For all the advances in technology, the need and desire for physical interaction remains the same – something that has been so clearly reinforced by our inability to engage in it during a pandemic.

Customer trends are telling us that the big box mall still has a place in our urban centres but the opportunity is growing to create a different mix where retail supplements rather than dominates.

A diversity of activity is not just encouraged but is becoming increasingly essential with the mall becoming a community hub and a cultural hotspot, a place where you can access services, post a letter, or have your hair cut, as well as visit a gallery, collaborate with your peers, or learn a new skill.

The future could be a complete lifelong learning ecosystem that incorporates the entire learning lifecycle from kindergarten to executive training – a multi-generational community hub that provides educational opportunities for all, distinct from but also potentially integrated within the other experiential offers within the traditional retail environment.

Despite the demise of the department store, perhaps it is signposting towards a model than can be repurposed as a diagram for this holistic future shopping centre, where the education operator becomes the curator with multiple providers within.

The mall as we have always understood it remains a marketplace but not just for goods and not even for additional services but also a marketplace for ideas and knowledge.

The 20,000sqft centre, which has been designed by Broadway Malyan, includes a variety of engaging spaces that provide different learning opportunities, including modular classrooms that have been designed specifically for the needs of children and can be reconfigured and combined as appropriate.

The centre also includes a makerspace focused on helping children acquire 21^st century skills and provides them with hands on learning that enables them to develop critical thinking skills and boost their self-confidence.

There are two multi-function studios for dance, gym, yoga, martial and performing arts, a colearning lounge and library for children to rest and work and a large outdoor space overlooking Sentosa Island for children to play various sports.

The centre caters for children aged 0 to 12 and as well as providing after-school services throughout the week. The centre provides daily pre-school sessions in the morning while also becoming an important hub for the home-schooling community, providing facilities that are unavailable in a home environment as well as helping to foster important social connections.

Click on this link to download the whole report to read Ben's 10 steps to create a Community Learning Hub in a retail setting.