water slides descend. For those seeking a more relaxed experience, Little Island offers children’s games in the form of a SplashPad. Meanwhile, the lazy river, Lazy Island, provides a 200-metre route with interactive water effects. As if that were not enough, a 100-metre zip line suspended 8 metres above the water park completes a family-friendly experience.
The location of Harbor Island water park on the third floor of the shopping centre imposes specific design and construction requirements: the roof structure must support significant live loads — namely water, users and equipment; reliable waterproofing of the rooftop surface must be ensured; and all water treatment and recirculation machinery must be accommodated within a necessarily limited space.
Sources: Bangkok Post, The Smart Local, Money and Banking Online, The Mall Group, Harborland Group.
Images: Harborland Group.
