Modern Architecture of Kuwait - Case Study Example

MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF KUWAIT By Name Course Instructor Institution City/State Date Table of Contents MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF KUWAIT 1 Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 Introduction 4 The Material They Use  4 Example of Modern Buildings in Kuwait  6 Conclusion 9 References 10 Abstract Kuwaiti culture exemplifies various distinct styles of expression as well as art. The architecture that can be noted across Kuwait is the only feature that justly typifies the creative tendencies of Kuwait: from government buildings and oceanfront palaces, to the city and the suburban areas. The key distinguishing attribute of Kuwait’s architecture is the similar quality, which may be utilised to describe nearly all facets of Kuwaiti culture as well as life: it is an amalgam of new and old, modern and traditional, extravagant and modest. This report provides a summary of Kuwait’s modern architecture; materials used, and architectural styles; modern building that exemplifies its modern architecture; as well as characteristics architecture after oil discovery. Modern Architecture of Kuwait Introduction Traditionally, Kuwait houses had a quad, with numerous rooms constructed round this courtyard, and such houses were very simple in structure, but were adorned heavily with mosaics, paintings, and ornaments (Mahgoub, 2004, p.517). Currently, a number of architects are still aspiring to construct houses rooted in this traditional design. Still, the current trend in Kuwaiti architecture appears to be striving for the more complex and unique designs. Houses differ in dimension based on size of the family, and considering all families have different desires as well as tastes. Owing to this, it is hard for Kuwaiti houses to be attributed to one design and style, and this also applied to buildings across the country. The Material They Use  Scores of architects in Kuwait use the metaphors of the boats making as well as pearl shells in their buildings. The religion impact on Kuwaiti culture is exceedingly essential and significant for comprehending the needs of the people’s privacy, interaction, family members, as well as space orientation and configuration (Mahgoub, 2010). The traditional materials for building in Kuwait are still utilised these days, and consisted of Cora stone, mud brick, and rubble stone covered with mud. Besides that, wood is rarely although mangrove poles from East Africa and few woods from India are used for roofing purposes. Traditional architecture of Kuwait was somewhat simple, but the introduction of novel construction systems and building materials fast-tracked transformation. In this case, utilisation of traditional techniques as well as local materials, which from time to time are seen as obsolete and archaic, was disregarded all for contemporary construction as well as imported material. Utilisation of reinforced concrete substituted the old-style stone and mud bricks construction techniques (Mahgoub, 2010). These days materials used in building and construction include; wood, glass, air-conditioning systems, accessories, and other ultramodern construction and finishing materials as well as systems. Architectural Styles Contemporary Kuwaiti architecture largely uses international architectural style, even though there are a number of buildings showing a connection with Middle Eastern themes. The water towers is without a doubt the best recognised example of Kuwaiti contemporary architecture, above the spherical water tank it has a tall pointed conical spires (Petersen, 2002, p.158). Presently, governmental and state institutions are utilising traditional and Islamic architecture principles as well as elements in designing their buildings. These architectural styles as mentioned by Mahgoub (2007, p.78) offer them with the needed identities and references of legitimisation. For instance, Grand Mosque is constructed and designed in line with Islamic architecture elements and principles as a manifestation of its function as a religious building. Besides that, palace of justice has been designed through Islamic architecture elements and shapes so as to exhibit its reference to legitimisation and Islamic laws (Mahgoub, 2007, p.78). Besides that the design of the Al-Seif Palace, the new state palace exhibits Arab, Islamic, and Kuwaiti style of architecture as evidenced by its details and masses, specifically dirwa (rooftops), mushrabiyas (windows), as well as bawaba (gates). Example of Modern Buildings in Kuwait  The Kuwait Water Towers is regarded by many as a modern architecture and a national symbol of Kuwait. The Towers can be viewed from any angle when in Kuwait City as well as the surrounding areas, and it has three towers. The biggest tower holds two large chambers that are globe shaped, one resting on the other. The smaller and top one is a deck for observation with a restaurant that offers the client a complete panoramic sight of the Arabian Gulf as well as Kuwait City. Contemporary large complexes, buildings, as well as skyscrapers have mushroomed in Kuwait consuming ancient districts like Mergab, Jibla, and Sharq; therefore indicating Kuwait's swift construction development as well as modernization (Mahgoub, 2010). In 20th century, mostly since 1930s when Kuwait discovered oil, lots of historic buildings were demolished and new, modern buildings were built, especially in Kuwait City. Such modern buildings as mentioned by Mahgoub (2010) are the same as other contemporary buildings, utilising machines and materials manufactured during the Industrial Revolution, which includes cranes, steel, and concrete. Besides that, there are scores of contemporary buildings in Kuwait City, with Kuwait Towers being a remarkable landmark. Basically, the Kuwait City urban form is experiencing major developments with tall commercial buildings starting to take over. Modern construction in Kuwait City has resulted in numerous state-of-the-art towers, such as the 412-metre al-Hamra Tower, which is shaped to reduce solar radiation. Another iconic building is the Sadeeqa Fatima al-Zahra Mosque that was opened in 2011. Other iconic buildings include the National Assembly Building as well as the Babtain Public Library. Fig 1; Al-Babtain Library (Source: wikimapia.org) Fig 2: Kuwait Architecture (Mahgoub, 2010) Fig 3: Al Hamra Firdous Tower (Source; archdaily.com) Characteristics Architecture of Kuwait after Oil Discovery In the early post oil stage, the design of buildings was characterized by their low height, which according to Duaig (2008, p.70) is still one of the key features of traditional architecture of Kuwait together with its progressive stages. Furthermore, new structures that has a number of modern imported architecture elements started mushrooming, and typify majority of new buildings, that were constructed in the Middle East at early post oil stage. Soon after oil discovery, the building architectural design was dominated by curvature and circular shapes, which as mentioned by Duaig (2008, p.71) was influenced by Arab engineers as well as architects. Moreover, the contemporary building design after oil discovery begun substituting the traditional inner court yard and replacing it with balconies (Duaig, 2008, p.70). Furthermore, the natural stone, stucco, cement plaster, colour paint (earth tone) were extensively utilised as an exterior finish of the buildings. In this case, the lime stone bricks were created in Kuwait while clay bricks were brought in from Iraq and Iran for governmental projects’ cladding. The modern architecture element impacted the architecture of building after oil discovery; still, a strong attitude from the public materialized toward utilisation of the restricted features of Muslim architectural style like court yard, arcades, arches, as well as Islamic masharabia. After oil discovery, Kuwait has witnessed the rise of skyscrapers and tall buildings as well as use of novel cladding materials like granite as well as marbles that were imported from Europe. Besides, natural stones that were used in traditional architecture, prefabricated and ceramic architectural element as well as curtain walls were introduced after the oil discovery and this were mainly influenced by western engineering as well as architecture. Conclusion In conclusion, it has been argued that architecture in Kuwait was widely impacted after discover of oil and also by forces of localization as well as globalisation. While contemporary buildings and homes connotes a one-way impact of globalisation, other iconic buildings such as Kuwait Towers and parliament buildings exhibit and integration of traditional and contemporary architectural styles. Besides, use of forms and elements from traditional architecture has been replaced by western style of architecture, but architects are trying to integrate the modern technologies with traditional expressions. References Duaig, O.A., 2008. Kuwait Contemporary Architecture. Kuwait: Archnet. Mahgoub, Y., 2004. Globalization and the built environment in Kuwait. Habitat International, vol. 28, pp.505–19. Mahgoub, Y.r., 2007. Hyper Identity: The Case of Kuwaiti Architecture. International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 1, no. 1, pp.70-85. Mahgoub, Y., 2010. Use of traditional elements in contemporary architecture in Kuwait. [Online] Available at: http://ymahgoub.blogspot.com/2012/06/use-of-traditional-elements-in.html [Accessed 20 March 2015]. Petersen, A., 2002. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. New York: Routledge. Read More