The 360 Mall in Kuwait City drips with elegance and exudes luxury. The design aesthetic is also clearly influenced by Middle Eastern architecture. As a result it is a Western mall designed as a modern interpretation of traditional Middle Eastern form, color and patterns.
The circular design celebrates the natural features of the site and Kuwait’s cultural ties to the Arabic art of navigation while incorporating 882,640 square feet of luxury shopping and entertainment across seven distinct zones.
The 360 Mall combines upscale retail, office and entertainment spaces to create the largest and most dynamic retail destination in modern Kuwait. The design is a modern interpretation of traditional Middle Eastern form, color and pattern, rendered in materials fit for a national landmark.
The circular design celebrates the natural features of the site and Kuwait’s cultural ties to the Arabic art of navigation while incorporating 882,640-square feet of luxury shopping and entertainment across seven zones. The variety of unique interior spaces, state-of-the-art technology and design elements sets a new benchmark for immersive retail experiences.
Kuwaiti zoning laws are often complex and seemingly arbitrary, which posed a challenge for the design team. Through a long-term agreement with the municipality, the developer won approval to build a project within the center of a parcel of land owned by the municipality. The 360 Mall was designed to meet rigorous zoning restrictions, which led, in part, to the compact, circular plan diagram. The design team also worked with the developer to maximize the size of the development within the allowable zoning limitations, to ensure the best use of the site and to unlock its full potential for commercial success.
Strategically located in one of Kuwait’s fastest growing residential areas, the development provides community space with appeal. A lush, sculptural landscape of ordered palm trees and terraced ponds surround the building and inside, draws visitors to two opposing retail concourses.
The design elements in each concourse—from lighting to graphics to interior architecture— respond to the qualities implied by day and night. Both concourses culminate in separate courts that respond to the day and night theme, each with large, suspended, hand-blown glass sculptures by famed American artist Dale Chihuly.
Continuing the journey motif, the Central Street connects the Techno Hub and Main Atrium with wooden arch forms and the ambience of an old-world souk. The four-story Techno Hub is an immersive sensory experience guided by a series of floor-to-ceiling LED canvases, 3D audio effects and bold lighting elements choreographed with dramatic color-changing architectural accents.
By contrast, the Main Atrium is an inviting space outfitted with lounge furniture and crowned with an organically shaped skylight that allows natural light to cascade into the area. The rich, contrasting materials interact gracefully with the main water feature, derived from the circular layout of the project and, more directly, the 360 Mall logo.
In line with current sustainability initiatives, the Solar Garden features 21,000 plants growing on a vertical wall, which improve air quality and act as a natural bio-filter. Rows of palm trees and water terraces extend from outside into the Solar Garden, merging the exterior and interior garden spaces. The lighting throughout 360 Mall takes advantage of energy efficient sources and the latest technologies, including metal halide lighting, as well as fluorescent and LED fixtures.
Project Name
360 Mall
Location
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Square Footage
882,640
Architect
RTKL Associates
Developer/Owner
Tamdeen Group
Local Architect
OHA Engineering Consultant
Local Architect of Record
CentroProjekt
MEP Engineer
SSH International
Structural Engineer
Al Farooqi Engineering Consultants
Landscape Architect
Mesa Design Group
Lighting Design
Bliss Fasman
General Contractor
Ahmadiah Contracting & Trading Co.