Mallcraft is a design probe that looks to understand the functional and cultural roles of public space. Its inspiration was the nearly 200 malls of Singapore, each with slightly different objectives – some for locals to eat and socialise away from the outdoor heat, some for tourists to be dazzled by otherworldly experiences, some to preserve the cultural heritage of Singaporean crafts or traditions. Conventional malls are less popular in the United Kingdom, but continue to exist in new forms, such as the newly renovated Battersea Power Station. By acting as a game, Mallcraft asks players to speculate on what form malls could take in the future. Players draw three cards: a location card with a city or neighbourhood from around the UK, a challenge card with an everyday objective they’ll need to complete, and a wild card that reveals a game-changing personal or societal piece of what this future looks like. They’ll use pieces to build a place on the board that combines their three cards, where their future counterparts could find a space to fulfil their needs.In Mallcraft, all roads lead to mall — but what form that mall takes is up to the player, and their cards, personality, ideas, and worldview will shape the space they build.
