Summertown Interiors, a leading fit-out contractor specialising in green interiors in the UAE, has handed over ‘Picnic Square’, a 2,330-sq-m food court refurbishment project located at Times Square Center on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

 

The unique food and beverage options selected by Times Square Center for Picnic Square will now start to be integrated into the food and beverage outlet spaces. Picnic Square will be officially opened in February next year.

 

On the project, Summertown said it had collaborated closely with Times Square Center management team to deliver the sustainable design-and-build project, handing over the vibrant family-friendly dining space in the first week of November. 

 

Picnic Square has an artisanal feel and will offer deli-style dining, setting a new design standard for shopping mall open plan dining areas, it stated. 

 

Nicola Trivett, Summertown’s Projects Director on the design-and-build project, said: "The successful delivery of this project is the result of high-level communication between our project team and the mall’s management, ensuring the timely completion of the project."

 

"We are delighted to handover this high-end sustainable family-friendly dining area that fulfil our client’s goals," he added. 

 

In line with Times Square Center’s sustainability focus, Summertown delivered the fit-out according to Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements (pending certification), a global green building standard which encourages the design, construction, operations, and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy buildings. 

 

"A key challenge during the refurbishment was that it was a live project in an open shopping mall, so much of the work was completed in the evenings to avoid too much noise and disruption to tenants and customers," she explained. 

 

The new open ceiling design also required specific focus to ensure the mechanical, electricals, and plumbing (MEP) where coordinated seamlessly to create the desired white finish, she added.

 

Nancy Ozbek, General Manager, Times Square Center, lauded Summertown for its professional approach and management of the sustainable Picnic Square project, "and for delivering above our expectations." 

 

The newly-refurbished dining space features natural materials, the integration of biophilia and plants, and a variety of welcoming seating options. 

 

There are family-friendly seating zones including stylish ‘private pods’ for mothers to feed their babies in privacy in the functional open plan design.

 

"We are delighted with Picnic Square and cannot wait to share it with all our Times Square Center family," she added.