Jaber Mall is a new shopping mall opening in the new Jaber Al Ahmad city, and it’s aiming to be very different from your typical mall. One of its main features is a massive 30,000m² botanical garden that will sit at the center, featuring shaded walkways and water features designed to create a cool microclimate.
I visited the site last week to check it out and my first impression is that it’s going to feel very different from anything else in Kuwait at the moment. Although the garden was still being worked on I could already visualize how it will look. They’re blending greenery and nature into the shopping experience which should look very cool once completed.
The garden is being developed in collaboration with Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and will feature drought-resistant native plants designed to create a sustainable green environment that could potentially serve as a model for future urban projects.
Other than the garden, the mall will also feature shaded parking areas fitted with solar panels that will generate electricity for the project as part of its sustainability approach tied to New Kuwait Vision 2035.
The mall will include retail stores, restaurants, cafés, clinics, offices, car showrooms, and entertainment spaces. Some of the brands opening include % Arabica, Pick, Oak & Smoke, Ananas, Happy Crescent, Spark Athletic, Home Centre, Safat Home, Lulu Hypermarket, as well as showrooms for GM, Ford, Toyota, and Lexus.
The project is expected to soft open next month, with the official opening planned for the end of the year. If you want to see what other stores are opening there, as well as the Google Maps location, head over to @jabermallkw
Update: it’s meant to say “enclosed” not “indoor” for the headline but it got lost in translation and I can’t change it now. Sorry!
