Archive for the ‘Retail’ Category

Dalma Mall

Posted by dConsult55

Dalma Mall is one of Abu Dhabi’s largest shopping malls. It houses 400 retail units, an anchor store, 22 department stores, 14-screen Cineplex, food-court, leisure and entertainment centre and multi-level car park.

It was constructed under a design and build contract. Diar Consult was appointed by The Developers to provide interior design for the common areas, post contract administration and supervision and tenants’ coordination services.

Project team

Petrol & Motorway Rest Stations

Posted by dConsult55

The growing reliance on transport over the course of the past century, with its direct impact on national economies, has created the need for a growing number of reliable petrol and service stations.

In 2000, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the largest petroleum companies in the Gulf, set about establishing a nationwide network of petrol and service stations, thereby representing a first for the region. Recognising the importance and influence that a fully serviced road infrastructure would have on the country’s future, ADNOC Distribution enlisted the services of Diar Consult as designers, project managers and contract administrators.

Throughout the period of 2000 to 2008, Diar Consult delivered 55 new image petrol and service stations for ADNOC, incorporating an improved corporate identity and developing a range of variants suitable for every location from small local petrol stations to motorway mega service and rest stations.

The integration of convenience stores, food and beverage outlets, oil and tyre change facilities and car washes represented a breakthrough in the region in terms of catering to the evolving needs of residents. These new service stations not only responded to the demands of modern motoring, but embodied the necessities to become the new heart of small communities, and were a catalyst for further growth and development in the country.

BMW Repair Centre

Posted by dConsult55

The Abu Dhabi Motors BMW Repair Centre is part of the BMW, Rolls Royce and Mini Cooper showrooms facility in Umm Al Nar, Abu Dhabi. BMW have a strict set of operational requirements and design guidelines for all their repair workshops which comprise body repair bay, painting booth, logistics and car storage areas, spare parts stores, training rooms and service reception.

Diar Consult’s design team paid particular attention to compliance with BMW’s design guidelines and commercial branding. As stipulated by BMW, customer-facing operations and especially the service reception are designed to give the impression of a five-star hotel reception, while respecting the industrial operational characteristics and utilitarian needs of this facility.

Crisp and clinical finishes are used in the workshop interiors, aiding the staff to maintain a clean and healthy environment.

Project team

Heavy Vehicle Showroom

Posted by dConsult55

In 2002 Diar Consult was appointed to design and deliver a heavy vehicle showroom in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, to accommodate the client’s various heavy vehicle agencies (trucks and cranes) and display their brands.

In support of the showroom, the project also comprised the ancillary facilities of repair workshops, stores and related industrial units as well as the management offices of the entire operation. The showroom is accommodated within a large, double height volume with the support services planned at the rear of the showroom on two levels.

Project team

Ajman Souk

Posted by dConsult55

This was Diar Consult’s first project in the UAE. It was the very first shopping mall in the emirate of Ajman, built at a time when there were only a handful of retail malls in the UAE. Conceived by an ambitious client who is also a pioneering contractor, it was the first time that glass reinforced concrete (GRC) was used in the country.

Ajman Souk is a single-storey building designed in Arabian style on a linear site, emulating the older forms of Arabian souks of ancient Arab towns, with tight streets and squares and barrel-vaulted roofs. The internal bazaar streets ultimately lead to the bazaar squares (or meydans) which are transitional public spaces. It is the free-standing version of what would otherwise have been an integrated structure within the old town fabric.

Construction was in fact under way and on hold prior to Diar Consult’s involvement. It was a designand- build project that was being executed on a fast track basis, but that had run into problems due to hasty and inadequate preparation. The client requested Diar’s assistance to resolve the issues. The solution was to construct using modular prefabricated elements for façades and roofing, which included barrel vaulting and domes. The domes were precast in one piece and hoisted to the roof by crane, in one lift. In the late 1980s, these were very progressive construction techniques.