Much of the gold in Eastleigh will soon be found on the west wing on the ground floor of a new building in the middle of the bustling hub in Nairobi. So, if you are dreaming about Dubai-style shopping without the travel, then the Business Bay Square — aptly dubbed the Crown Jewel of Eastleigh — is the place to be this festive season.

Designed by Chris Bell of US-based DLR Group and his counterparts from Maestro Architects of Kenya, Business Bay Square — or BBS to those familiar with the latest addition to Nairobi’s skyline — is a brand-new game when it comes to giving city residents a unique shopping experience.

“We wanted to building something with the feel of Dubai,” says architect Neil Limbaga one of the brains behind the marvel that has transformed the look and feel of Eastleigh.

Once considered dusty, congested and hard to access, the popular shopping area still attracted a large number of bargain hunters. Today, however, thanks to intelligent streetlights, traffic in the area is constantly flowing.

At night, the taillights of the vehicles making their way past the mall look like plasma flowing through the transparent veins of an amphibian; slow, sure, deliberate.

An easy atmosphere has replaced the chaos that was once the second nature of the area as the new shopping edifice inspires other investors to spruce up their own properties now that BBS has raised the bar.

“BBS is serving as a catalyst for more developments in Eastleigh,” says Engineer Musa Elijah, the civil and structural engineer of the project.

DLR comes with pedigree having, among others, been the company behind the Mall of America and the World Trade Centre in the US in addition to a host of spectacular architectural additions in the United Arab Emirates.

One of the ideas that define Nairobi’s newest mall is air. The architects created the feel of open space although they were constrained by the size of the land, seeing that it stands at the very mouth of Eastleigh, a high traffic area.

“We commissioned a consultant from UAE to conduct a study on traffic flow,” says Elijah. The results of the study led to automatic traffic lights being installed in three strategic locations and the improvement on nearby access roads.

“It is now as easy to get in as it is to get out,” he says.

According to Elijah, once inside the mall, the idea is to entice shoppers to roam freely, thus offering every outlet on the three floors of retail and two floors of wholesale outlets sufficient opportunity to record footfalls. And to give it the magic that still attracts thousands to Eastleigh, the mall has designated the lower floors for wholesale outlets and the upper decks for modern retail brands such as LC Waikiki. The ground and lower ground floors has stalls — the hallmark of Eastleigh — but which are clearly zoned for ease of navigation.

Above them all is a mosque with the capacity to hold over 1,500 worshippers, one of the offerings that makes BBS stand out in an area that is predominantly Muslim. And to ensure visitors have space to maneuvre, the designers provided a green space at the very top of the edifice, where the large number of people can spill over before they descend to the banking halls and food courts. The area also doubles up as a place for hosting events and expos, such as the recently concluded CORE Expo.

When the mall first opened its doors to customers, one restaurant chain was offered an entire wing but turned down the offer on the grounds that the area was too large. However, in the first few days of opening, too many revelers turned up, prompting the restaurant to set up in adjacent open spaces. This has now become a common practice in the evenings and weekends for many of the over 20 eateries.

Mooyad Alnori is a chef at Akram Sweets, one of the eateries specialising in Turkish sweets, a favourite delicacy with patrons.

“We have been open for one month but we are ready to experiment for six,” says Alnori, who hails from Syria and arrived in Kenya in January. On the cards, according to him, are Syrian and Lebanese menus although the outlet still continues to cater to the palettes of customers who have shown a partiality for shawarmas and chicken wraps.

“We listen and watch,” he says of customer trends. “Only when you know the problem can you jump or fly.”

According to Dalmar Abdi, one of the mall’s directors, BBS is a natural evolution from the days when Eastleigh was known primarilly for Garissa Lodge, where city residents could buy practically anything under the sun. The big difference from those days is that the new development has brought accessibility to the area, which has for years been a nightmare, not just during festive seasons when purchases of clothes and accessories go up.

“Phase one is complete, with over 1,500 outlets and free, ample parking,” he says. “Phase two will incorporate serviced apartments, a five-star hotel, office space and much more.” This is in addition to the banking halls and the corporate service centres that now characterise a large section of the mixed-use mall.

One of the corporates that have taken up space at the mall is Safaricom.

“I am informed that five per cent of Safaricom’s revenue and 40 per cent of its Nairobi business comes from Eastleigh,” Dalmar says, explaining why the new development is a magnet for corporates that need to set up and customer service centres in the area.

For the team behind the project, customer experience is key.

“We want it to be smooth,” says Elijah in reference to the project that is already preparing for a soft launch later this month. “And these are not Nairobi standards.”

He throws in a word that ought to be of interest to property developers in the capital.

“Fifty per cent of stalled projects in Nairobi can be revived if they learn from BBS,” he says. “We know why they (the construction sites) are silent. Those that are silent due to technicalities can be addressed.”

Whatever you thought of Eastleigh in the past, BBS Mall will make you think again.