Danny21
August 19th, 2008, 12:30 AM
The architectural discrepancies of Kuwait City''s skyline can not be missed. Part of the country, due to the economic prosperity Kuwait is going through with a worldwide increase in oil prices, is witnessing a rise of numerous modern buildings, some of which reach up to 90 floors.
On the other end of the spectrum, old houses made of mud, which was the traditional style of old Kuwait, remain scattered across the country.
Newly constructed highـrises continue to popup in the Kuwaiti skyline. Thousands of vehicles spit out toxic fumes and shiny superـmalls have become the new cultural hubs, especially in the capital city as more people call for modernization.
However, there are just as many people crying out for the preservation of the country''s old tradition and heritage.
Al Watan met with some MPs in an attempt to gain perspective upon the architectural disparity Kuwait is going through.
MP Abdullah Rai AlـFahma supports the modernization of Kuwait city and would like to see more distinctive designs to reflect modern Kuwait. However, he was also keen to add that such transformation should not compromise the originality of old Kuwait which represents, as he described, "the Kuwaiti heritage."
Echoing a similar sentiment, MP Jaber AlـMuhailbi stressed that modernization should include all Kuwait''s six governorates, but warned against any attempts to disfigure the older hallmarks of Kuwait, such as Nayef Palace, which he said should be preserved.
On the other hand, MP Mubarak AlـOmairi candidly discussed the local architecture, stating that unlike many other countries, it did not bear a distinctive Kuwaiti identity.
He justified his statement by saying that there was no particular architectural style which could be described as uniquely Kuwaiti. Therefore, he found it difficult to justify standardizing the buildings in Kuwait City, adding that such an idea ought to have been laid down years ago as many wellـdesigned buildings have been constructed at high costs and cannot be easily removed.
Any attempt to redesign the city only to standardize the building style would not be easily acceptable among the proprietors, not to mention that an allـout standardization would be implausible in terms of practicality, he noted.
Discussing the issue of whether such architectural inconsistencies would compromise the general scenic view of the capital city, AlـOmairi added that while it was not practical to keep the old buildings of Kuwait just for the sake of maintaining its identity, he equally believed that some architectural buildings and designs must remain untouched as they vividly reflect the history of Kuwait.
Meanwhile, MP Mubarak AlـWalaan put forth his belief that the introduction of new laws would be the key to the issue.
He said that capital cities all over the world have preserved some space for residential areas. However, here in Kuwait, he added, commercial complexes are next to business companies and beside supermarkets. He urged that unused spaces that are scattered across the capital city should not be given to business or investment projects but rather be converted into residential areas to give the city the human touch it so desperately needs.
AlـWalaan accused the government of discrepancies, giving the lack of assigning car parks as an example of what he described as "the government''s disorganization."
On the other hand, Adel AlـKharafi, a municipality member and head of the Technical Committee, said that the structural planning of the country was "in limbo," accusing the executive authority as well as the municipality of shortcomings. He said that Kuwait needed to have a vision.
(about time they realised this!!!)
He also stated that the country would witness problems as more and more buildings are currently constructed with little attention to the city''s capacity.
The vision of His Highness the Amir to transform Kuwait to an international and financial center, he said, is an admirable strategy through which everyone must embark.
However, he added, to translate the notion into reality, all aspects needed to be considered.
Pointing to the present architectural inconsistencies, he said that the city would not be able to accommodate the large volume of local and international businesses and that if forced to house all new business outlets, the capital city would be packed with skyscrapers.(i would definitely love that!)
According to AlـKharafi, the structural planning was based on haphazard studies. Much important information was absent at the time of planning, which caused such architectural mayhem.
He therefore saw an alternative city as key to solving the geographical distribution problem. He pointed to the fact that each city has a capacity and once overloaded, disaster would surely strike.
Finally, AlـKharafi called for new initiatives to preserve both the Kuwaiti architectural heritage and the modern faچade it desperately seeks to promote.
He emphasized that both could be accomplished through careful and deliberate structural planning.
- al-watan daily (http://alwatan.com.kw/Default.aspx?MgDid=662944&pageId=473)
On the other end of the spectrum, old houses made of mud, which was the traditional style of old Kuwait, remain scattered across the country.
Newly constructed highـrises continue to popup in the Kuwaiti skyline. Thousands of vehicles spit out toxic fumes and shiny superـmalls have become the new cultural hubs, especially in the capital city as more people call for modernization.
However, there are just as many people crying out for the preservation of the country''s old tradition and heritage.
Al Watan met with some MPs in an attempt to gain perspective upon the architectural disparity Kuwait is going through.
MP Abdullah Rai AlـFahma supports the modernization of Kuwait city and would like to see more distinctive designs to reflect modern Kuwait. However, he was also keen to add that such transformation should not compromise the originality of old Kuwait which represents, as he described, "the Kuwaiti heritage."
Echoing a similar sentiment, MP Jaber AlـMuhailbi stressed that modernization should include all Kuwait''s six governorates, but warned against any attempts to disfigure the older hallmarks of Kuwait, such as Nayef Palace, which he said should be preserved.
On the other hand, MP Mubarak AlـOmairi candidly discussed the local architecture, stating that unlike many other countries, it did not bear a distinctive Kuwaiti identity.
He justified his statement by saying that there was no particular architectural style which could be described as uniquely Kuwaiti. Therefore, he found it difficult to justify standardizing the buildings in Kuwait City, adding that such an idea ought to have been laid down years ago as many wellـdesigned buildings have been constructed at high costs and cannot be easily removed.
Any attempt to redesign the city only to standardize the building style would not be easily acceptable among the proprietors, not to mention that an allـout standardization would be implausible in terms of practicality, he noted.
Discussing the issue of whether such architectural inconsistencies would compromise the general scenic view of the capital city, AlـOmairi added that while it was not practical to keep the old buildings of Kuwait just for the sake of maintaining its identity, he equally believed that some architectural buildings and designs must remain untouched as they vividly reflect the history of Kuwait.
Meanwhile, MP Mubarak AlـWalaan put forth his belief that the introduction of new laws would be the key to the issue.
He said that capital cities all over the world have preserved some space for residential areas. However, here in Kuwait, he added, commercial complexes are next to business companies and beside supermarkets. He urged that unused spaces that are scattered across the capital city should not be given to business or investment projects but rather be converted into residential areas to give the city the human touch it so desperately needs.
AlـWalaan accused the government of discrepancies, giving the lack of assigning car parks as an example of what he described as "the government''s disorganization."
On the other hand, Adel AlـKharafi, a municipality member and head of the Technical Committee, said that the structural planning of the country was "in limbo," accusing the executive authority as well as the municipality of shortcomings. He said that Kuwait needed to have a vision.
(about time they realised this!!!)
He also stated that the country would witness problems as more and more buildings are currently constructed with little attention to the city''s capacity.
The vision of His Highness the Amir to transform Kuwait to an international and financial center, he said, is an admirable strategy through which everyone must embark.
However, he added, to translate the notion into reality, all aspects needed to be considered.
Pointing to the present architectural inconsistencies, he said that the city would not be able to accommodate the large volume of local and international businesses and that if forced to house all new business outlets, the capital city would be packed with skyscrapers.(i would definitely love that!)
According to AlـKharafi, the structural planning was based on haphazard studies. Much important information was absent at the time of planning, which caused such architectural mayhem.
He therefore saw an alternative city as key to solving the geographical distribution problem. He pointed to the fact that each city has a capacity and once overloaded, disaster would surely strike.
Finally, AlـKharafi called for new initiatives to preserve both the Kuwaiti architectural heritage and the modern faچade it desperately seeks to promote.
He emphasized that both could be accomplished through careful and deliberate structural planning.
- al-watan daily (http://alwatan.com.kw/Default.aspx?MgDid=662944&pageId=473)