One shining – or glaring – exception to this has been the 140,000-sqm Central Embassy, a jewel in the Central Group’s crown, which was built on the former grounds of the British Embassy’s garden and opened last May to great fanfare.
Walk in on an average day though and its problem is apparent. No one’s there, as apparent in these photos taken during prime evening hours 306 days after it opened. For this it has earned the nickname "Central Empty."
Few customers can be found in its stores, and its sweeping, contoured tiers that look designed by United Federation of Planets are clear of all but a few souls, many who seem to be enjoying the air-conditioned long-cut between BTS Chit Lom and Phloen Chit.