Yas Mall
Yas Mall is considered to be the largest mall in Abu Dhabi located at Yas Island which is the first man-made island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of the most successful projects developed by Aldar Properties PJSC, a leading real estate company operating in the region. Yas Mall is a destination shopping mall with various offerings and covers a gross area of about 2.5 million sq. ft. Since its opening on November 19, 2014, the mall has received over 22 million visitors with an average of between 60,000 – 80,000 visitors daily. Yas Mall location is right next to various other tourist attractions for leisure and entertainment such as Ferrari World, Yas Water World, Yas Marina Circuit, and Yas Golf Links.
Yas Mall has been considered as one of the best family entertainment destinations in Abu Dhabi which has stores like Fun Works, Adventure HQ with a direct link to Ferrari World, which is the world’s largest indoor theme park. With its strategic and accessible location between the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it is very easy for people to reach the mall from around United Arab Emirates. The mall houses some very unique concepts stores like The Apple Store, Tryano, West Elm and, Cheesecake Factory. It also has United Arab Emirates’ first stores for Joe Fresh, Lego, Sfera and the Cave Experience at Adventure HQ. Yas Mall also has Middle East’s first stores for Champions League Café, Geek Nation, Kazar, Laurel, Softair Battlezone by Tasleeh Entertainment. Abu Dhabi’s largest Cineplex with 20 screens and the largest VOX MAX cinema screen, Victoria’s Secret and Virgin Megastore are also present at the mall.
For visitors it would be a surprise to know that the mall has Middle East’s largest stores in retail size for brands like TRYANO, Adventure HQ, Adidas, Fun Works, The One, Zara. And to add to the surprise it also has the Debenhams which is the world’s largest store outside of the United Kingdom. Another unique and debut concept is Rogo’s Rollercoaster restaurant, which is also the first in the MENA region.
Unique facts about the mall
Design Awards
- Within its first six months of opening, the mall won the award of the ‘Best International Shopping Centre’ at The Global RLI Awards 2015, beating competition against various international malls.
- It has also won the Middle East Council of Shopping Centre (MECSC) New Developments Gold Award for Design & Development, at the Middle East and North Africa Shopping Centre and Retailer Awards 2015.
- Acclaimed international artist Marco Cianfanelli, most well-known for his work in South Africa’s Freedom Park, has designed three distinct sculptures for the mall.
- The mall’s architecture also has paper fibre art hanging from the mall’s ceilings, in a special design by Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar.
Sustainability
Yas Mall is one of the largest retail developments in Abu Dhabi to achieve a 2-pearl Estidama sustainability rating in the United Arab Emirates. All buildings in Abu Dhabi must meet a minimum of 1 Pearl rating; Yas Mall has achieved a 2 Pearl Estidama Building rating. The mall was also constructed using sustainable materials as mention.
- 20% of materials by cost was locally procured.
- 50% of the wood installed (by cost) was sourced sustainably.
- 75% of waste (by weight) produced during construction was diverted from landfills and by recycling them.
- 80% of the steel used was is recycled.
Yas Mall continues to work towards a sustainable future for the Abu Dhabi, and incorporates sustainable practices in its construction, property management, maintenance and initiatives that directly impact visitor experience. Examples include:
- It is the first mall in the region to introduce the first ever electric car charging station; The BMW i Wallbox Pro.
- The mall is a Pearl Member of the EWS-WWF organization, a local arm of the international organization that focuses on marine conservation.
- Frequent partnerships with environmental organizations such as Tadweer, Dulsco and EWS-WWF to host awareness campaigns about conservation and sustainability; which also engage school children from Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Aldar Academies.
- The mall has also hosted Abu Dhabi’s Petroleum Institute Research Center and University (PI) Solar Car. The car, conceived in Japan, was built by students in Abu Dhabi and made an appearance during Sustainability Week at the Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge 2015; the first ever solar powered challenge in the Middle East.