Images courtesy of Barwa Real Estate, Gulf Times and Skyscraper City

A new QR500 million (US$137.31 million) mall is set to be built near the Msheireb district in Doha’s old downtown, offering new accommodation for many of the small shops forced to close due to demolition in the area.

Barwa Real Estate announced that the Alaateda (“mechanical machinery” in English) mall, which will be located on A-Ring road/Rawdat Al-Khail, will feature 650 outlets.

The shops will include a hypermarket and are expected to offer a new venue for small and medium-sized stores previously located in the old souqs that were dotted throughout the area.

Units will be 70-80 sq meters in size and rents will be “affordable,” a Barwa official told The Peninsula.

Work on the site is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2015, with completion planned for early 2017, Barwa said in a statement.

The two-story 155,000 sq meter venue will comprise of five connected buildings, designed to allow for expansion, and stores will sell a range of goods, including electronics, cars accessories, handcrafts, jewelry, furniture and clothes.

One building will house a hypermarket, restaurants and entertainment area.

Master plan

Unveiling the master plan for the project yesterday, Barwa said it would be an “open mall” with an uncovered central core. All shops are designed to have a street-front.

Paulo Perloiro, partner and head of Retail Design for Promontorio, which are consultants on the project, told Gulf Times that the aim of the open-mall concept was to bring back the ambiance of old Doha streets, but in a modern setting.

The open, pedestrian areas between the stores would have some shading, but would not be air-conditioned, he added.

The mall was given the unusual name to reflect its location, which housed a number of mechanical workshops many years ago.

Mall openings

This is the latest in a long line of malls slated to open in Doha in the coming years, and Promontorio has also been involved in developing the design for City Center Haraj for Aamal, one of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al Thani’s Al Faisal Holding’s group of companies.

This mall, which would be a sister to the City Center in Dafna/West Bay, was set to be situated in the location of the popular Najma souq, which sells second-hand furniture, household goods and other items and is a frequent haunt of bargain hunters.

Other malls due to open their doors include Gulf Mall, opposite Landmark, North Gate Mall on the Expressway and what will be Qatar’s biggest mall, Festival City by Ikea, which is due for completion in 2016.

Also in the works are Mall of Qatar in Al Rayaan, which is set to open in September 2015, Doha Outlet Mall in West End Park, near the Industrial area in Mesaimeer, Al Emadi’s European-style AlHazm complex on Markhiya Street as well as a number of others.

Thoughts?