Bugis+


Bugis+, formerly Iluma, is a 10-story shopping mall located 5 minutes from Bugis MRT station. It is located within the Bugis district of Singapore and opened on 28 March 2009.

Building

Designed by WOHA, the facade of the mall plays with the theme of light and illumination, having high-tech features such as a light- and media facade designed by WOHA in conjunction with Berlin based media artists.
The "crystal mesh" facade envelops the convex part of the building and brightly lit billboards will scatter across its flatter sides, unlike those in the Times Square. Its theme was inspired by its proximity to arts venues and tertiary institutions.

History

The opening of Iluma in 2009, was greeted with much fanfare. However, after several months, tenants started complaining about the lack of patrons, even though it is located just beside the busy Bugis Street.
The management tried to draw in patrons by calling in international artistes such as David Archuleta and Trace Bundy. Despite their efforts, the mall still had low patronage and many tenants were forced to shut down their stores.
In April 2012, CapitaMall announced that the mall will be renamed to Bugis+. Notably, Bugis+ has the largest Uniqlo store in Singapore then. Its current tenants includes Filmgarde, Cue Guru, The Editor's Market, Bershka, PULL&BEAR, Sephora, TEMT, KOI Café and The Joyden Hall.

Revamp

In 2011, CapitaMall Trust Management announced that they had acquired Iluma from Jack Investments for S$295 million. As part of the transfer, the mall was revamped in late 2011 and was completed in mid-2012. The mall was renamed as Bugis+. The bridge connecting Bugis Junction, which is also owned by CapitaMall Trust Management, that previously did not provide direct access to Bugis Junction, now provided seamless connection.