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CallisonRTKL was hired to create a new shopping center on the site of an existing hotel and shopping center in Kuwait City known as Al Kout. The client wanted to create a larger, more efficient and commercially viable mall that would accommodate increased demand for retail space in the market.

The already successful hotel was retained, but CRTKL connected it into a three level mall with a triangular configuration, with parking above and below, to fit on the tight, urban and triangular site.

The result is a simple, easily navigable plan based on a triangular configuration. The three nodes punctuate the flow of the entire retail center, creating light-filled courts and maximizing the development potential of the site. Underground parking and rooftop parking are offered, with the latter sheltered by a green metallic fin-like structure—a solar exposure alleviator and an iconic design feature that is visible via an interior skylight. The project is anticipated to become an economic driver for the area, creating jobs, increasing land value, boosting local tourism and encouraging retail growth.

The new mixed use development will adopt the name of the neighboring waterfront retail project Al Kout, which is under
same ownership. Together they form a powerful retail and hotel destination catering to a broad category of shoppers in the region.