THE AVENUES, KUWAIT

Remediating failing floor boxes inside one of the largest shopping centres in the world.

Location
Al Rai, Kuwait City

State
Kuwait

Status
Completed 2023

THE PROJECT BACKSTORY

‘The Avenues’ is Kuwait’s largest shopping centre and one of the biggest anywhere in the world. Opened in 2007 and expanded steadily since, it now covers around 1.2 million square metres, is arranged into twelve themed districts with more than 1,100 stores, and it has parking for 13,000 cars.

Floors with that much traffic are tested constantly. Cleaning machines, delivery trolleys and service vehicles cross the same points day after day, and the original floor boxes were not standing up to it. Lids were breaking under load and water was finding its way into the housings beneath.

ECD was approached in 2023 to address these issues.

1.2Mm2

Retail development

200+

Boxes supplied

2

Project stages

WHAT WE DID

Mall management needed the failing units replaced with something built for the traffic of a centre with this much activity. In response, ECD:

Reviewed how the original boxes were performing, identifying failure under load and water entering the floor void as the two problems to solve.
Designed a replacement rated to carry heavy loads without deflection or cracking through the lid.
Sealed the housing against water ingress and added locking, so the services could be placed where needed and protected.
Designed locally by the ECD team, supply was coordinated across two separate stages of works and further stages are anticipated.

More than 200 boxes have been shipped so far, replacing underperforming infrastructure on a site well outside ECD’s home market.