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Al Ghurair on way to becoming retail oasis

By Debra Hazel

It may become the Champs Elysées of the Middle East, but first the Al Ghurair Centre has to double in size and create an outdoor component that will defy weather extremes.

The first air-conditioned public building in Dubai, Al Ghurair opened in 1981. The mixed-use complex also includes 150,000 square feet of office space, and 350 apartments. The 300,000-square-foot mall was successful from its debut, largely because it was the only game in town for the United Arab Emirates.

That is no longer true. At its opening, Al Ghurair was located outside the city of Deira. But the city has grown around the mall, turning what had been a suburban center into an urban project. Larger centers have since been built nearby, and owner Al Ghurair Centres LLC decided the original center needed a newer look, though one that recalled the traditional souks of the Middle East. “We felt we needed to take the retail experience one step further,” said Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, president of Al Ghurair Centres.

“We told them you have a building with an inward focus. It didn’t open to the streets. We’ve refocused the project to the outdoor streets” to encourage pedestrian activity throughout the center, said Ray Peloquin, vice president in charge of the expansion for Baltimore-based design firm RTKL Associates.

But land was a problem. Adjacent parcels were not ideal for building, so the expansion is taking place on contiguous land also owned by Al Ghurair Centres. As a result, RTKL created a district that would open into the new city, rather than a collection of buildings surrounded by parking. Working with Dubai-based NORR Group Consultants International, the local architect, RTKL is overseeing the master-planning, architecture and other aspects of the renovation and expansion.

The completed $450 million expansion will double the size of the retail component to more than 600,000 square feet. The existing mall is being renovated both inside and out, and a new, two-level enclosed center is being constructed nearby. Six new prime anchor store locations will clarify visitor circulation patterns. Parking for more than 3,500 cars will be provided under the new center, within the existing complex, and in two freestanding structures.

Leading into the two malls will be the 35,000-square-foot City Street Plaza, an open-air retail/entertainment complex that will include a 10-screen cinema, restaurants, international brand retailers, a food court bridge and a public park. The expansion is opening in phases beginning last month, with completion set for spring 2002. City Street Plaza will connect two Main Streets within Al Ghurair, drawing visitors into the development. The complex can be closed off for special events and festivals. “At the four corners of a square are public plazas, with the expansion being attached at two of those corners,” Peloquin said.

“We don’t want people to come to us purely for shopping,” Al Ghurair said. “Our vision is to revitalize the downtown, to create a civic place in Dubai where people will come to celebrate, like the Champs Elysées.”

White-tablecloth restaurants often are a key component for U.S. hybrid centers, combining both enclosed malls with retail/entertainment villages (SCT, May 2000), but Al Ghurair’s City Street Plaza will not accommodate those tenants. Alcohol cannot be served, as Dubai is a Muslim country.

At first glance, open-air might seem a bit strange for this desert project. Summertime temperatures in Dubai can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s not beastly most of the year. It’s really hot in June, July and August, when it can get to 50 degrees Celsius, and it’s humid heat,” Peloquin acknowledged. “For the other nine months of the year, it’s fine. It can even get into the 50s [Fahrenheit] in the evening.”

Perhaps most innovative for Dubai will be the massive billboards that will provide North American-style advertising revenue. “We have a sign where owners will rent out the space, U.S. style.”

Water is one of four major themes in the center’s design, being described by Peloquin as a “modern Arabic” style, using traditional Arab architecture supplemented by a greater degree of landscaping than is typical for the region. The interior design integrates Terra (land), Hydra (water), Folia (plant life) and Strata (air).