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?
Yippeeeee! One more!!!
Can we have family day every day?
In the planning meeting:
‘hmmm… what shall we build..?’
‘Hey. Why don’t we build a really big shopping mall?’
‘Brilliant! Why didn’t we think of that before!!’
‘Job done. Lets go to London and celebrate. I know a great place for transvestite prostitutes’.
so you’re saying the Barwa management team quoted in the article decided to go solicit and celebrate with transvestite prostitutes? careful now under new internet laws in Doha and if you live here they can take proper legal action against you…
I fear nothing
‘Proper’ is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?
And lo, they said, “Let us make our city like every other city.” And the people, upon hearing this, fell asleep from boredom.
while you’re at it, don’t forget to add a ROAD! bladdy traffic in that area.
And a lot of parking space.
what folly – when will this crazy obsession end ? NO MORE MALLS – more schools, more sport and more amenities for the whole community please
More hospitals!!
Thanks goodness for that. The nearest existing mall is a totally unacceptable half a mile away. As for the new Mall “offering new accommodation for many of the small shops forced to close due to demolition in the area: I suspect it will not be filled with Indian barbers, tailors, air-conditioning unit stockists, or second-hand furniture shops. Must get my cynical chip removed before it overpowers me.
HALLELUJAH! I have been saying for years that what Doha needs more than anything else is ANOTHER SHOPPING MALL!!
Excellent news! I do hope they intend to address the critical shortage of watch and jewellery shops in Doha?
I want a place to ski.
this is a great concept for a shopping center. It’ll house smaller independent retail stores, many of which are scattered all over older parts of Doha which have or soon will face closing down due to ongoing demolition and closure of roads and areas in older parts of Doha.
comments as always are surprising, the same individuals not a few months ago were screaming bloody murder on why small Indian shops were forced to close down and leave with no means to make a leaving now mock the idea of bringing them all together under one roof…
great idea and the right location… and any additional rental space is a blessing… hopefully helping cool down the heated retail rent market
Mabrook for new mall, haters gonna hate.
This is great. I think they’ve learned (too late) from offering shop owners spaces in the Barwa located on the road to Messaid. More spaces for small businesses with modern facilities like parking is a win-win; people are reacting to the idea of a “mall” without considering what this space will really be.