Located in Doha’s Katara Cultural Village, this 38,000 sq m project has a wide range of high end retail outlets, including a Galleries Lafayette department store (over 3 levels), dedicated children’s mall and an Evian branded spa. The stand out feature for the children’s mall is its quirky design of two gifts wrapped with bows.
To enhance the usability of the beautifully designed outdoor spaces ,we conducted extensive environmental modelling studies to test and optimise the world’s first ever open, air-conditioned commercial mall. Our studies and expert advice led to recommendations on how to improve the outdoor environment and mitigate against high temperature, humidity and wind conditions associated with Qatar.
Our digital team used complex computational fluid dynamics and dynamic thermal modelling under varying climatic conditions to understand the site dynamics and study mitigations. The conclusions and recommendations led clear proposals for the passive and active design of Katara Mall’s architecture and cooling systems. The pioneering ground-cooling technology and cooled open space will enable shoppers and visitors to explore the external areas of the plaza comfortably even in the hottest months of the year.
