By Hessa Al Habshi
Photos courtesy of OMA
The
architectural firm OMA, commonly known for their buildings all around the world,
from New York City to Paris, announced last year that they were to design a
department store for 360 Mall. This past announcement was brought to light once
again a few days ago when OMA revealed the design on their very own website.
OMA is
working on an innovative design concept: The Exhibition Hall. This hall will
act as both a public event venue and a consumer-driven department store. The
aim of the venue is to bring a historic Kuwait connection between its culture
and retail.
This venue
will be introduced by a series of galleries devoted to past cultural events
that will evoke memories of the Souk. In the galleries, a distribution of
single brand boutiques will be free to develop their own retail concepts to the
overall concept of the department store. The hall will be surrounded with walls
with circular cut outs that’ll “accommodate transversal access and offer excitingshifting views”. But like the ‘traditional’ souk, The Exhibition Hall will have
many, different experiences. There will be public as well as intimate areas,
and while some galleries have a more permanent character, others will be
temporary and can be renovated according to the directors.
The
exhibition hall comprises 9,400 m2 over three floors. It will have a
translucent façade; which will help bathe the hall with natural light during
the day, and present a glowing exposure to the streets during the night.
The project
is led by OMA partners Iyad Alsaka and Rem Koolhaas, in partnership with
Tamdeen Real Estate Co.
Construction
is scheduled for the beginning of 2014 and will be completed within the same
year.
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| Model shown in translucent box |
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| Floor Plans |
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| Elevation Diagram |
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