360 Kuwait
Expanding one of the region’s largest malls into its premiere mixed-use sport and leisure destination
PROJECT STORY
The challenge
To set a new benchmark for immersive retail experiences and mixed-use development, while creating a new visitor destination in Kuwait.
The solution
A mixed-use development that brings life’s luxuries and necessities together to set a new benchmark for immersive retail experiences.
The impact
One of Kuwait’s pioneering public-private partnership projects, this is the biggest sports initiative in value and size under the Kuwait Public Authority for Sport.
25%
Reduction of solar heat gain on hotel tower façade.
The challenge
The 360 Kuwait project was as much about setting a new benchmark for immersive retail experiences and mixed-use development as it was about creating a reason for people to visit Kuwait. What would pique the interest of the international traveler, shopper, guest and athlete? How could the urban heat island effect be offset? How could we push the boundaries within the design to create elevated moments that capture the essence of regional culture, tastes, and preferences?
The solution
The 360 Kuwait mall expansion includes 20,250 square meters of additional retail space, 13 anchors, 15 cinema screens, a 300-room Grand Hyatt five-star Hotel, the largest multi-purpose arena in Kuwait, and to put Kuwait on the international sports circuit, and the second Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in the world.
The Shaikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex and Rafa Nadal Academy feature a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena, a world-class tennis academy with a 1,500-seat center court, 17 tennis courts and 4,400 parking spaces. This is in addition to new luxury retail opportunities and food and beverage offers, such as the three-sixty food hall, Kuwait’s first local food hall supporting local Kuwaiti talents with over 21 artisanal and specialized concepts.
Designed to deliver an exceptional customer experience, no effort was spared in creating a unique and engaging environment. From a vast oasis replete with flora, and water pools, cliff gardens, shop fronts within vertical gardens, 420 meters of internal green wall space and a focus on wellness in open spaces, to the integrated leisure facilities, the mall brings life’s luxuries and necessities together.
While interactivity, social media and other high-tech elements look to the future, the circular design of the center is configured as a journey that celebrates Kuwait’s past and the Arabic art of navigation. These spaces utilize multi-layered, multi-service offerings that cannot be replicated virtually to draw consumers into physical shopping environments.
The impact
Combining upscale retail, offices and entertainment, 360 Kuwait’s striking design elements, state-of-the-art technology and circular layout have garnered multiple awards and have made it one of the top luxury shopping centers in the Middle East. Today, the 360 Kuwait mall expansion is 100% leased and stands as a blueprint for future retail development. Its expansion illustrates how a single-use asset or traditional mall can be repositioned to better serve its local community and attract an international audience.
The space truly embeds itself into the daily lives of the surrounding community, creating value while meeting both the basic and high-level needs of locals and visitors alike.
The introduction of sport and hospitality anchors offers a preview of what a successful mixed-use lifestyle destination and tourist attraction will look like. Meanwhile, the environmental features and micro-climates created here will serve as a case study for reducing urban heat island effects and operating more sustainably in a warming world.
