Department store concept by OMA's Koolhaas, Alsaka draws inspiration from open-air Arab marketplaces

The Exhibition Hall, a retail concept planned in the 360° Mall in Kuwait City, will meld cultural and commerce spaces in a series of galleries reminiscent of the long passages of the souq—traditional, open-air marketplaces found in Arab cities.

OMA partners Iyad Alsaka and Rem Koolhaas teamed with Tamdeen Real Estate Co. to develop the design scheme for the department store project, which will span some 101,000 sf over three floors and feature a translucent façade to showcase the activities inside and present a glowing aspect to the street at night.

The gallery design will provide highly flexible spaces—with multifunctional partition walls with circular cut outs will accommodate transversal access—that will allow retailers easily customize their experience. Within the retail environment will be curated galleries devoted to cultural events.

The project is developed with Kuwait’s 360° Mall management, Majed Al-Sabah and Giacomo Santucci, and overseen by OMA project architect Alessandro De Santis. Construction is scheduled for the beginning of 2014 and will be completed within the same year.

For more on the project, visit: http://www.oma.com/news/2013/the-exhibition-hall,-a-new-retail-concept-in-kuwait,-by-oma.

The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.