Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar, Kuwait City Store, Kuwaiti Shop, Photo, Design
Fahaheel District Retail Development : Kuwait City Shop
Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar, Fahaheel district retail building – design by Sybarite Architects
25 Nov 2009
Villa Moda Kuwait
Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar
Al-Manshar, Fahaheel
Kuwait Free Trade Zone
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Design: Sybarite Architects, London, UK
While the Fahaheel district in Kuwait City is conservative and predominantly Bedouin in culture, it doesn’t lack a love of fashion. Although women mainly wear the veil, there is a passion for handbags, shoes, jewellery and other accessories. The client’s brief was to bring the past and present together, to create the motley, chaotic feel of a bazaar within a modern luxury department store.
A system was conceived of circular pods of different finishes and sizes that are sliced at angles and randomly scattered over the two floors. These pod slices create varying perspectives throughout the store and can be heavily merchandised inside and out to help create a ‘souk’ feel. Each tenant followed specific design guidelines to ensure their areas worked alongside the client pods, maintaining a cohesive style and look to the overall store. The contemporary backdrop of polished concrete floor, sleek white walls and ceiling together with gloss lacquered finishes and pastel colour scheme create an interesting contrast to the traditional merchant ‘stalls’ of the pods.
A ‘street’ café encourages customers to relax, creating an traditional atmosphere of community where people can meet, visit and people-watch.
Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar – Building Information
Client: Villa Moda (Sheikh Majed al-Sabah)
Architect: Sybarite, London, UK (Simon Mitchell, Torquil McIntosh, Nicola Lewis)
Site Architect: Villa Moda Lifestyle, Kuwait (Abeer Seikaley)
Main Contractor: PMI (Project Management Int’l), Kuwait (Ramzi Rizkallah)
Photographer: Simon Collins
Shop Area: 3,150 m²
Completed: Apr 2008
Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar Shop Kuwait images / information from Sybarite
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
New Kuwait Architecture
Contemporary Kuwait Architectural Selection
Kuwaiti Architecture Designs – chronological list
Villa Moda
Design: eldridge smerin, Architects
photo : Ake Son Lindman
Villa Moda Kuwait
Eldridge Smerin was responsible for the design of Villa Moda’s main entrance area and lounge, public spaces and staircases, two levels of multi-brand fashion space, restaurant and café managed by the Caprice group, as well as the landscaping around the building.
Kuwaiti Buildings – Selection
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre Building, Arabian Gulf Street, Salmiya, Kuwait City
Architects: SSH
photography : SSH
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre Building
Wafra Tower, Hessa Al Mubarak District
Architects: OMA and Pace
image courtesy of OMA
Wafra Tower
Al Hamra Firdous Tower project, Kuwait City
Design: SOM Architects
Kuwait City Tower : MIPIM/Architectural Review “Future Project” Award 2008
Al Sharq Tower Building
Architects: Atkins
Al Sharq Tower
City of Silk, Subbiya, Kuwait Bay
Eric Kuhne & Associates
City of Silk : massive city-scaled waterfront development, incl. new airport + seaport
Comments / photos for the Villa Moda Souk al-Manshar Kuwait Architecture page welcome