Faisal Alabdulrazzaq
A thesis book for the Final Architectural Project submitted to the Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Art, and Design, American University in Dubai In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Architecture Fall 2019
A pproval of the Thesis Book for Final Architectural Project Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Art, and Design, American University in Dubai Student ’s Full Name: Faisal Alabdulrazzaq Thesis Book Title: 70k
Student Signature:
Date:
Professor Name: Ta keshi Maruyama
Professor Signature:
Date:
Copyright Š 2019 by Faisal Alabdulrazzaq All rights reserved
007
C h a p t e r 1: In t ro d u c t ion
011
A b s t ra c t
012
Ku wa i t Hi story
014
Ku wa i t Ho u s i n g L aw
019
Ho u s i n g L aw Iss u e s
0 64
C hapter 3: Case Studies
0 67
Case Study 1: M ami ho use
0 89
Case Study 2: Ce dar Clad Hou se
195
Interview w ith Light Gauge Steel Manufac turer
214
Chapter 5: A nalys is
217
Lo gis tic s
222
Tem perature
224
Sunshine
1 13
Pro p o s a l B u d g e t House Design
Case Study 3: M i ma H o use
1 37
226
Rainfall
039
C h a p t e r 2: Wa y s t o S ave on Design
Case Study 4: M uj i Vertic al Hou se
228
P lo t Lim its
1 47
Case Study 5: E ddi ’s Ho use
231
Pro po sed Area Table
041
Material of Co n s t r u c t ion
1 74
C hapter 4: I nte rvi ew s
233
Bubble Diagram
045
Li g h t G a uge St e e l Fra mi n g
1 77
234
055
Pre c a s t Co n c re t e
I nte rvi ew wi th Prec ast Con cre te M anu f ac turer
Chapter 6: Des ign O utc o me
247
Des ign O ptio ns
033
CONTENTS
ON
pg. 6
NE
pg. 7
CHAPTER 1
pg. 8
INTRO
pg. 9
INTRODUCTION
pg. 10
ABST RACT
Some families build an extra floor for their children to live in temporarily after marriage until they find their own housing, another solution is to rent a floor from a family that owns a house. Very rarely would you find newlyweds living in apartment buildings since they are seen as housing for expats in Kuwait. The government tries to help the citizens in some way, it is well known that every new family will be looking for a new house as soon as they
get married. The government offers Kuwaiti ci tizens two options available right after marriage, either to receive a government house, or get
a housing loan of 70,000KD (850,000AED) with no interest and a lifetime to pay back in minimal increments. Although the government houses are in absolute poor shape, some Kuwaitis prefer to receive a house to live in, and currently might not be the best solution, since the waitlist for a government house has reached 12-13 years after application. Kuwaitis right after marriage would look for a temporary house to live in until they can afford building the house that they would most likely spend the rest of their lives in. As a solution to that, I would like to propose designs for houses that are within the 70,000KD budget. These houses would be more like products than houses, where people may choose the house type, and then have a few options they may change within their budget.
pg. 11
As a Kuwaiti national, I would like to address an issue that every newlywed couple faces. In Kuwait, we live with our families until we get married, and then right after marriage, we are expected to find housing for ourselves.
DISCOVERED February 22nd, 1938, Oil was first discovered in the Burgan Fields of Kuwait. Fast forward ten years later, Kuwait started setting out welfare programs to support the Kuwaiti citizens. In 1950, the population of Kuwait was only a mere 152,250 citizens. Which is very little compared to the 1.2 million Kuwaitis that live in Kuwait right now. Kuwait started providing education, healthcare, public employment and housing to its nationals.
pg. 12
pg. 13
In December 1954, Kuwait decided that any married couple, that does not currently own any real estate may apply for a public house. The husband must be a Kuwaiti national, and would apply for a house that would be delivered as soon as it is done being constructed for him. When the law was first passed, there were 2000 applications of new marriages, which took the country 5 years to hand over houses for. This model was tested on five areas in Kuwait City and as soon as the construction of the houses was completed, they were distributed by the Kuwait Municipality to the head of the family, husband, or oldest male child in the case where the husband is no longer alive. In order to make things more controlled.
pg. 14
HOUSING
Population in Kuwait 1955-2015
4 3 2 1 0 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015
Kuwait created a State Property Department in 1958, and then a Housing Committee in 1958. The State Property Department was responsible for distributing the public houses and to make sure that the applicant are eligible for the public house. The Housing Committee was then established to take care of the distribution, which also led to the establishment of Housing Distribution Committee which was formed by local members and tasked to distribute and assign the government housing to the Kuwaiti nationals.
pg. 15
Population (millions)
5
1MILLION
pg. 16
pg. 17
Now moving to 2013, For the first time in Kuwait history, there are 100,000 pending housing applications. During that time, Kuwait ’s population has hit the 1 million mark and is growing extremely rapidly. Not only that, but more than half of the population are still younger than 25. That means there will be a surge in the housing applications that the country can not keep up with. The 2013 Parliament has stated that the housing crises should be the main concern and the problem should be tackled as soon as possible. “ The cabinet needs to put forward improved solutions with a timetable, and the government has sufficient finances to solve this problem.� Said Marzouq Alghanim, the parliament speaker during the national assembly opening.
The next Parliament was in 2016, where the housing crisis is still among the top priorities of the country. “ The ministry can’t work on covering the housing needs alone, private sector must collaborate with public sector.” Said Yasser Abel, the Kuwaiti Minister of Housing. With efforts from both sectors, Abel expected the housing crisis to end by 2020. And now with 2020 just around the corner, The housing crisis still exists, and many Kuwaiti families are forced to wait 13-18 years before receiving their public house.
pg. 18
CRISIS
It is extremely clear that there is an exponential growth in the number of applications. This said, the exponential growth follows the rate of the growth of the population. With reference to the chart on the previous page, it becomes clear that the problem exists within The Public Authority of Housing Welfare (PAHW). The number of units provided is not following the rate of growth that was presented by the population and number of applicants. This has also led to increased pressure on PAHW to construct houses in a quicker manner. Under the increased load of pressure, PAHW have cut down on costs of contractors and designers, and have started building houses as cheap and quick as possible.
pg. 20
GROWTH
pg. 21
Low quality public house
Low quality interiors of the public house
Low quality exteriors of the public house
Q L
pg. 22
T he houses being provided have reached a state of what I would like to call need for a house basis. To further clarify, Only the less fortunate that really need a house to live in would accept the quality that is being provided. Most other families are either renting the house out or selling it since it is not a house that they would like to live in.
pg. 23
QUA LITY
pg. 24
Al Sa waber Comp lex
Another Alternative that was experimented with was apartment living. The Housing Law at first stated that each Kuwaiti family would be provided a single family detached house. But later on, when the population began growing tremendously, the government experimented with building apartment buildings to give to Kuwaitis that are on the application list. In 1981 Kuwait Constructed Al Sawaber Complex, designed by the famous Canadian architect and urban planner Arthur Erikson.
pg. 25
EXPERIMENT
Al Sawaber Complex render
DENSITY pg. 26
wanted to deal with. The other major problem is that the Kuwaitis did not want to stay in apartments. It is not seen as prestigious as living in a single family detached home. To this day, you would rarely find Kuwaitis living in apartment buildings, which are seen as a form of expat living. “Social expectations mean many Kuwaitis prefer living in houses or villas within Kuwait City and the immediate area - not high rises in outlying, more remote regions slated for future development �, noted the Oxford Business Group, in a study of the Kuwait housing crisis.
pg. 27
This was a high density complex, one of the first of its kind in Kuwait. Al Sawaber Complex housed 33 buildings with a total of 520 apartments. On paper, This sounds like a perfect way to supply enough housing to the rising amount of applicants yearly, but soon after some problems emerged. At first, some group of Kuwaitis accepted the apartment in order to avoid the wait for years, but little did they know, like the houses, the apartments did not include maintenance from the govern ment. When it is a house tha t you own, maintaining it a nd keeping it up to shape is not usually a problem that people would worry about. However, a slowly deteriorating building was not something that an apartment owner
HOUSING
HOUSING LOANS
pg. 28
Earlier on I have mentioned that a Kuwaiti that owns land, or real estate is not entitled to a public house. But this Kuwaiti is entitled to something else. As soon as you have a piece of land under your name that is ready for construction, you are entitled to a 70,000KD (850,000AED) loan from the government. This loan is an interest free loan that is paid back over 30 years. Which means the monthly payments are a little less
pg. 29
than only 200KD (2,400AED) per month.
pg. 30
pg. 31
Many think th at the loan from the government is a joke, and i t does not even cover the cost of construction nowadays. I, on the other hand, would like to tackle this issue differently.
pg. 32
WITH BUD
Why not design houses that could be built within this budget? The current norm in Kuwait is to to take the 70,000KD and add it to already saved up sums, and then construct a house. I believe a budget based design can achieve the Kuwaiti living standards. With this design I am targeting the middle class Kuwaiti. The one that usually wants to build a house but needs to save money to add to the 70,000KD. With this model, the said client does not need to wait to save, I would like to design houses that meet the budget of only 70,000KD.
pg. 33
HIN DGET
In order to do so, I am planning of introducing a new way of house construction to Kuwait. A type that exists in other more developed countries, but is not commonly made in this region yet. I believe that the house will sooner or later be a product that a person can buy, and not just something to design then build. My ultimate goal, is to have a showroom where the client can walk in and take a look at the different houses offered for sale, and then just like a car showroom, the client could customize the house by adding, or removing options. After that, the house would be manufactured for the client and shipped to the site where it is put together. In this case I would assume that the plot of land is 400 meters squared. Most of the properties owned b y middle class Kuwaitis range from 300-400 meters squared. Also, the public houses provided by the government are usually in that range.
pg. 34
By creating houses with a similar base, I believe that the learning curve for the laborers should be fairly easy to cross, and thus reduce time and cost to construct in the future. Also, working with the same manufacturers for the materials used in these houses should help to cut costs by bargaining better deals as a return customer.
pg. 35
A NEW WAY O F HOUSE CONSTRUCTION
TW
pg. 36
WO pg. 37
CHAPTER 2
pg. 38
COST SAVING
pg. 39
COST SAVING TECHNIQUES
There are many ways to cut costs when it comes to house design and construction. First, there should always be a smaller footprint for the floor plan, that would reduce all of the costs all around. An advantage that I have, are the small plots that we have in Kuwait. With plots of 400 meters squared, we have already begun the cost saving process. The next big cost is the material used for construction. Most of the cost goes down to supplies and finishes. So for the material I will further research materials that help cut cost, and time of co nstruction, which in return saves money on the labor. Some of the best solutions that I have come across are light gauge steel framed houses, and pre cast concrete houses. In both cases the construction cost is much less than the typical cast in place concrete, or with the use of co ncrete masonry units. Both of the more traditional methods require more time to co nstruct, and thus more cost on manual labor.
pg. 40
pg. 41
SIMPLE + EFFICIEN T
Precast concrete house
Light gauge steel framing
pg. 42
The choice of the finishes also plays a big role with the overall cost of the project. By guiding clients and selecting materials that cost less, there could be more room in the budget for other
designs. Some clients might also prefer raw finished, or unfinihsed-like construction, like installing cement boards for the walls, and then just adding a coat of protection leaving them exposed.
Finally, These projects are designed for newlywed couples. The basic needs for a newlywed family would be a master bedroom, living and dining areas, one or two extra bedrooms for future children, and a maids quarter. By sticking to the needs of a new family and trying to avoid the wants, I will be able to propose a design that could meet the budget of 70,000KD.
pg. 43
Another important factor, from an architectural point of view, is to keep the plans simple and efficient. By doing so, we could save money from the contractors that would not charge extra for the intricate designs.
pg. 44
LIGHT GAUGE
pg. 45
LIGHT GAUGE STEEL FRAMING
Light gauge steel framin g
pg. 46
pg. 47
For the first option for construction, I have proposed light gauge steel framing. Light gauge steel framing is fairly new in Kuwait. There are many advantages when designing with light gauge steel. Light gauge steel is known to be very precise, since all of the steel comes out of the factory with the correct sizing, emitting the chance of human error. This removes any inaccuracies at the site, since the steel is manufactured based on the specifications that are provided.
It is also well known that this type of steel is very light, which in return makes it very easy to transport and put together. I have used the term put together instead of construct, because the light gauge steel comes in a kit, with every piece numbered and assigned to a specific location in the house. After it is transported to the site, the contractor follows a manual showing which piece goes where, and then attaches it with rivets, much like a product bought from Ikea.
pg. 48
pg. 49
Light gauge steel wall
Light gauge steel rivets
pg. 50
pg. 51
It is easy to transport because heavy machinery is not needed on the site, the steel frames are easily carried by the laborers, and then held in place until they are connected to the other parts with the rivets. The rivets hold the steel in place without the need of any additional welding. Using light gauge steel framing as a source of construction could be a really good idea to keep it simple, and also good for manufacturing multiple versions of the same villa.
This type of construction is very similar to the typical wood construction currently used mostly around the world. It follows the same system of having studs and gypsum for walls, which could potentially save on the construction cost.
pg. 52
pg. 53
Light gauge steel house
pg. 54
PRECAST
pg. 55
PRECAST CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
Precast concrete walls
pg. 56
pg. 57
The other method that I am also researching is the use of precast concrete. Precast concrete is also another non traditional form of construction in the Kuwaiti market. It has been widely available for some time now, more than the light gauge steel framing.
Precast concrete factory
pg. 58
pg. 59
It saves on costs because on site poured concrete requires numerous workers, machinery, equipment, and vehicles to be available on site, most that would not be needed when the concrete is precast. Precast concrete is also more efficient, since it does not require concrete sample testing on site, nor does the climate effect the curing process. Precast concrete is made by pouring the concrete in a previously shaped mold, that could be later used again to cast concrete. By keeping panels with the same sizes, the molds could be reused indefinitely saving the cost of creating new molds. The precast panels come ready to install and do not need roughly a month to cure like regular concrete does.
According to the journal of construction engineering, “precast concrete slabs were 23.22% cheaper than cast in place concrete construction and precast columns were 21.4% cheaper than cast in place concrete construction.� And according to Home Advisor, precast concrete stairs cost one third the cost of cast in place stairs.
pg. 60
pg. 61
One interesting advantage that I have found in Kuwait that light gauge steel framing has and is not mentioned with the companies that produced precast concrete is that the light gauge steel framing has a 25 year warranty on all the steel produced from the manufacturer. This is a great advantage for newlyweds that do not want to worry about additional costs that might arise after construction. The typical warranty in Kuwait for regular construction is usually one year after completion.
pg. 62
pg. 63
ADV ANT AGE
THR
pg. 64
REE 3
pg. 65
CHAPTER
pg. 66
CASE STUDY 1: MAMI HOUSE
pg. 67
CASE STUDY
This house has a design brief that similarly follows my design ideas. The couple that have hired the architect Jose Carlos Nunes de Oliveira requested a single family detached house with a budget of 100,000 Euros. This project is very similar to my goals in the sense that it followed a budgeted design. This project is located in Matosinhos, outside Porto, Portugal. The site is also a challenging one, since it was shaped like a slice of pizza.
pg. 68
pg. 69
Simple cube exterior
Raw finishes to save on costs
pg. 70
pg. 71
In order to tackle this challenge, the architect decided to go with a cuboid shape to keep the costs of construction minimal. Also, the finishes were kept as simple as possible. The exterior was kept as bare concrete that was coated with grey render. On the interior, The concrete floors were left unfinished. The architect also tried to minimize the use of partitions, as the less the partitions used, the lower the cost of construction. For this project, the plan followed a 9x9m grid, which is one of the most efficient dimensions that could be followed when designing with concrete.
Another interesting aspect of this project is that the architect did not want the house to look cheap. A big chunk of the budget went into the addition of large windows that would help the aesthetic of the house, and also allow natural light into the house. In some cases, like the front door, the large window had a double function, in this case as an entrance to the building, and also a window to let in the light.
pg. 72
pg. 73
Large windows took a lump of the budget in exchange for natural light
pg. 74
pg. 75
This project was built with 196 meters squared, which is half of the area that I am looking to design for. Following the design process of this project, I believe that it is possible to create a project that is twice the size of this house if provided twice the budget. 200,000 Euros would still be enough to fund a project that is twice the size of this one.
SITE PLAN / GROUND FLOOR
pg. 76
pg. 77
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
pg. 78
pg. 79
BOUNDRY VS CORE
pg. 80
pg. 83
CIRCULATION
pg. 84
pg. 87
pg. 88
CASE STUDY 2: CEDAR CLAD HOUSE pg. 89
CASE STUDY
The Cedar Clad house was a project for the Graduate Students of the Yale University. The students were tasked to design and build a contemporary house for a low income neighborhood. The main goal of this project was to provide affordable houses for the neighborhoods in New Haven, Connecticut, near the Yale campus. The students were asked to design a house that covers 93 square meters with a construction budget of 130,000 Dollars.
pg. 90
pg. 91
Cedar Clad House
Building core for the villa
pg. 92
pg. 93
The intriguing part of this project was the core. The property was built around a multifunctional core that housed the utilities and stairs, making the core very efficient and leaving room for an open space around it. “ The core is essentially a wooden box inserted into the centre of the home. It shields the kitchen and the living room on the first floor from a highly exposed street corner.�
This project got the 2015 Award of Merit for Student design, and is clearly a very good model to study for a kit house. I have found that this project is very similar to the Mami House in the sense that both projects look for multifunctional purposes for different characteristics in the house, and also both leave the materials mostly unfinished to cut on costs.
pg. 94
pg. 95
Multiple function spaces
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
pg. 96
pg. 97
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
pg. 98
pg. 99
SECTION
pg. 100
pg. 101
BOUNDRY VS CORE
pg. 102
pg. 105
CIRCULATION
pg. 106
pg. 109
AREA ANALYSIS
pg. 110
FU NCTI ON
M²
L I VI NG R OOM
29
K I TC HE N / D I NI NG
22
G U E ST B ATHR OOM
03
W OR K SPAC E / LOU NG E
34
MASTE R B E D R OOM
20
B E D R OOM 2
18
B E D R OOM 3
18
B ATHR OOM
08
C I R C U L ATI ON
34
186
pg. 111
TOTAL
pg. 112
CASE STUDY 3: MIMA HOUSE pg. 113
CASE STUDY
MIMA House
pg. 114
pg. 115
MIMA house is a little different than the other houses that I have included in my research. This house is a fully modular house. Instead of giving the client options before construction, the client is left with the options after the construction is complete. This house was built on a modular grid, in which partitions may be inserted by the client to create rooms on the interior. If the client would like a completely open plan, the whole house could be open on the inside.
If the client wants to separate the house into rooms, The whole house could be divided into smaller rooms. The modularity does not include the interior only. The exterior of the house is made of glass panels, that each have a plywood board that could be fit into the windows to create walls. The Main entrance to the house is also one of the glass panels, that could be covered with plywood to make it a more traditional door.
pg. 116
pg. 117
Rails throughout the house to add walls
Windows may be replaced for doors
pg. 118
pg. 119
Although this house is much smaller than the others that were included in this research, it follows the same design principles. It has become clear that the main goal to follow in order to achieve a more affordable house is simplicity. By combining simplicity, multifunctionalism, and good choice of materials, it is possible to construct a house within the budget that could be afforded by the client.
FLOOR PLAN
pg. 120
pg. 121
BOUNDRY VS CORE
pg. 122
pg. 123
pg. 124
pg. 125
SECTION
pg. 126
pg. 127
ADDITIONAL DIAGRAMS
pg. 128
pg. 129
CIRCULATION
pg. 130
pg. 131
pg. 132
pg. 133
MODULARITY
pg. 134
Simple to operate
pg. 135
Simple installation can be done by owners
pg. 136
CASE STUDY
pg. 137
CASE STUDY 4: MUJI VERTICAL HOUSE
Muji Tall House
pg. 138
pg. 139
Muji is a Japanese company founded in 1980 by Mujirushi Ryohin. The brand name translates to “no-brand quality goods�. It is a company known for wide variety of products which include but are not limited to apparel, household goods, and food. Recently Muji started selling full houses in kits that could be ordered from magazines, fairly similar to the idea that I would like to introduce to Kuwait.
What Muji did differently is that it offered houses that are designed by architects, and could be edited and changed by the clients upon order. In this sense, Muji changed the kit house game, by making them designed kit homes, with the functional and aesthetics that the clients are looking for.
pg. 140
pg. 141
Wall s only installed where needed to save costs
Materials tha t were chosen are very affordable in Japan
pg. 142
pg. 143
Looking at the larger kit houses that Muji offers, they are all priced around the 200,000 dollar price mark. Which is still within my budget. What I have found also interesting is that the Muji houses focus on the necessities of a family, and also offer houses with no walls in the interior to be able to save money on that end, to offer the client more options on another end.
I believe that Muji has kit houses that are the most similar to the design outcomes that I am looking for w ithin my design. In both cases, the end result is a kit house that could be picked from existing models that were designed by architects, and then can also be edited by the end user before the installation.
pg. 144
pg. 145
pg. 146
CASE STUDY 5: EDDI’S HOUSE pg. 147
CASE STUDY
Eddi’s House
pg. 148
pg. 149
Another house that I would like to add to my collection of case studies is Eddi’s House. Named after the nickname of the architect Edward Suzuki. Eddi’s House is also short for Edward Daiwa-house Design Innovation. This was the first of its kind; a house designed by an architect and then mass produced by a known prefabrication company. In this case, Suzuki was the first to design a house that would not rely on site conditions, or client expectations, but a house that would satisfy most people. These designs were later implemented by Daiwa to mass produce and make available to the public.
Edward Suzuki was the first to start this movement, not only in Japan, but in the world. This was later followed by Muji, Ikea, and many global brands. The house was designed in such a way that the exterior did not matter, it has its own courtyard, and balcony overlooking the courtyard, so no matter what conditions the site might have, the client can always enjoy their own outdoor space.
pg. 150
pg. 151
Courtyard
Plenty of natural light
pg. 152
This house carries many different and interesting aspects. An example of that would be the amount
pg. 153
of natural light inside the house. This house does not have many windows, or rather large sized windows, but the amount of natural light inside is incredible. The architect was able to do that by having a courtyard in the center of the house, with all the rooms and functions overlooking that courtyard to let in enough light. Other that that, the living room features a double height, allowing more light to come in to the space without the need of really big windows that would add to the cost of the house. These designs not only allow for natural daylight, but also a great way to promote natural cross ventilation within this house, Which in Japan would be a really good feature compared to their weather.
Eddi’s House only marked the start of this architects designs for prefabricated houses. Suzuki went on to creat e six different essential assortments with sixty nine varieties to suite different site conditions.
pg. 154
pg. 155
Variation of Eddi House
Double height living space
pg. 156
pg. 157
In 2010 Suzuki won the “International Architecture Award� from Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, and The European Centre of Architecture, Art Design and Urban Studies.
This is also the only house to be featured in my study where the core is not located in the center of the house. It has been proven time and again that having the core in the c enter greatly decreases the c osts of the house structurally and with MEP. In this case, the architect accepted the additional costs that might come with moving the core aw ay from the c enter, but also thought that having an open court in the center is wor th more than the savings.
pg. 158
pg. 159
Stairs and lighting
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
pg. 160
pg. 161
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
pg. 162
pg. 163
SECTION
pg. 164
pg. 165
BOUNDRY VS CORE
pg. 166
pg. 167
pg. 168
pg. 169
CIRCULATION
pg. 170
pg. 171
pg. 172
pg. 173
FO
pg. 174
UR
pg. 175
CHAPTER 4
pg. 176
INTERVIEW pg. 177
INTERVIEW WITH PRE CAST CONCRETE MANUFACTURER
pg. 178
precast concrete elements ranging from pipes, post tensioned beams, pre stressed beams, piles, fascia panels, columns, dolloses, beams, roof units, floor units, walls, and other units as per the design and specification of the client.
They have created for themselves a niche in the precast concrete market and are one of the leading companies in Kuwait with four decades of experience. The Precast factory on its own is spread over an area of 100,000 meters squared producing a high capacity of
During my visit to the factories at Recafco, I had the pleasure of meeting with and interviewing U. Suresh Kumar the Technical Manager of the precast concrete Plant, and Ravindran the Tendering Specialist.
pg. 179
Recafco is a Kuwaiti Share Holding Company incorporated in 1976. It undertakes mega projects on turn key basis. Recafco is known for Civil Infrastructure Projects with the Central Agency for Public Tenders in Kuwa it.
?
What makes you different than the traditional construction?
pg. 180
pg. 181
Time. The time it takes us to build a villa does not compare to traditional construction. In a regular villa, each round of slab and columns will take at least one month to construct. So a g+2 villa will need a minimum of 3 months just to get the skeleton ready. While with precast, once the foundation is ready, we are ready to put in place the whole villa in one go, usually in less than a month.
?
What advantages do you have over the traditional construction?
pg. 182
pg. 183
The amount of work is almost the same for cast in situ construction, and precast. The main difference is that we do it at a factory and not on site. The laborers needed are the same, and will most do the same jobs. But in a factory, man power will never be idle. On site once a laborer installs a column or rebar, he has to wait for the next slab to be done before he could do his job again.
?
What are your disadvantages over traditional construction?
pg. 184
pg. 185
The equipment needed. In the traditional construction, all they need on site is a concrete pump, the rest we do not consider as heavy equipment. For us, We need lots of transport vehicles and cranes to move the precast concrete.
?
Do your mrethods save on the costs of construction?
pg. 186
pg. 187
If you believe that time is money, then precast will save you money. But, realistically speaking, the costs in the end for a villa would be very similar, only the time is what will be a major difference.
?
What if the panels were the same size, wouldn’t that save on the costs?
pg. 188
pg. 189
This all depends on a balance. If you have a single element, that is not repeated in the villa, the cost for creating the mold for it would be expensive. If you have an element that is repeated enough, the cost of the mold would dissipate over time. But if you have elements that are repeated too much, there would be additional costs since a single mold would not be enough in this case.
?
How would you compare concrete construction to steel construction?
pg. 190
pg. 191
In steel there is noise. If anyone moves in the building, you could hear it from the next room. You could theoretically add sound insulation, but that would be an additional expenditure. With concrete, this happens on its own. Concrete is a sound resistant material, you would not hear the noises transfered though concrete like you would with steel.
?
What would be the most effective way to reduce costs in design for a villa?
pg. 192
pg. 193
It all depends on the spans and depths. If you have a long span, but high ceilings, you would not have an issue installing large beams. But when you are limited in the height, you will be forced to use pre stressed concrete for the beams which would cost more.
pg. 194
INTERVIEW pg. 195
INTERVIEW WITH LIGHT GAUGE STEEL MANUFACTURER
MGO Premium
pg. 196
gauge steel. Abdulghafoor also enlightened me with a lot of products that the company offer than may help with reducing costs when designed correctly. During our meeting, I also met Khalid, the structural engineer, and Naema.
pg. 197
MGO Premium is one of the leading companies in Kuwait that buil ds houses with light gauge steel framing. They also have the first magnesium boards factory in the middle east. At the time of my meeting, I got to meet Dr. Faisal Abdulghafoor the CEO of this company. He took time out of his day to help explain how light gauge structures work and how to help save on costs by using light
?
How would you compare your type of construction with the traditional construction in Kuwait?
pg. 198
pg. 199
The conventional construction is outdated. Our work is much more advanced for this much more advanced world. We do not waste so much concrete when constructing, nor do we have any room for error. Traditional construction in Kuwait is a dump of money for no reason.
?
What advantages do you have over the conventional construction?
pg. 200
pg. 201
In our field, If you use the good quality machines in your factories, there is no room for error. When designing the structural drawings of the building, the applications that we use, ‘Framecad’ and ‘Detailer ’, do not let us upload the files to the machine for production if there is any mistake in the drawings. This completely eliminates human error. Other than the design part, construction is fairly simple, all we need is a slab on grade, and then we connect the cold formed steel (light gauge steel) to the slab without the need of heavy machinery on site. Also, our floor decking system is composed of snap in steel decks, eliminating the need for any screws to join decking sheets. All it takes is a light tap and the decks snap onto each other, then you could pour in the mortar and include whatever finish you desire.
?
What are your disadvantages over traditional construction?
pg. 202
pg. 203
I do not see any disadvantages over the traditional construction, If anything can be done with the traditional construction, we can make it better.
?
Do your methods save on the costs of construction?
pg. 204
pg. 205
Of course. Our methods take away all the extra concrete that would be used in the regular construction. In fact, for the same price, We could construct all the structural parts and MEP, while with traditional construction, that would be the price for just the columns and slabs.
?
Many people have concerns, one of them is the noise that could be transferred through walls and floors of the steel construction, how do you tackle that?
pg. 206
pg. 207
In MGO Premium, We like to use cement boards for interior and exterior walls. If a client would like more sound insulation, We also have a cellular concrete factory, where we will fill the cavities of the walls with cellular concrete, increasing the sound insulation of the wall, or floor.
?
What about thermal insulation?
pg. 208
pg. 209
For thermal insulation, the best option that we provide, is using magnesium boards for the exterior of the house. Magnesium boards are rated as the best insulators in the market, which is the best option for the heat in the Kuwaiti summer.
?
I have realized that you own many technologically advanced construction methods, what else do you do that we have not mentioned yet?
pg. 210
We own the worlds best rated steel connectors. These connectors are used to connect steel to steel, or steel to concrete for the ground slab. We also manufacture GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) rebars. These rebars cost less than steel, are 8 times stronger, and cannot rust. We prefer using them with the slab on grade over the more traditional steel
pg. 211
method.
?
What are points to avoid within my designs to save on the costs of construction?
pg. 212
pg. 213
The most important part to avoid is the use of arches, whether for hallways or windows, manufacturing an arch out of steel costs much more than a regular rectangle. The next thing to look out for are the spans. For the most cost effective design, stick to spans under 8x8. You may go up to 12x12 with the steel construction without the need for any additional support, but once you pass the 12m mark, you will need a hot rolled beam to support your structure, which in return would allow you to go up to a 24m long open span space.
F I
pg. 214
V E 5
pg. 215
CHAPTER
pg. 216
LOG I S T ICS
pg. 217
LOGISTICS
COMPARE
Another part that I wanted to look into was the comparing logistics in steel and concrete factories in Kuwait. In the map on the next page, the solid lines point to the steel factory, and the dashed lines point to the concrete factory. The areas are close to each other, concrete factories are only a 10 minute drive aw ay from the steel factories. pg. 218
The main area to check is Kuwait city, which is only a 30-40 minute drive away
from these factories. The next 2 points would be Al mutlaa which is above Al Jahra, and Khiran. The factories are centered between these two cities which are being constructed right now and w ill form the newest residential cities in Kuwait. A drive to any of these two cities takes roughly one hour from any of the factories. I have also added Boubyan Island, since Boubyan is part of the Kuwait vision 2035, in the near future there will
be a lot of construction in Boubyan. Boubyan takes an hour and a half to get to from the factories. Since Kuwait is really small, shipping and transporting should not be considered as part of the costs research since the longest trip would be an hour and a half away.
STEEL FACTORY CONCRETE FACTORY
pg. 219
pg. 220
C L I MATE
pg. 221
CLIMATE ANALYSIS
TEMPERATURE MAXIMUM
70
MINIMUM
60
Degrees (Celcius)
50 40 30 20 10 pg. 222
0 JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
pg. 223
Kuwait is quite unique with its weather. It is the world’s hottest country, and the coolest country during winter in the GCC. The highest temperature ever recorded was 68 degrees Celsius last Ramadan. Usual summers, the temperature goes up to 63-65 during August. Kuwait is also the only country in the GCC that has temperatures below 0, as the temperature could drop to -4 in winter. Another unique aspect is that Kuwait has the largest maximum and minimum temperature difference in the world, as the temperature could change 72 degrees from summer to winter. Thermal insulation is crucial in Kuwait, and the use of light colors is always highly recommended.
SUNSHINE
12
Sunshine (hours)
10 8 6 4 2 pg. 224
0 JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
pg. 225
According to the statistics recorded by Weather and Climate, Kuwait has a total of 3002 annual hours of sunshine. July and August have very long days which help keep the weather warm even at night. December and January do not get as much daylight, which in return, allow for some cooler months of the year.
RAINFALL
Precipitation (mm)
50 40 30 20 10 pg. 226
0 JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
pg. 227
Kuwait is the second most country in the region when comparing annual rainfall. The average precipitation is 100mm of rain per year. Once every about five years, Kuwait gets a really heavy rain season. 2018 marked the last heavy season with a total precipitation of 600mm. The rain in 2018 was record breaking in Kuwait as there was a single day with over 200mm of precipitation on its own. Rainwater drainage is important in Kuwait, especially in cases where there is a basement included in the design.
The t ypical plots provided by the government for the public houses are 400m². For the purpose of this project, as mentioned before, I am assuming the same size for the plots owned by newlyweds. Not only because the government provides plots of this size, but also because this size is the most affordable for the newlyweds. Most typical plots in Kuwait are around
15-16m x 25-26m. When a plot has a more unique shape, it could cost more as it is more desirable by Kuwaitis, therefor, I will not take more expensive plots into consideration. For this project, I am assuming the plot size to be 15x25m. Some restrictions are set by the municipality, there is a 2.5m setback on the front of the house where the road is, and a 1.5m setback on all
other sides where neighbors are located. The height of the entire building should not exceed 18m. Plots in Kuwait are also all flat, So terrain is not a variable to be considered in this project.
pg. 228
PLOT LIMITS
400m²
2.5m setback
pg. 229
Typical Plot Size
1.5m setback
1.5m setback
1.5m setback
PROPOSED AREA TABLE
pg. 230
Area (m ² )
D ime nsions (m)
Li v i n g Ro om
64
8x8
M a s t e r B e droom
64
8x8
B e d ro o m 2
25
5x5
B e d ro o m 3
25
5x5
B e d ro o m 4
25
5x5
M a i d s Q u arte rs
64
8x8
Co u r t y a rd (G F)
10 0
10x10
Co u r t y a rd (F1 )
10 0
10x10
Wa h s ro o m
9
3x3
B a t h ro o m 1
16
4x4
B a t h ro o m 2
16
4x4
B a t h ro o m 3
16
4x4
B a t h ro o m 4
16
4x4
M a s t e r B athroom
25
5x5
Ki t c h e n
25
5x5
St o ra g e
25
5x5
G a ra g e
36
6x6
C i rc u l a t i on
10 0
N/A
To ta l
75 1
N/A
pg. 231
F U N CT IO N
BUBBLE DIAGRAM
pg. 232
BATH 3 BEDROOM 3
BATH 2
BATH 5
BEDROOM 2 BATH 1
LIVING ROOM BEDROOM 1
BATH 4 BATH 6
COURTYARD GF MASTER BEDROOM
KITCHEN STORAGE
MAIDS QUARTERS
GARAGE
pg. 233
COURTYARD F1
S I
pg. 234
I X 6
pg. 235
CHAPTER
pg. 236
pg. 237
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
MAGNESIUM OXIDE BOARDS
pg. 238
strengths and densities depending on the intended usage. In my case, I would like to use this material as the exterior cladding of the buildings. The Magnesium Boards can be backed with fiberglass to insure water tightness with no paper. The price of these boards is he same as the cement boards made from Portland cement but with the added benefit of the water resistance. The boards also play a major role in thermal insulation as you could hold a blow torch to one side of the board, and place your hand on the other side without feeling the heat transfer.
pg. 239
Magnesium Oxide Boards are used as part of a cement mixture that is t hen cast into panels, or boards. There are many uses for the Magnesium Oxide Boards that include fire resistance, mold and mildew control, sound insulation, and thermal insulation. The boards can be used in place of cement and gypsum boards, in walls or ceilings. The boards vary in sizes and thicknesses, and come in white, beige, or light grey. Numerous versions of value and grade are available including smooth, rough, utility, and versatile grades. They also come in different
CELLULAR CONCRETE
pg. 240
exterior wall, the concrete helps with the thermal insulation of the house. On the other hand, when placed in the interior walls of the house, the concrete is used as sound insulation. By using this type of concrete with the light weight steel, no additional support is needed for the walls, as this type of concrete is extremely light.
pg. 241
Cellular Concret e is a mixture of Portland cement, preformed foam , and water. The foam is placed to create air voids that aid in insulation and to make the product lightweight. This concrete mixture can be used anywhere in the house with blocks that are manufactured to fit in between studs of the steel structure. When placed in an
Other than the 70,000KD that are provided as a loan from the government, every Kuwaiti is entitled about 30,000KD (350,000 AED) Subsidy for ev ery villa they intend to build throughout their lives. The 30,000KD is divided into different categories and received as raw material. For example, 8,460KD are for Concrete. The table on the next page will explain the amount subsidized by the government for every material, and with my interviews with contractors and meetings, I have put together how much material will be provided by the government.
pg. 242
M a te r i a l
Amount (KD)
Rate in KD /U nit
U nit
Quantity
Rea d y M i x Co n c re te
8,46 0
27
c ub.mt
313.33
H o l l o w B l o c k C MU
1,92 0
3.75
s q.m t
512
1,75 0
4.75
s q.m t
368.42
Ce m e n t ( 5 0 KG B ag)
2,04 0
1.25
Bag
1,632
Rei n f o rc e m e n t Ste e l
9,01 5
165
To n
54.64
Wa te r Pro o f i n g
1,50 0
2
s q.m t
750
A /C ( S p l i t U n i t s )
5,00 0
-
-
-
Tot a l
29 ,6 85
(2 0 0 m m )
L i g h t We i g h t B l ock (i n s u l a t e d - 2 0 0 mm)
pg. 243
M e m b ra n e
When constructing with light gauge steel, All of the parts are manufactured in the factory and then shipped to the construction site. In the site, the building is assembled by looking at the drawings, which is very similar to an Ikea catalog. All of the steel part s have engraved codes on them. The contractor looks at the plans, selects a piece to start with, and then with the plans can figure out which piece goes where and assembles to what.
pg. 244
pg. 245
pg. 246
pg. 247
DESIGN OPTIONS
The first option that I have experimented with designing is to have a house that makes the most of the small plot that it will be situated on. Another aspect that I did not want to lose is outdoor space, as the cooler months of Kuwait are great for being outdoors. In order to achieve that, I have included a large terrace in the front of the house, where the c lient may be able to use as an outdoor seating area.
pg. 248
pg. 249
The second option that I came up with is the dual courtyard version. In this version, the house seems to be sliced into sections, with courtyards in between. This way, the house will benefit from a lot of natural lighting and ventilation, while still being able to have lots of outdoor space for the clients to enjoy.
pg. 250
pg. 251
The t hird option incorporates a few of the ideas that I see are necessary for a house. This house includes two front yards, and two back yards on the ground level. In order to bring back the traditional courtyard found in the old Kuwaiti designs, I have included a courtyard in the upper floor that would aid in the ventilation and lighting for that floor, while still keeping it very private and would most likely be used by the owners of the house and not the guests.
pg. 252
pg. 253
pg. 254
pg. 255
The fourth option is what got me to the idea that I would like to pursue for my final design project. In this option, this is a house perfectly designed to avoid the harsh sunlight and heat when placed on a plot facing south. With that in mind, I would like to come up with four different villa models. Each model designed specifically for a different orientation, Facing North, South, East, or West. I have come to notice that sun orientation is almost never taken into account when designing in Kuwait. Because of that, I would like to have four options for clients, with each option targeting a different orientation for the plot.
Citation Alsammarae, Rima. “Historic Kuwait Landmark Al-Sawaber Faces Imminent Demolition.” Middle East Architect, Middle East Architect, 14 Jan. 2019, www. middleeastarchitect.com/41912-historic-kuwait-landmark-al-sawaber-faces-imminentdemolition. Asamoah, et al. “Cost Analysis of Precast and Cast-in-Place Concrete Construction for Selected Public Buildings in Ghana.” Journal of Construction Engineering, Hindawi, 26 Oct. 2016, www.hindawi.com/journals/jcen/2016/8785129/. Alshalfan, Sharifah. The Right to Housing in Kuwait: An Urban Injustice in a Socially Just System. Sharifah Alshalfan, 2013, pp. 1–37, The Right to Housing in Kuwait: An Urban Injus tice in a Socially Just System. CAANdesign. “EDDI’s Prefab House by Edward Suzuki Associates - CAANdesign: Architecture and Home Design Blog.” CAANdesign, 17 Nov. 2015, www.caandesign.com/ eddis-prefab-house-by-edward-suzuki-associates/. Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey. “Inside Muji’s Beautiful, Affordable Prefab Houses.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo, 28 Oct. 2014, gizmodo.com/why-buying-entire-pre-designed-housescould-catch-on-in-1651115237. Concreteconstruction.net, www.concrete construction.net/concrete-productionprecast/what-is-cellular-concrete_o. Dave. “EDDI’s House by Edward Suzuki Associates.” Contemporary Modern Architecture Furniture Lighting Interior Design, 25 July 2010, www.contemporist.com/eddishouse-by-edward-suzuki-associates/. Frearson, Amy. “Mami House Is a ‘Mini Bunker ’ Built for a Couple on a Very Tight Budget.” Dezeen, Dezeen, 10 May 2017, www.de zeen.com/2017/05/09/mami-house-noarqlow-budget-concrete-home-portugal-mini-bunker-jose-carlos-nunes-de-oliveira-noarq/. Frearson, Amy. “MIMA House by MIMA Architects.” Dezeen, Dezeen, 8 Aug. 2016, www.dezeen.com/2011/12/14/mima-house-by-mima-architects/.
pg. 256
“House Ownership Rates on the Rise in Kuwait.” Oxford Business Group, 21 Aug. 2017, oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/dream-homes-sight-ownership-rates-rise-andmarket-prices-soften-first-time-years.
Khouja, M. W., and P. G. Sadler. “Socio-Economic Development.” The Economy of Kuwait, 1979, pp. 37–49., doi:10.1007/978-1-349-03500-7_4. “Kuwait: Addressing the Housing Shortage.” Oxford Business Group, 21 Aug. 2015, oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/kuwait-addressing-housing-shortage. Marsoos. “ ا لبناء با لحد يد ا لبار د.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/ watch?v=l0hLDggXFxM. McManus, David, and Isabelle Lomholt. “EDDI’S HOUSE - Industrialized Home Japan e-Arc hitect.” e, 10 Aug. 2018, www.e-architect.co.uk/japan/eddis-house. McKnight, Jenna. “ Yale Architecture Students Design an Affordable Housing Model.” Dezeen, Dezeen, 6 Nov. 2017, www.dezeen.com/ 2015/11/20/cedar-clad-house-jim-vlockbuilding-project-yale-school-of-architecture-students-affordable-housing-usa/. “Periclase.” Periclase: Mineral Information, Data and Localities., www.mindat.org/ min-3161.html. “Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100.” PopulationPyramid.net, www.populationpyramid.net/kuwait/1950/. “Public Authority for Housing Welfare :: About Us.” PAHW, www.pahw.gov.kw/About_en. Westall, Sylvia. “Housing Shortage Poses a Dilemma for Kuwait.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 29 Oct. 2013, uk.reuters.com/ article/uk-kuwait-economy-housingidUKBRE99S0SF20131029.
What Is MUJI, www.muji.com/us/about/?area=header.
“ الحديد: ” كونا. تقنية اقتصادية حديثة وسريعة في عالم البناء..)الحديد البارد (المجلفن 21/07/2019 - ا قتصا د- تقنية ا قتصا د ية حد يثة وسر يعة في عالم ا لبناء..)ا لبار د (ا لمجلفن, www.kuna. net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2810225&language=ar.
pg. 257
“ You Can Now Buy a Whole House from Muji for $234,000.” Stuff, www.stuff.co.nz/ life-style/home-property/72657163/.