Indonesia is set to be home to a luxurious retail complex and floating city, known as Batavia PIK thanks to a partnership between Legacy Entertainment and Indonesian developers, Agung Sedayu Group (ASG) and Salim Group.

Phase one of Batavia PIK is the start of a vision of a huge development by Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK). The retail complex opened in May with phase two opening towards the end of the year.

California-based Legacy Entertainment was tasked with creating this unique tourism destination with Batavia PIK becoming the world’s first overwater retail, dining, and entertainment complex. It is a modern-day feat of engineering and creativity as the complex is built entirely over an inlet from the Java Sea. When fully functional, its overwater boardwalks will connect over 53 leasable facilities and entertainment facilities. The retail complex will feature a whole host of beautiful and innovative decorations such as an eye-catching blue whale spouting water.

Batavia PIK has the environment firmly in mind. The complex is part of the Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) and uses water and waste management, eco-friendly materials, and other green technologies.

“Our inspiration comes from Batavia city as the trade centre in the colonial era of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dubbed as the ‘Queen of the East’,” says Natalia Kusumo, CEO of Commercials & Hotels Division 2 Amantara – Agung Sedayu Group.

“The port city, now called Jakarta, is famous for its beauty and as a melting pot where various nations gathered and traded. The resulting cultural assimilation thus influenced architecture, arts, culinary, and other aspects of local cultures.”

Technologically advanced but with heritage in mind, Batavia PIK is viewed as a literal bridge between the past and the future. The meeting of the past with the present and future is a key concept found within the near-28,000 sq.m Batavia PIK complex.

“Colonial-style windows and arches, for example, blend together with rattan weaves and indigenous building materials to embody a tropical vernacular style.” is how Batavia PIK described its identity.

And before it is even finished, Batavia has already been acknowledged with an award – as ‘Best Retail Development’ by the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards 2022.

Taylor Jeffs, CEO Legacy Entertainment, sat down with InterPark to discuss the wonderous floating city project that is Batavia PIK.

InterPark: The thinking behind Batavia PIK.

Taylor Jeffs: “Batavia is only the first of several projects we’ve been developing with developer ASG for PIK 2 that tackle the question ‘What is the future of the mall?’. The overall guiding thought is that no matter what changes, or no matter how consumer habits evolve, people will always want to eat together and be entertained together, so as long as we stick to that idea, we can have some degree of confidence that these developments might be commercially viable long-term.”

“In the case of Batavia specifically, the existing canal offered us the chance to do something really unique and fun. In every poll that comes out, Asian consumers list the Maldives as their top aspirational travel destination, so what if we could bring the idea of an overwater villa experience closer to home? We explored a variety of options ranging from lining the canal with leasable venues, and luckily the client agreed that the most interesting option was one in which the entire complex is constructed over the waterway.”

IP: How long have you been planning this project?

TJ: “In our world where a new project often takes 5-7 years to come to reality, Batavia was born in the blink of an eye. Design began in 2020 and was completed in early 2021. The first phase opening almost exactly two years later makes this one of the quickest projects we’ve ever been part of.”

IP: Discuss the design process of the complex and be faithful to the Indonesian designs and culture.

TJ: “For this, we had to put our full trust in our friends at Amantara, the local design partner. Batavia, as you know, was the Dutch colonial’s name for Jakarta for over 300 years. Striking the balance between old and new, Dutch, and Indonesian was a very sensitive high-wire act for which they should get the lion’s share of the credit.”

IP: Your joy at seeing this unique tourism project come to fruition.

TJ: “Any time we get a chance to do something new, it’s a huge win. Often in Asia, we face a little bit of reluctance to break the rules and push boundaries. However, from our experience, Indonesia is all about taking creative risks and breaking barriers. This is embodied in the ground-breaking Dark Rides we delivered in 2019 for Trans Studio where we did things even we weren’t sure were possible, and here with ASG we’re able to do it again.”

IP: How many visitors are expected to visit?

TJ: “No attendance projections were ever shared with us. That said, there will be 53 leasable spaces in total once later phases of the project come online near the end of this year.”

Images: Legacy Entertainment.