In August 2024, the Surabaya city government held a national design competition to revitalize THR (Taman Hiburan Remaja), an abandoned theme park that was once Surabaya’s entertainment hotspot. The aim was to recreate a new THR that could reclaim its former glory. Alongside this, the competition included repurposing the abandoned Hi-Tech Mall building to support and revive the area. This is a team project together Nashrul, Adhitya Ekaraga, Ima Niantiara, our proposal was selected as one of the Top 15 entries, contributing to the vision of resurrecting this area from the dead.

Through macro strategies, the proposal aims to foster natural gathering points, develop multifunctional open spaces, and strengthen urban connectivity through improved public transportation. On a micro scale, the design focuses on cultivating a sense of community ownership by creating flexible, seamless spaces, integrating diverse functions, and incorporating cultural elements that evoke nostalgia and reinforce local identity.

There are several key parts of the whole masterplan, one of which is the old and abandoned Hi Tech Mall Building. This building used to be the center for tech and electronic shopping, such as laptops, computers, consoloes etc. Eversince the age of e-commerse rise, the market shift from offline shopping to online shoppin, where they also provide better deals. But we hope to reevitalize this building again by reshaping the frontage of the building to be more walkable and pedestrian friendly.

We also redesigned the main entrance to be more visually striking. This intervention addresses a key challenge: the entire front façade of the masterplan is blocked by the Hi-Tech Mall building, limiting visual access to the THR (Taman Hiburan Rakyat) behind it. To solve this, we introduced an LED screen entrance gate that can display activities happening inside the area. The screen is elevated and angled downward to ensure high visibility—striking enough to capture attention, yet clear and legible for cars and buses passing by.

This is the main atrium inside Hi-Tech mall building. This atrium plays a huge role in revitalizing both Hi-tech mall and the THR area behind it. We redisigned to be more spacious an bright, creating a clear connection through hi tech mall to the THR at the back of the site. We removed the elevator that was structured in the midle of the atrium somewhere else, hence creating a more pleasing ambiance.

This is an outdoor amphitheater designed to be multifunctional, with a primary focus on hosting ludruk performances. Instead of constructing a closed building, we chose to expose the ludruk stage to bring it closer to visitors. The amphitheater is open and seamlessly connected to nearby amenities through the back of the seating area. This allows both seated audiences and passersby to enjoy the performance, creating a more inclusive and accessible cultural experience.

The main vista and pathway leading to the MICE building is designed to follow the unique shape of the site. We aimed to keep the open areas as unobstructed as possible, carefully positioning each building to minimize visual and physical interference. This approach ensures clear sightlines and easy accessibility throughout the masterplan.

One of the strategies we used was designing a sunken building feature, with a rooftop that doubles as an active public space. This approach helps manage the visual hierarchy across the site, allowing the MICE building to maintain its prominence and appear grand and commanding within the overall composition.