THERE is a certain rhythm to life at Elmina Lakeside Mall, one shaped by open skies, rich biophilic design and the vibrant pulse of a community coming together.
Here, routine grocery runs and coffee breaks transition seamlessly into lakeside strolls, artisanal markets, and alfresco dining. Moving away from the conventional enclosed shopping model, Sime Darby Property has created a lifestyle destination.
Centred around nature and community connection, it creates an experiential ecosystem where shopping, leisure and entertainment converge seamlessly.
This distinctive experiential retail concept by Sime Darby Property Berhad, dubbed ‘retail-tainment’, has now earned global acclaim. Elmina Lakeside Mall secured a World Gold Award at the prestigious FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards 2026 under the “Retail” category.
This international recognition builds on its earlier success at the Malaysia Property Award™ 2025 by FIABCI-Malaysia, reaffirming its position as one of the nation’s most progressive and thoughtfully curated retail destinations.
Located in the award-winning City of Elmina in Shah Alam, Selangor, the mall is built around a unique “mall in a park, park in a mall” philosophy. It dissolves the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces through an open, fluid architectural language. Set against natural light, lush landscaping, and panoramic waterscapes, the mall transforms everyday outings into engaging lifestyle experiences.
Holistic masterplan
Elmina Lakeside Mall serves as the commercial heart of the 350- acre Elmina City Centre, which in turn anchors the wider 6,500- acre City of Elmina. Unfolding over an ambitious 40-year development cycle, this masterplan comprises five distinct but interconnected townships: Elmina East, Elmina West, Denai Alam, Bukit Subang, and Elmina Business Park.
Structured around the 300-acre Elmina Central Park and interwoven with the 2,700-acre Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve, the development showcases the developer’s mastery of biophilic placemaking. Operating as a ‘Force for Good’, Sime Darby Property intertwines nature, mobility, and the built environment to create a resilient urban ecosystem.
A central pillar of this vision is the promise of 15-minute walkability, ensuring that residents are within convenient walking distance from daily essentials, lifestyle offerings, and recreation.
Bridging retail and entertainment
Delivering on its promise as a true Value Multiplier, the 52-acre retail park spans nine blocks of single- and double-storey buildings, offering 214,000 sq ft of open-air retail space. Driven by the Group’s unwavering commitment to execution excellence, the mall achieved an impressive full occupancy within just eight months of its soft opening in August 2024.
The curated tenant mix is anchored by Jaya Grocer and Harvey Norman, complemented by a robust culinary landscape of 49 diverse food and beverage outlets. Visitors can enjoy picturesque lakeside dining or utilise the highly convenient drive-through facilities from brands like Ediya Coffee and Nak Nak.
Officially launched in January 2025 in the presence of the Sultan of Selangor, HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the mall currently serves a rapidly growing catchment population of 870,000 – a figure projected to surpass one million in the next decade.
Community engagement
Conceived as a natural extension of the neighbourhood fabric, the mall provides extensive communal amenities designed to bring people together. These include 6,800 sq ft of dedicated indoor and outdoor event spaces, a scenic lakeside promenade, and the adjoining 35-acre Urban Park, which features food-truck plazas and football fields.
Seasonal activities, weekend markets, and wellness programmes are seamlessly integrated into the mall’s lively calendar. The development also incorporates environmental storytelling; on-site attractions include Malaysia’s first outdoor art museum, the Elmina Outdoor Sculpture Museum, and a floating amphitheatre for community performances. Even the children’s play area was thoughtfully designed with an educational purpose, with the iconic Tiger Playground raising awareness for the critically endangered Malayan Tiger.
The lakeside promenade doubles as an active wellness corridor, with regular health and wellness programmes that strengthen the mall’s role as an active contributor to community wellbeing. Accessibility and inclusivity were key considerations in the promenade’s design. Wide shaded walkways, barrier-free circulation, and thoughtfully designed ramps preserve the site’s natural contours while ensuring a comfortable experience for visitors of all ages and abilities.
Sustainable DNA
Aligned with Sime Darby Property’s Sustainability Strategy and Roadmap 2030 (SSR2030), the mall’s green framework earned it a GreenRE Silver certification, while its Sales Gallery achieved a GreenRE Platinum distinction.
Site earthworks were meticulously minimised to respect the land’s natural topography, complemented by an ambitious landscaping strategy featuring 2,161 mature trees, 118,000 shrubs, and 20,000 aquatic plants. Cascading stormwater ponds double as natural bio-filters, supporting biodiversity while actively cooling the microclimate.
The development incorporates future-ready infrastructure, including solar-ready roofing, water-efficient fittings, LED lighting, bicycle-friendly accessibility, and 16 EV charging bays, supporting both Malaysia’s broader energy transition ambitions and Sime Darby Property’s sustainability strategy, including its Net Zero 2050 aspirations.
Reinforcing this long-term commitment to environmental stewardship, a 21-year leaseback agreement with the Selangor state government ensures the Central Park is sustainably maintained for future generations.
Evolving beyond property development
Drawing on over five decades of industry leadership, Sime Darby Property has successfully evolved from a pure-play property developer into a diversified real estate and asset management company.
As the Group advances through the next phase of its transformation under SHIFT32, it remains acutely focused on scaling growth and delivering long-term, recurring value through an integrated business model.
Apart from elevating Elmina Lakeside Mall on the global stage, this FIABCI Gold Award stands as powerful testament to Sime Darby Property’s enduring commitment to shaping resilient urban destinations centred on sustainability, practicality and community connection.
