Re-imagining Pekan Kuah as the Rainforest Shopping Paradise of Langkawi

This paper addresses Theme III: Architecture, Spatiality and Perception. Pekan Kuah, a small town on the legendary island of Langkawi is used as the exploratory setting. The rich bio-diversity provides major tourists’ attractions on Langkawi. Shopping does not. Its designation as a Duty-Free island status in 1987 had limited effect. The issue is how to turn Pekan Kuah into an inviting shopping environment for local and international visitors. This paper outlines the relationship between structures and objects that defines ‘shoppingscapes’ within a newly rejuvenated urban-shopping environment of this island town. The more urban part of the island need not be an isolated man-made district. The rich layering of tropical rainforest provides the inspiration. New structures not only provide a new kind of public spaces in Langkawi but also change the perception of public spaces there as a whole - thus transforming Pekan Kuah as the Rainforest Shopping Paradise of Langkawi.