Festival Plaza

Sector

Retail

Role

Design, Lead Consultancy, Executive Architecture, Interior Design, Executive Interior Design, Engineering, Post-Contract

Completion

2020

Floors

G+4

GFA

81,142 m2

Contract

Standard

Design

BSBG +studio

Location

Dubai, UAE

Client

Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

A lifestyle destination, defining a new standard in activated mall design

Festival Plaza is a retail mall that focuses on the modern end-user - incorporating contemporary, state-of-the-art features and solutions to provide a comfortable, simplified and convenient shopping experience. The development features Dubai’s second and largest IKEA store, an ACE Hardware store and a Lulu Hypermarket. Within the mall are an additional 120 retail units, 40 F&B outlets, a 500-seat food court and 2,310 parking spaces.

The heart of Festival Plaza emanates from the linear, double-height atrium, lined on either side by high-end retail. The atrium connects both front and rear entrances. One entrance opens up to a pedestrian plaza with street furniture and shading, the other is a signature drop-off point visible from Sheikh Zayed Road.

Internal shopping streets are designed to optimise sightlines and retail visibility across all levels. A distinctively minimalist, modern and precise design features planned voids and link bridges to provide those on the upper floors with views across and through the entire development.

Contemporary, state-of-the-art mall design

The mall incorporates numerous state-of-the-art sustainable solutions, which include LED lighting, solar panels and materials that provide extra insulation to reduce the carbon footprint of the development. End-user convenience and sustainable features are regarded as two central components to the overall concept of the project. The new IKEA features a fresh design approach based on elevating the customer experience, and includes an exclusive IKEA café serving Swedish baked food and local fare. Festival Plaza has a huge catchment area, with residents in the popular areas of Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers likely to be drawn by the numerous large flagship stores and the contemporary, urban image of the mall, which is designed to become a cool place for making memories and for sharing moments together.

Chris Brown

Director

“The mall design focuses on providing unique community experiences for people to share, within an urban and contemporary lifestyle context.”

Delivering high-end retail across the Middle East

A full-service multi-disciplinary project comprising architectural and interior design, structural engineering and delivery services, Festival Plaza represents a continuation of the long-term relationship between BSBG and Al-Futtaim Group. Over the course of more than a decade, BSBG has worked alongside Al-Futtaim to deliver large-scale retail developments in many countries throughout the MENA region, including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.

Project Team

Kevin Harper

Senior Partner

Chris Brown

Director

Hameed Seyed

Associate

Mark Vaughan

Associate Director

Enrico Mallari

Lead Interior Designer

Virudchalam Thangavel

Project Manager

John Abibas

Project Manager

Festival Plaza

Chris Brown

“The mall design focuses on providing unique community experiences for people to share, within an urban and contemporary lifestyle context.”

Delivering high-end retail across the Middle East

Project Team

Kevin Harper

Chris Brown

Hameed Seyed

Mark Vaughan

Enrico Mallari

Virudchalam Thangavel

John Abibas

Exclusive: Ground is broken on brand new Dubai shopping mall development

Al Futtaim announces BSBG-designed mall to be named Festival Plaza

Festival Plaza opens to the public

The Dubai Mall Zabeel

The Beach

Dubai Festival City Retail

Festival Plaza

Chris Brown

“The mall design focuses on providing unique community experiences for people to share, within an urban and contemporary lifestyle context.”

Delivering high-end retail across the Middle East

Project Team

Kevin Harper

Chris Brown

Hameed Seyed

Mark Vaughan

Enrico Mallari

Virudchalam Thangavel

John Abibas

Project Articles

Exclusive: Ground is broken on brand new Dubai shopping mall development

Al Futtaim announces BSBG-designed mall to be named Festival Plaza

Festival Plaza opens to the public

Related Projects

The Dubai Mall Zabeel

The Beach

Dubai Festival City Retail