Bugis+ (formerly Iluma)

Shopping centres

First published on 19 Jun 2012. Updated on 19 Jun 2012.

PHOTO: Samuel Ng

This seven-storey-tall façade allows for some spectacular, large-scale multimedia shows, as the building is coated head to toe in Crystal Mesh, or CMesh, an eye-catching media installation made up of thousands of individually controlled energy-saving, fluorescent bulbs. Although envisioned as a busy arts hub when it was opened as Iluma in 2009, the mall's low crowd count, even on weekends, suggests otherwise. If you want to avoid the Bugis throng, you can shop here for clothes from kooky, less-heard-of brands (think Far East Plaza), dine at one of the casual dining joints like Thai Express (#04-06), Chef Daniel’s Kitchen (#07-04/05/06) and Pasta de Waraku (#01-05), or get your fix of KOI bubble tea (#01-25). We won’t judge if you end up spending the whole day – and night – here. Bugis+ also has karaoke, arcade and movie entertainment.