Sikkas in the Avenues

By Ali Al Yousifi

               As part of the latest expansions of The Avenues Mall is what’s called The Souk. This area, unlike other parts of the Avenues has small stores, many designated to start-ups and entrepreneurs. The space has been designed to replicate the atmosphere of a traditional Kuwaiti souk.

               Although I understand that many of the stores are not open yet, and so The Souk is expected to host more visitors and activities in the future, my first impression wasn’t great. I appreciate the effort to reestablish Kuwait’s architectural heritage, and I think doing this in a commercial mall like the Avenues is a great idea, but I feel it could have been much better. Just walking around other areas in the Avenues like Grand Avenue and Prestige (love them or hate them) shows very clearly the large effort that was put into designing these spaces; it’s different with The Souk, not so much effort was invested.

               For example: The Souk is not historically accurate, not even close, but it’s also not innovative. It doesn’t represent the past properly, but its design doesn’t point the way forward either; it kind of in the middle. It’s unclear what they were trying to do, because doing something that just looks like old Kuwait is sub-par design, even for a mall.

                For a comparison you can look at the P2BK Village, which is also trying to create an old Kuwait feel, but it does so to a much more successful extent. At least the P2BK Village has various attractions: live performances, art sculptures, costumed characters, and the many booths. On the other hand, The Souk is just like a normal boring mall but with a low ceiling and narrow walkways.