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Connecting the Creative Industry Under One Umbrella
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YOURAOK NETWORK TALENTS/FIRMS/PRODUCTS
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Managing Director Communications Director Information Director Financial Director Guest Editor
Ruba AlSaleh Alia AlAzzeh Abdulaziz AlKandari Mohammed Al Roumi Sheikh Majed Al Sabah
Products Editor
Jawad Al Shakhs
Editorial Support
Noha Al Refaie Barrak Al Dakheel
Lead Developer Quality Control Senior Developer
Mohammed Mughrabi Tariq AlAbdulmohsen Abdulaziz AlFouderi
Event Team
Contributing Writers
Hamad Al-Khaleefi Samer Mohammed Zahraa Naseeb Thomas Modeen Qatar
Younes Duret Morocco
Bader Al Mansour Kuwait
Sara Saragoça Soares Portugal
Regional Correspondents
WTD Magazine UAE
Nuqat Middle East Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon
Corresponding Firms
URC
Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon
AGi
Kuwait, Spain
ESAS Architects Kuwait, Turkey
ArchJS Kuwait
Products Companies
Design Circle Baker Fendi Casa Roche Bobois
Contact for Distribution AOK Publishing
Jabir Al-Ahmed Street, Dirwaza 51 Tower T. (965) 9447.7391 E. info@youraok.net www.youraok.net
A Special Thank You United Real Estate Company Donald McPherson New York Waleed Shaalan Kuwait Michael Kubo Boston Front Cover Page Courtesy of TFK Back Cover Page Talent’s Portrait; Mohammed Sharaf Photography by: Khaled Alabdulghafour
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EDITORIAL
Guest Editor Sheikh Majed Al Sabah
DESIGN FIRMS
Interior Design The Fragrance Kitchen Sustainability Junoot Architecture S-Cube Chalet Product Design Younes Duret Product Design Cu3o Cabinet Urban Scene Reviving Kuwait City Sustainability Creative Mess Real Estate Al Jazi Housing
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/faisalthef /mohammedsharaf /warsheh /alimonguno
PRODUCTS Design Circle Baker Fendi Casa Roche Bobois April 21
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product design
real estate
sustainabiility
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STUDY & RESEARCH
Modern Kuwait: Modernization or Change Sara Saragoรงa Soares
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interior design
products
urban scene
research
architecture
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GUEST EDITOR
LOST
Lost I AM DELIGHTED TO BE INVITED AS ONE OF THE GUEST WRITERS FOR YOURAOK’S PUBLICATION AND I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF WHAT TO WRITE FOR MY FIRST PIECE; AND SO I WANT TO HAVE MY FIRST PIECE ENTITLED “LOST”. This word to me refers to my failure in saving one of the world’s iconic pieces of architecture in Tehran, Iran designed in 1960 by Gio Ponti. The Nemazee Family was one of the noble families of Iran with a vision of inviting Gio Ponti to design their private residence. Many years ago, I started my negotiations to take over this building and restore it as an art and lifestyle center but due to a lot of sensitive issues, I failed and it is now taken by an individual to be converted either into a private home or an office building. My worry is that it is rumored that the value of the land is so high that the owner might demolish the building for profit.
by Sheikh Majed Al Sabah
SHEIKH MAJED AL SABAH
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Photo Courtesy of TFK
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tfk by ArchJS Architects: ARCHJS, Jassim Al Shehab Architects Project name: TFK, The Fragrance Kitchen Location: Al Hamra Mall, Kuwait Project Year: 2012 Project Area: 60 sqm Photography: Nelson Garrido
JASSIM AL SHEHAB ARCHITECTS HAVE CREATED AN INNOVATIVE PERFUME HOUSE LOCATED IN KUWAIT’S PRESTIGIOUS SHOPPING DESTINATIONS, AL HAMRA MALL. THE FRAGRANCE KITCHEN, COMMONLY KNOWN AS ‘TFK’, IS A THOUGHT THROUGH CONCEPT AIMED TO ENHANCE THE TYPICAL RETAIL EXPERIENCE. THE JOURNEY OF THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE BEGINS AS IT CAPTIVATES THE CONSUMER WITH ITS MINIMAL AND DISCREET EXTERIOR APPEARANCE. THE SIGNAGE, TFK, IS EXTRUDED AND BACKLIT UPON THE DARK FAÇADE OF THE ENTRANCE TO CREATE A SENSE OF CONTRAST TO ATTRACT PASSING SHOPPERS. As the consumer walks in they are struck with the seductive, sensual, and directed ambience of the shop. They are initially drawn to the spectacular wooden wall display consisting of 500 laser cut wooden pieces designed to emulate the smoke of Arabian incense; recognized as bukhoor in the Arabic language. This wall display highlights a specific line of the products resting on a backlit surface carefully aligned under a parallel direct light. The perfumes are elevated by a customized metal stand meeting ones eye level to enhance the interactivity level between the product and consumer. The feature of the laser cut wooden pieces carries through from the wall to the ceiling of the shop space guiding to another retail space. The consumer is then further drawn towards the multimedia black mirror wall reflecting the wooden wall display. Containing 10 L.C.D screens above back lit counters showcases the more exclusive collection with each screen dedicated for each perfume. Moreover, the plan reflects a more symmetrical layout. With the back portion divided with a wall to segregate the service area from the private area. The private area is meant to provide a more intimate experience with the customer featuring a large centered table. A brighter ambience with a softer material selection of reflective brass and backlit sheer curtains behind clear glass panels subdue the boundary space.
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Back wall at TFK Photo Courtesy TFK
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Portraying the sleek design developed by Jassim Al Shehab Architects
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junoot 11
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Shuwaimiya, Oman
TEXT UNITED REAL ESTATE COMPANY PHOTOGRAPHY URC Waleed Shaalan
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UNITED REAL YOURAOK.01 ESTATE COMPANY Project Name: Junoot Eco Resort Location: Shuwaimiya, Oman Coordinates: 17.827084, 55.436347 Type: Mixed Use Specific Use of Building: Resort Development Hotels Villas Retail Leisure & Entertainment facilities. Materials: 1) Super Adobe using local stabilized Earth. 2) Reuse of old fishing nets and plaster. 3) Wood. 4) Combination of beach stone and local stone (sourced less than 500 miles from site) for the flooring.
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sustainability redefined at Junoot
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A COMMON TRAIT OF WIDESPREAD STORIES IS FICTIONAL ADD-ONS, ENHANCING THE STORY EACH TIME IT IS TOLD. YET THE TRUTH TO UNITED REAL ESTATE COMPANY (URC)’S JUNOOT PROJECT IN OMAN LIES WITHIN A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER’S NEW VISION FOR CREATING SUSTAINABLE PROPERTIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. In the 1980’s, architect and author Nader Khalili (1936-2008) developed building technologies known as Superadobe (sandbags and barbed wire) and Ceramic Houses, using freely available material of earth. Inspired by the poetry of the 12th century mystic Rumi, who wrote in his native Persian language, Khalili served as a consultant to the U.N. (UNIDO) and a contributor to NASA, as well as directing the Architectural Research Program (ARP) at SCI-Arc (Southern 2vbv Institute of Architecture). Khalili believed that every man and woman should be able to build shelter for their family using Timeless Materials (earth, water, air and fire) and Timeless Principles (arches, vaults and domes). The belief that there is a sustainable solution to human shelter led to the simplest form of building technology, creating an emergency shelter which could also become a permanent house, and has passed strict tests and building codes. With this, Nadir Khalili founded the California Earth Institute of Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth). “Since 1975 Cal-Earth has been dedicated to researching and developing this low-cost, self-help, eco-friendly technology which can resist disasters, and to offer it to humanity. The only missing link is to educate humans how to use these timeless techniques, developed at Cal-Earth Institute, to fit their own culture and environment.” With an admiration for Khalili’s philosophy, and in line with the new corporate vision, URC engaged Cal-Earth as a technical consultant to develop two pilot products in URC’s 1 million sqm Shuwaimiya plot, located approximately 320 km north-east of Salalah, Oman. The scope included mock-up villas, known as the Eco-Dome or Moon Cocoon and the Earth One also known as 3-Vault. Conceptualized around sustainable and ecological values, Junoot came to life in May of 2012, when two single prototypes were complete on a plot of land facing the Indian Ocean and surrounded by mountains. The project uses local earth as building material, simple earth architecture techniques, and introduces solar panel technology to create eco-friendly structures that are non-disruptive to the surrounding environment. The Eco-Dome is made up of a large dome surrounded by four smaller niches, organized in a clover leaf pattern while the 3-Vault is a vault system that allows for maximum space, light and interior ventilation and can be repeated or combined with domes to create a variety of formations. With an additional aim to increase energy efficiency and reduce cost, solar panels were integrated into the site, in which solar energy was generated for both heating
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and cooling and has allowed for a 40% increase in energy efficiency and a 30% saving in cost. The dome’s wind scoop feature and the 3-Vault’s open spaces also integrate traditional natural cooling systems of the structures. The master plan for Junoot is to develop the site into an attractive destination with chalets to rent or own. The vision for Junoot is to offer visitors and residents an eco-friendly, sustainable and socially conscious development that preserves local Omani culture. As of today, the project has won the prestigious ‘Future Projects - Leisure Led Development’ Award presented at the World Architecture Festival in 2012, as well as the ‘Special Judges’ Recognition’ from the 2013 MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards. The Junoot project is spearheaded, funded, and developed by United Real Estate Company (URC) using the California Earth Institute of Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth) methodology with SSH International as the Design Consultant. The project’s anticipated start of construction is Q3 2013. The Junoot story begins to unfold as United Real Estate Company continues to fill the link between human entitlements to shelter (identified by CalEarth) and spread Nadir Khalili’s technology through conscious developments and contextual architecture.
UNITED REAL YOURAOK.01 ESTATE COMPANY
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JUNOOT SHUWAIMIYA, OMAN Exterior view of the sustainable design Photo Courtesy URC
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Bnaider, Kuwait
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S-CUBE CHALET
TEXT AGI ARCHITECTS PHOTOGRAPHY NELSON GARRIDO
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S CUBE CHALET Exterior view of S Cube Chalet by AGi Architects Bnaider, Kuwait Photo Courtesy AGi Architects
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THE DESIGN OF THESE SMALL 3 SEMI-DETACHED BEACH HOUSES CALLS FOR A DUPLICATED PROGRAM, WHILE MAINTAINING PRIVACY FROM EACH OTHER, AS WELL AS BENEFITING FROM OUTDOOR AREAS AND SEA VIEWS. The two houses that are located on the ground floor level are mirror images of each other. They are offset in plan to create privacy and to define their respective entrances, and separated by a staircase that leads to the third house, which is located at the higher level and facing to the sea. Cantilevers over these two lower houses frame the view of the sea and provides an extension to the courtyards onto it. The third house enjoys a large roof terrace with direct views to the sea. Each of the three houses, therefore, enjoys a private outdoor area that is open to the sky; privacy from its neighbor; and extended sea views.
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crisp architecture frames Kuwait’s beaches
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Program & Privacy S Cube family chalet is made up of three intertwined beach houses. The owners - two brothers and their sister, each with their own families, want to continue enjoying the same exceptional environment in which they grew up, but with complete independency and privacy from each other. For these reasons, the design of these three small houses calls for a duplicated program that maintains privacy while benefiting from outdoor areas and sea views by the use of several terraces.
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Materials The flooring, stairs and dividing wall between S1 and S2 are all cladded using Indian sandstone. Interior walls and ceilings are finished using plaster and paint, while handrails are cladded with wood. The interiors have been designed by AGi architects. All materials used in the S Cube project are locally manufactured. The loose furniture are produced by Spanish brands, and supplied by Gunni & Trentino
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ART WORK Mohammed Sharaf Visual Reactions Kuwait City, Kuwait
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youraok.net/ talents
PORTRAITS Faisal Al Fouzan Ahmed Al Refaie dh_c Shahad Al Asfour Ferrah Haider
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marrakech
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TEXT Younes Duret Designs PHOTOGRAPHY Younes Duret Designs
ORIGINATING IN MOROCCO BUT HAVING GROWN UP IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, I GRADUATED FROM THE ENCSI (L’ECOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE DE CRÉATION INDUSTRIELLE), A SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN IN PARIS, AND I AM CURRENTLY LIVING IN MARRAKECH WHERE I HAVE CREATED, ALONG WITH MY SISTER MIA, OUR OWN DESIGN AGENCY: YOUNES DURET DESIGN. With her Master degrees in Economics and in Banking and Finance, and her four-years experience as a financial advisor at the banking company “Société Générale” in Marrakesh, Mia offers great support in structuring my design works and adds a strategic and organizational dimension to all my projects. Today, in addition to managing the financial and administrative aspects of the company, Mia takes an active part in the entrepreneurial development of the agency. Once her innovative ideas have been put into practice on a technical level, Younes Duret Design was able to offer global solutions to the issues raised by clients, manufacturers, hotel managers, restaurant managers, craftsmen, and traders etc. Our business includes product design, digital and graphic design (rebranding, packaging, graphic
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`BIBLIOTHÈQUE,CANAPÉ,DESIGN PRODUITS 2009 The peculiarity of the sofa RANSA is that it really gives the impression of levitating above the books. Its original dimensions allow you to be totally comfortable, you can lie down,as you see fit while having your favorite authors at your fingertips!
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charter, web‌), environment design (architecture and interior decoration, communication space design, layout and signage). First of all, we will be working cooperatively to provide you with a new and original concept, which will eventually help in formalizing new products, logos, websites, and spaces. We will strive to make your project useful, attractive, profitable, innovative, different, and above all, marketable. Therefore, I have conceived a modular tricycle called BELEK, which was doubly awarded by the world of Design. The concept was first awarded by the Jury of ENSCI in 2005, and received a year later, the Prize of Marc Charras for Creation and Invention during the International Biennale Festival of Design held in Saint-Etienne. Younes Duret Design has also created a restaurant-club of 700 sqm located in the heart of Marrakesh city center and offers a new concept of Moroccan ready-to-eat pastry; the restaurant won the 2nd prize of UnibailRodamco. Furthermore, the agency had previously conceived many other objects such as the famous Zelli Library which was awarded the Design& Design Prize and displayed at the Emirates Palace during the First Art Fair held in Abu Dhabi; as well as the KHANSA sofa whose images have been published in many international magazines and designrelated blogs, and the Chamoo Theory showcased in an art gallery. In 2010, the Ministry of Handicrafts put its trust in Younes Duret Designs by asking me to create a new collection of objects aimed at promoting the Art of Damascening in the city of Meknes. In 2011, Sergio Rossi
DESIGN
decided to select Younes Duret Design Agency in order to design his first Men’s Footwear Store in Morocco. Moreover, and above all my creation works, I participated in many prestigious conferences in the Arab world during which I shared my views of the world of Design, such as the Art Fair held in Abu Dhabi in 2009, the Tasmeem Lab held in Doha, the TEDxRabat Conference held in 2011, and the Nuqat Design Conference held in 2012 in Dubai then in Kuwait. Nowadays, I can proudly say that the Arab design creation is experiencing a rapid growth. In fact, all factors are combined to enable its expansion in most Arab countries. First of all, and having considered the current demographic context, we may notice that young and active people are predominant in these countries. Young individuals usually tend to verbalize their objections more easily and more honestly, and do not burden themselves with personal matters. Dynamism, power, innovation and enthusiasm are positive characteristics with which young people like to identify themselves; hope fuels this spirit. Since they have a good command of computer and Internet networks, these individuals learn, exchange their ideas and their knowledge, communicate with one another across many different countries, and expand their network of contacts. Moreover, the internet liberated people from all economic and financial restrictions because it is available to all social classes, and set them free from the cultural and political weight of their
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Photo Courtesy of Younes Duret Design
nations by offering them a seamless flow of information that helps in developing their critical thinking. However, the youth of tomorrow and today’s computer tools need to adopt yesterday’s foundations in order to progress. In fact, Arab countries today offer a very important traditional know-how that is much appreciated by many individuals but unfortunately remains unknown to the rest of the world. This cultural background fosters the emergence of new interpretations, of a new lifestyle, and of a set of innovations - “Our identity is not a rock we carry but a lens we see through.” Moreover, Arab countries have known a rapid and successful economic development during which financial resources are provided to promote creative development, considers them suitable to its needs and its lifestyle. At the same time, the emerging middleclass today shows interest in the useful new creations and in conclusion, I would say that the Arab world gives us a glimpse of a culture that is no longer considered as a burden, but as a valuable asset. Therefore, it has become a fertile and boundless source of creativity that will produce the most splendid future creations
BELEK 2005 The innovation of this tricycle is in its function and usage. Indeed, Belek offers three modular systems. The first is the ability for the user to increase the loading zone and change the drive mode. The second makes loading with a simple crank to lower the rear plate of the tricycle. The third system modularity allows to easily accommodate peripheral elements accompanying the specific activities of the users in the branching of the axis of the handlebar and the saddle.
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hook & loop strength demonstration
ORIGINALLY DESIGNED AND MODELED OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO IN NEW YORK DURING MY TIME AT PARSONS, IT WAS PROTOTYPED IN LONDON AT FULL-SCALE DURING MY FINAL YEAR AT THE AA, AND EVENTUALLY BUILT INTO ITS (FOR NOW) FINAL FORM THE OTHER MONTH HERE IN DOHA. The Cu3o Cabinet consists of a set of proportionally synchronized wooden boxes with industrial strength Velcro on its top and bottom (and some select interior) surfaces. This allows it to be assembled into a variety of, often surprisingly 'just wrong' looking, compositions. The design had its commencement exhibition at the Home Sweet Home Exhibition in Finland's Ekenas, or Tammisaari in Finnish, organized by Pro Artibus. The exhibition had been curated by Mikael Nygard, and was on display from May 25 to October 7, 2012
www.capkuwait.com info@capkuwait.com
WATAD INTEREACTIVE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN MAGAZINE
WATAD INTEREACTIVE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN MAGAZINE
WTDMAG.COM
reviving kuwait city
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TEXT Ruba Al Saleh
RIO DESIGN Rashed AlFoudari Dawood AlBader
PHOTOGRAPHY: Abdulaziz AlKandary Rashed Al Foudari
THE REALIZATION OF KUWAIT’S LACK OF PEDESTRIAN WAY OF LIFE IN A HIGHLY CONGESTED URBAN SCHEME, GLORIFIED WITH CAR CULTURE REPERTOIRE UNMISTAKABLY DAWNS UPON ME AS I DRIVE UP TO KUWAIT’S NEWLYOPENED RIO RESTAURANT ON ALI AL SALEM STREET, KUWAIT CITY. Rio is situated opposite to an aggregate of old buildings attached to their low rise old-shaded pathways, occupied by offices masked with lit-up rainbow-colored sign boards. Rio’s unusual location emphasizes how this street’s character has recently developed - coming to life with a vibrant young audience playing roles in its dramatic rediscovery. Mirroring the aggregate of older buildings, is this urban renewal that has found us all by surprise as it slowly grew to house a strip of standalone restaurants opening in the ground floors of high rise towers. Feeding a thirst that is visible in Kuwait’s younger culture, these restaurants allow for the rewarding experience of exploring the city in a way we find so poetic when traveling abroad, while providing windows to what once formed Kuwait’s rich urban fabric. Next to Rio lies Ubon, the first restaurant to open on this street, and giving it credit to launching the street’s lively rediscovery; since Ubon’s opening, three restaurants
have followed suit. Rio offers a sleek interior identity not foreign to those found while dining in Manhattan, or on the streets of Europe, where you eat in the calm of a minimal interior space, while watching the hustle of pedestrians pass by in their busy demeanor (an aspect this street has yet to fully witness). This revitalization is enhanced in Rio’s design, with the back black wall, literally mirroring the architecture of the area, offering a serene reminder that we are once again interacting with our urban web, reminding diners that with this revitalization comes life. The entrance is also tactically designed on the side of the building to allow for diners to enjoy the walk leading to the entrance. As I treaded on the sidewalk, I was pleased to see its width offers a capacity for pedestrians, as well as outdoor dining areas that provide live-time jazz music when the weather is cool. Although the restaurants seem to open in such high rise towers, their facades follow low-rise heights, offering a scale we can relate to – a human scale. However, these restaurants are simply a jumpstart to the unconventional revitalization of Ali Al Salem street. There are deeper issues than those that lie on the surface with the renewal of such areas in Kuwait. It is imperative to treat the underlying issues facing Kuwait’s urban fabric with utmost sensitivity and understanding. The transparency offered with restaurants such as Rio’s clear façade offers a continuation to the outside world. This transparency has also been successfully developed in Al Salhiya open plaza which has recently witnessed events held
REVIVING KUWAIT CITY
YOURAOK TEAM
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exclusive zoning revival pizzeta slider station
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cocoa room
burger hub
prime prime n’toast n’toast
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johnny rockets
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rio salhiya design by lab 100
solo kuwait city design vision by amr al refaie
ubon salhiya design by lab 100
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cocoa room al seif strip design vision by basel al salem
tatami kuwait city design by arch js
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creative mess
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yarmouk, kuwait
TEXT YourAOK Team PHOTOGRAPHY AOK Photography Team
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reuse of materials transforms Yarmouk’s neighbourhood park THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY BEGAN AT THE AGE OF SEVEN, WHEN HE STARTED EXECUTING THE IDEA OF RE-USING TOMATO BOXES. Bader Al Mansour, a creative who has been inspiring many different generations and age groups in Kuwait, and soon the Middle East and the region. His talent lies deeply within what he feels most passionate towards. Through out several journeys and different paths to find ones self, Bader manages to reach his dream and share it with the world via simple materials yet, complex methods and means of application. Many of us visit the junkyard, but not all of us see the beauty that lies within it, instead we might actually see it as a place for the waste and for what we might all call junk, or in Arabic, ‘sikrab’. The artist’s journey began at the age of seven, when he started executing the idea of re-using tomato boxes. He joined Kuwait’s Scientific Center at the age of fifteen, and gained more knowledge in applied physics at Kuwait University, College of Science, while his interest in mechanics never stopped growing within him. Bader later joined the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts in Kuwait and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Theatre Design. Afterwards, he started to do sculpture works from different materials, such as stone, fiber, wood, and recycled materials, which is relatively a rare action in our region. Most of his works contain recycled items gathered from the junkyard, which are inexpensive and interesting to work with. The artist mentioned that the place there keeps inspiring him because of the
irregularity and disorganization, which he calls “A Creative Mess”. Some of his works have some cultured decorative prints called “Al-Sadu” which he reinvented by using triangular and circular shapes relatively related to the original art. “From the very beginning, I tried to find my purpose in life; with time I created the 0.7 sqm ring. That was a representation of a saying I have written stating that 0.7 sqm is equivalent to the space a human takes within the whole world, which is the exact amount needed to prove oneself.” With these sentences, Bader aspires to add the value of his originality in the arts industry. Through his interest in History, and constant research to fulfill his curiosity to finding answers to questions he had during his journey he became known for the love of searching and fulfilling his need to learning. One of his interests lies within the ancient Arabs and Jewish history. Due to his love to this field, he managed to take his interest a step further and learn the art of cuneiform (an ancient method of writing) and implement his studies in several of his paintings. To him History is made up of two types, The Famous, and investigations, which tends to be the reason behind it being recognized as the basic and original type. It’s always important to find yourself within the creative mess of the world we are living in.
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Whether it’s through arts, sciences, design, or any field, once one finds himself, he will automatically flourish to fulfill all his needs and dreams. To many people following your dreams may be looked at as shallow or improper to the crucial world we’re living in, but once you fulfill your dream, the world will be proud of you. “The first time I started using computers was in 1997, and the first computer software I used for design was Photoshop. My current works are mostly made using Cinema 4D and other 3D modeling softwares”
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Al Jazi Housing Aqaila, Kuwait
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TEXT: ALIA AL AZZEH PHOTOGRAPHY ABDULAZIZ AL KANDARY
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sets strides in rented villa designs
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AL JAZI VILLAS ARE RESIDENTIAL COMPOUNDS FOUND IN ABU AL HASANIA AND AL AGEILAH. IN ABU AL HASANIA, AL JAZI VILLAS COUNT UP TO SIXTEEN, WHILE IN AL AGEILAH THERE ARE SEVEN. The main idea behind this successful housing project lies beneath the concept of a sustainable home rental project in Kuwait. To sustain a building, it is highly recommended to use low maintenance materials that would retain their value and appearance for as long as possible. This concept was also applied to the details found through out the villas as well. The unique characteristic of this project is that it occupies space much less than it’s allowable built up area. The reason behind this fact is to create a more spacious environment for the occupant and the neighbors, where the concept of a clustered neighborhood is defeated. The parking was designed to fit the occupants’ car as well as one car for the visitor within the premises of the plot itself. Such convenience adds a big value to the project as a whole. The efficiency of the project is found in the planning of the layout itself, where it is designed to be more spacious than any regular home; keeping in mind that privacy is found through out the house equally. The space is very well designed in the sense that you will not be able to find one dead inch that has not been designed with a purpose to function in a certain way. From linen closets, to storage spaces, the planning was done very efficiently to please all the tenants needs. As noticed, the buildings aren’t the best architecturally appealing projects, but the convenience they serve with the smart planning made them become on waiting lists by tenants interested in moving in. Al Jazi Villas are not the only hi end villas in Kuwait, you may find several, some of which are the villas in Yarmouk, designed by AGI Architects, another one is found in Al Messila, designed by Masafa, Abdulla Al Faisal’s Office. Those two examples have been proven successful as well. The difference with Al Jazi though is that it sets new standards to what is considered as acceptable rental housing in Kuwait, where space for the staff and outdoor amenities is taken into consideration during the design phase. This project began with a study made based on H.H Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah’s request on many properties including
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PLACESDESIGN AND SPACES
ALCREATIVE JAZI HOUSING MESS the ones that were developed and a few others. Some of the properties found were sold, while others were on hold for future developments. After research, followed the master planning stage where the number of units, density, scale, number of bedrooms, budget, cost return, and feasibility studies all took place. After this study, the right density was found, knowing that the plots could have fit double the size that exists now, it was very important to maintain a good neighborhood without clogging the neighboring streets nor residences. Therefore, a two-story building was designed despite the fact that a fourstory building is allowed and could’ve been of greater investment.
Left: al jazi house interior Below: living room space overlooked from staircase
The final architectural design started in the year 2005 going back and forth between planning phases and architecture. Most of the consultancy offices estimated the house rent would reach up to 1,200 KD based on the area and prices of rent found around the Al Jazi Villas. After completion, and due to its uniqueness and high demand for change found within tenants, the Villa’s managed to reach 1,800 KD per month. People were easily convinced to move in due to the existence of quality finishes, and durable materials that would last long, and look appealing. There were several clients who moved in even before the project was fully complete due to their eagerness to accommodate such a smart and convenient spacious space. The architecture of the villas consists of an inverted courtyard, which is essentially the living room that has two fully glazed sides that overlook the garden and the pool, and the garden only. The living room, being the central space of the house, has a double height, which led to the concept of a spacious experience in a small house. The design of the Villas is very basic and simple because it is a prototype that should work perfectly according to different land properties. Some of which allowed for double packing strategies due to their existence on 3 roads. The design manages to have the open-living spaces easily expand and contract without affecting the spaces that include all the services such as the shafts, staircases, bathrooms, and kitchens. The element that is bound to change in each villa tends to be the Living Space, where it either gets longer or smaller, where as everything else remains more or less the same. Never the less, when opportunities of expanding gardens or living spaces arouse, they were taken. As noticed, the high demand of tenants and waiting lists to become tenants of these houses proves enough of the successful design they managed to reach. As a main rule in architecture, space is proven successful if it functions as well,
ESAS YOURAOK.01 ARCHITECTS if not even better, than it’s appearance. People now a days tend to let go of the basic need of human beings, which is comfort within the space they are occupying. So to manage to succeed in pleasing people with a very minimal design leads to results no one would imagine. At the end of the day, when the client understands the needs of the people, and is willing to be patient and responds well with the architect, creativity reaches it’s utmost level just as it’s seen here in Al Jazi Villas
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MODERN KUWAIT
SARA SARAGOÇA SOARES
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Modernization or Change? TEXT
Sara Saragoça Soares Kuwait Modern The modernization of the new Kuwait after 1952 offers the most significant moments of its development, when architecture and planning contribution occurs avoiding the traditional model of urban development, demolishing the old town and building a new city on top of it. However, the country’s modernization process and its architectural production during the second half of last century stimulate a deeper understanding a part from the values and achievements of town development or planning.
ABOUT SARA SARAGOÇA SOARES EARNED HER DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS OF COIMBRA, and holds a Masters in Preservation, Building Conservation and Urban Rehabilitation from Lisbon Technical University where she developed her research on Kuwait Modern Building Preservation. During her career she worked with various architectural practices in Portugal. From 2007 she focused her architecture practice on the development of large rehabilitation projects such as the reconversion of a “Bus Terminal” into a Shopping Mall and the extension of an Art Nouveau master building.
A half - century ago, the mounting agitation around the oil discovery and the post-colonial deals in the Gulf Region, brought modernization into Kuwait as the result of endogenous evolution and a reaction to the prevailing model of town development. The ambitious program of the Department of Public Works starting in 1951 and consequent first Master Plan (1952) would then be fundamental for the country’s development, more as agents of change and transformation rather than a motive for the city’s modernization. On the contrary, and mainly after the Arab oil embargo, the building production as a collection of individual events in the urban landscape, became the main motive for that modernization on the redefinition of material culture and community behavior, providing the diversity of building types, systems and the landmarks needed for the construction of a emerging nation-state. During the decades of 1960’s and 70’s the Modern Movement in architecture, that have emerged in Europe after the WWI and reemerged in the post WWII in the U.S.A. as a result of
the Eastern Europe diaspora to this country, is not any more experimental or reactive; became refined, detailed and precious, perhaps more cultural rather than political. The slides at the The Aga Khan Visual Archive from The Architects Collaborative about Kuwait City are an example of an architectural practice that became closer in the construction of cities and infrastructures. Before that architects and architecture had never assumed such position in the spatial organization of an Arab town, even considering Doxiadis ability to collaborate with the architecture elites in Baghdad in 1955 or Riyadh in 1968. On the other hand the building itself became the result of a global knowledge of materials and constructive systems, a new process where architecture assumes the interface between the technological and the formal conception of space and organization. In Kuwait, this new, but already mature and experienced architectural production became big, fast and radical; the scale of modernization through new building typologies is unique. The determination and action of local elites played a significant role. Bankers, financiers and wealthy merchants who formed the economic elite found some on their own ideas and plans supported by those architects. The aspirations of these two groups converged in a specific moment for the modern history of Kuwait. A range of internationally acclaimed authors, among local young professionals and intellectuals, provide the city with diverse interpretations of building typology and city infrastructure. Hundreds of projects, plans and
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studies, were developed and some were finally realized and implemented within two decades. This diversity of events was capable to share a common culture and historical origin. On the other hand the country’s citizens became engaged in redefining their identity and consequent new condition, assuming through building culture a new modernity as part of their new life standards. For Walter Gropius’s TAC (The Architects’ Collaborative ) or Hamid Shuaib and Ghazi Sultan, the most dynamic of the local architects, that will be inviting to Kuwait Kenzo Tange, Arne Jacobsen, George Candilis, Jorn Utzon, Marcel Breuer, William Pereira, Michael Ecohard, Arthur Erickson, Alfred Roth, Edward Durell Stone, Pier Luigi Nervi, Jafar Tukan, Gunnar Asplund, Alfonso Reidy, Araldo A. Cossutta, Gordon Bunshaft from S.O.M., the couples Reima and Pietila from Finland and Alison and Peter Smithson from UK; Kuwait will be the context for a business opportunity but also the possibility for a lifetime masterpiece like Alfred Roth and the schools program in 1965, The Architects’ Collaborative Kuwait Fund Headquarter from 1974 or Michael Ecohard and the Kuwait National Museum, completed only in 1983. However in 1982, the crash of the unofficial Kuwait stock market, operating as an alternate market at Souk Al Manakh (Tac, 1979), brought the Kuwaiti “Renaissance” to an end, that would be latter confirmed by the Iraqi invasion during 1990. With the Invasion War and the city reconstruction after the country’s liberation, the theme of building preservation and conservation became necessary, motivated by the need to raise the pride of an entire nation. In few months the country was able to rebuild the majority of these buildings, although changing uses, program and materiality, like Souk Al Wataniya (Tac, 1979) or at the Central Bank of Kuwait Headquarters (Arne Jacobsen, 1976) or even the national landmarks, the Kuwait Towers (Prof. Sune Lindstrom, 1977) and the National Assembly (Jorn Utzon, 1985). The process is then conducted mainly by contractors and government entities without the contribution of the authors or any professional elite that have left the country after the war. The introduction of new facades and new uses will bring light to a new meaning of ephemeral modernization supported on the idea of an uncertain future till December 2006. Since then the theme of preservation became more of a historical content rather than a vital agenda for the city present. The city is now punctuated by mirrored skyscrapers following the conductive lines of Dubai a sort of “former” when compared
DESIGN with the clear path of Abu Dhabi town development. All those buildings with a common culture and historical origin prior to 1990, once a symbiotic aspiration shared by architects and old merchants capable to redefine a new modern condition and urban culture, were left to a new emergent demography of expatriates from all over Asia that ascend today more than half of the population resident in the city. Buildings as Souk Al Kuwait (SOM with SSH, 1975), Hawalli Complex (PACE, 1978) or the now famous Al Sawaber Complex (Erickson, 1977), remain fully occupied and busy all the days of the week. Less than two years after the death of the Iraqi ruler, the world financial crisis in 2008 will again suspend Kuwait city development into uncertainty. Today, the city holds around 400,000sqm of empty floor surface to rent and some other 200 thousand under construction or to be built (numbers of Atkins study for Kuwait Plan 2030). With such a huge amount of useless new construction, the challenge of urban renewal and building reuse assumes once more a relevant role for the city development. The conservation and renovation, together with the clear investigation of its potentials, requires specific knowledge and expertise based on the control of the material and technique nature and condition. At this point, and considering all the precedent errors with the post-Invasion reconstruction process, a correct understanding of the effort of what is to be preserved is mandatory. Many of those buildings are in advance state of degradation of its use and material. The renovation of structural systems and materiality appears as essential in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of these architectural objects. Also to be preserved is a the common culture of architectural production that must be collected, organized and exhibited as a unit, contributing to the global discussion of History, Architecture and Authorship. The process of recognition of Kuwait modern buildings patrimony might be long and slow, but the potential of its unit is unquestionable considering the amount and diversity of buildings with common content and the multiculturalism of its authors and teams. Even so it is clear that not all cases were successful examples but the ‘all historical’ moment has contributed to a new vision of society. Once getting to know the city and its buildings no one keeps indifferent to its innovative, ambitious and audacious way of conceiving architecture as a cultural representation of a new Kuwait.
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THE KUWAIT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (KCCI), 1961-64 (Dar Al-Handasah Shair and Partners) Under George Shiber supervision, an international architecture competition was launched between 1961-62 to find the best design for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (founded in 1959). This competition was won by the young lebanese firm Dar Al-Handasah and Associated Consulting Engineers (Shair and Partners) leaded by Kamal A. Shair, whose winning proposal came first amongst submissions from different foreign Arab offices (a mandatory condition for George Shiber, at the time the head of the Municipal Council Planning Department). The building with three stories high impresses the most by its complex structural system and facade resolution. The building concept is based on a facade system and a ground floor capable of dealing with the local harsh environment of a desert town, and provides the recently formed KCCI with an appealing image. Beyond the heavy and perforated concrete elements the gold aluminum frame resolves the curtain facade and the ground lobby. The Lebanese partnership that latter would emerge as the biggest design and engineering consultancy firm in the region, which would be also responsible for buildings such as the Sheraton Hotel (1966), and the Kuwait Airways Tower (1973), the biggest in town till the 1990 invasion. After being left by the KCCI in 1999 the building remained enclosed to the complete abandonment. Since 2010 the building is under renovation process.
Image: Base, Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Kuwait.
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SOUK AL KUWAIT SOM + SSH The boom of cars in Kuwait after 1952 created a unique design challenge. “Where are all those cars going to go when people were not driving them?” In the US the challenged was assumed by several of the modern masters such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen or Bertrand Goldberg. Although this project happens in an early moment, as the second work commissioned to the Italian team leader by Ernesto Nathan Rogers (BBPR) in Kuwait, 1973, the authors of the famous “Velasca” of Milan (1958) that some years before were asked to design a requalification plan for the old town of Kuwait in 1968. With the initial ambition of connecting different sections of the old and new fabric, between Mubarakiyah School and the Area 9 of the CBD, the Area 8 was meant to become a mixed use complex that could accommodate residential together with commercial and offices spaces. The Kuwait Real Estate Company, the public shareholding company founded in 1972 was primarily formed for the development and growth of public projects, with high technical challenges. Originally the project was commissioned to Salem Al-Marzouk and Sabah Abi-Hanna (SSH) that invited BBPR in a first moment.
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grid square that hangings stain steel balls, and in the last floors the offices. Parking takes the central space in section and height, with generous views to the city, while the access is done by an exterior serpentine ramp. The building reinterprets the essence of Tropical Modernism, and it somehow reminds the modern movement in Brazil, with raw structures providing shade, while containing smaller enclosing sub-elements, and other references as the interior courtyards, subtractions on the facades that provide space for AC units and brings green inside the building structure. These green pods display like screens towards the street. The slabs stand over a set of columns detached by big spams giving a sense of a precarious equilibrium re-established by the three stair case towers on facades. Together with Souk Al Kuwait, the same team will be in charge of Souk Al-Kabeer developing a similar strategy but now fulfilling the backyards that Fahad Al Salem St. project in the late 1950’s left behind.
After this preliminary study a first building was erected in 1974 but due to an accident the project was stopped and Salem Al-Marzouk hired in 1974 the American firm SOM together with the British Consulting Engineers Ove Arup to accomplish the building erection that would happen in 1975. This mixed use project with retail, office spaces and parking is located in old souk area, one of the most active pedestrian areas in the city. On the ground floor we have the commercial galleries which highlight the double high atrium marked by a ceiling in a Drawing Courtesy of Kuwait Municipality
SARA SARAGOÇA SOARES
SOUK AL WATANIYA (1974-1979) TAC + PACE At a first glance Souk Al Wataniya resembles the imaginary of an old mud village on top of a parking garage that seats on the city arcades of a souk. An obvious reading of the building that expresses in a very clear way the client›s mandate and aspirations to - “ preserve the place of the souk in Kuwait›s society, its connection with the country›s tradition and its compatibility with modern requirements”. The eight stories building, two underground and six above, is located in the 10th Commercial Area of the CBD (Central Business District), comprising a multistory program of Retail, Car Parking and Single Duplex Housing units. As in Souk Al Manakh(1979) or Souk Al Safat (1974) the first of 8 to be built, the tentative reinterpretation of the local traditional archite At a first glance Souk Al Wataniya resembles the imaginary of an old mud village on top of a parking garage that seats on the city arcades of a souk. An obvious reading of the building that expresses in a very clear way the client’s mandate and aspirations to“preserve the place of the souk in Kuwait’s society, its connection with the country’s tradition and its compatibility with modern requirements”. The eight stories building, two underground and six above, is located in the 10th Commercial Area of the CBD (Central Business District), comprising a multistory program of Retail, Car Parking and Single Duplex Housing units. As in Souk Al Manakh (1979) or Souk Al Safat (1974) it’s the first of 8 to be built. The tentative reinterpretation of the local traditional architectural language reflects the dignity and formality of its purpose/function to its own society and to a global audience, still amazed by the sense of regional and vernacular.
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The complex itself is deeply sculpted in plain shuttered concrete with a straight geometry where grid-like arrangements are lifeless. However its renovation and occupancy after the Invasion takes over the space ignoring all the architects design for the retail area. The souk is thus subjected to a certain level of banality. On the roof top village, the duplex dwelling units are courtyard houses with two and three bedrooms performing as in the ground resembling the traditional street life and revealing an architectural form, where one can recognize memories of the old town. The upper level of parking is located with convenient access to the apartments providing ground for the top common terraced areas with gardens and fountains. Even the condition of a microclimate is revealed there through the way volumes, gardens and open-air hallways are structured and distributed. ctural language reflects the dignity and formality of its purpose/function to its own society and to a global audience, still amazed by the sense of regional and vernacular. The complex it self is a deeply sculpted in plain shuttered concrete and with a straight geometry where grid-like arrangements are lifeless. However its renovation and occupancy after the Invasion will take over the space ignoring all the architects design for the retail area. The souk is thus subjected to a certain level of banality. Informality that exists in the spacial construction of the roof top village, where the western sensibilities or exotic dazzle provide the housing program with a familiarity uncommon in foreign architect proposals for Kuwait. The duplex dwelling units are courtyard houses with two and three bed rooms performing as in the ground resembling the the traditional street life and revealing an architectural form where one can recognizes memories of the old town. The upper level of parking is located with convenient access to the apartments providing ground for the top common terraced areas with gardens and fountains. Even the condition of a microclimate is revealed there through the way volumes as organized, gardens are positioned and open air hallways are structured and distributed.
Image: The Architects Collaborative, Inc., 1984, Courtesy of the MIT Libraries, Aga Khan Visual Archive
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CENTRAL BANK OF KUWAIT ARNE JACOBSEN The Central Bank of Kuwait is commissioned to Arne Jacobsen after his experience with the National Bank of Denmark a few years earlier, and was built after his death (1971) by Dissing and Weiting, continuers of his work. The work of the author of the worldrenowned egg chair is widely recognized for its classic proportions as well by concerns about light and heat. These premises are explicit in the “old” Central Bank design through two main volumes: The lower one with double-height follows the perimeter of the plot and it works as opaque base, alluding to the ancient wall of the old city; In contrast the second, with five floors distributed around an internal courtyard, has lightweight dimensions provided by the horizontal blinds made in aluminum. Nowadays very few remain of the original design but it is still possible to recognize the golden dome that punctuated the main entrance.
Photography by D+W Archive in 2G, Vol. IV, nº4, 1997, p.113.
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Central Bank of Kuwait Before
Central Bank of Kuwait After
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BRANDING AND MARKETING
28 - 29 May, 2013 Al Hamra Tower, Kuwait Sky Lobby
Event Branding & Marketing By Circus BC
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It’s all about the talents you have, and the talents you want to show the world. You are the architect of your sketches, the designer of your vision. We just give You the space.
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TALENTS
ART CREATIVE IN DECAY MESS
/talents/faisalthef
FAISAL AL FOUZAN KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT
Category: PHOTOGRAPHY
Tags: PHOTOGRAPHY / INSTAGRAM
ABOUT Through a mixture of computer-usage and hand drawing. I learned that by being self-taught for a long time, then I supported it by an academic degree in graphic design.
art in decay
A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY TO ABANDONED TERRITORIES
WE HAVE ALL COME TO KNOW FAISALTHEF’S JOURNEYS THROUGHOUT KUWAIT VIA INSTAGRAM. THE ROLE SOCIAL MEDIA HAS PLAYED IN EXPOSING TALENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE CANNOT GO UNNOTICED. This role has been most especially obvious with talents such as Faisal’s where he has been known to capture moments that speak of abandoned buildings’ beautiful “art in decay”. These buildings mainly stand out to possibly being demolition sites in the future; where years of neglect are clearly depicted with scattered pieces of broken glass, furniture randomly lying around, cracked walls and paint, and grafiti enamouring the sites. The images perfectly capture lost energy of the past, ghosts of the people who once occupied these spaces in Kuwait are almost felt in the left over ruin and decay.
FAISALTHEF FAISALTHEF
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ABANDONED BUILDINGS Kuwait City, Kuwait Photo Courtesy Faisal Al Fouzan
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ART IN DECAY
FAISALTHEF
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PLACES TALENTS AND SPACES
VISUAL CREATIVE REACTIONS MESS
/talents/mohammedsharaf
MOHAMMED SHARAF KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT
Influential Designer
Category: VISUAL REACTIONS Tags: DIGITAL ART
ABOUT I received my Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Kuwait University in 2004, and Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from the American University of Kuwait in 2011.
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PLACESFIRMS AND SPACES
CREATIVE BRANDING MESS
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WARSHEH AMMAN, JORDAN
Category: BRANDING
Tags: GRAPHICS / ART
ABOUT Warsheh. (Literal translation: Workshop) A construction company for brands. Founded by Tamer, Michael, Mothanna, and Hadi to provide solutions to the creative community.
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PLACES TALENTS AND SPACES
THE HERO’S CREATIVE JOURNEY MESS
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ALI MONGUNO
DUBAI, UAE
Category: ARCHITECTURE Tags: DESIGN
ABOUT Going back to Rhino, attempted to control the system by grouping the frames in two: stationary and mobile frames. This decision was inspired by my understanding of a director’s ability to dictate scene sequences within a movie, which ultimately defines the story being told. Not only would l be able to control which frames would move, l could now control the directions they would move in as well. This decision yielded tremendous results. l could design multiple versions of one form and show clear similarities between different iterations. I had full control over the system. Three qualities separated this model from my previous iterations: a rigid frame like quality, an interlock of volumetric and planar elements, and a variation in levels that could interact with the site.
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youraok.net/ products
Eames and Saarinen›s furniture at the MoMA’s «Organic Design in Home Furnishings». Charles Eames: Furniture from the Design Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Drexler, pg. 4
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PRODUCTS
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LUXURIOUS LIFESTYLE BROUGHT TO KUWAIT
Design Circile is one of the region’s largest luxury furniture retail distributors and was established by Pro-Design Group to bring exciting new perspectives to the burgeoning “luxury lifestyle” sector in the country.
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Roche Bobois Exclamation
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CUSTOMIZED FURNITURE
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Threads
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Connecting the Creative Industry
mohammed sharaf influential designer
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