#COMPLETED :"Kuwait National Library"

[Qatar Son 333]

we have Cultural Village you know but the sky library is ment to be a modern looking library

[differences75]

I don't think the kuwait library is a good design. its like 20 years behind the rest of the modern developed world. the site is so great they could've so much with it. i wish they consulted international design houses and architects .. bss yala at least they built it and the spot is no longer a desert in the city .. we have a lot of emptiness in kuwait city. should get filled.

[h_arc_h]

differeces it won't get filled soon because land prices are soo expancive

[Skoulikimou]

Originally Posted by h_arc_h

differeces it won't get filled soon because land prices are soo expancive

the land is ridiculously expensive is because that beloved government own and control almost 80% of the land in kuwait city

[differences75]

Skoulikimou is correct .. the massive empty plots are owned by the government and its doing nothing for the city. there are 2 projects on hold, both are BOT, the heritage village, and the cultural center.
anyhow back to the library, this is a link to a CNN special report on the Seattle library...
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/08/...ary/index.html

[arsumit]

the security system and public address system for KNL is awarded to Specialised Security system as those people bribed the site engineer.... so what we will get is useless stuff installed in this g8 project

[Skoulikimou]

19-08-07

[Danny21]

any news on this project ??.. y do things happen so slow in this country???

lol.... a safety sign board put up after the collapse last year....

[Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by arsumit

the security system and public address system for KNL is awarded to Specialised Security system as those people bribed the site engineer.... so what we will get is useless stuff installed in this g8 project

Bribery goes in almost all the projects. Both persons has to be blamed. One who offers and one who receives..

It is sad but happens all the time in all projects..

Any way, SSS (Specialized Security system) do have some good stuff besides what ever they put has to be approved by the consultants also. So you should getting stuff which is not bad ..

[CrazY]

17-08-08

[differences75]

after it took shape and closer inspection i have to retreat my pervious comment that this is a bad design. its not a great design but its not totally bad. there are a lot of good things about it.

will elaborate on them later

[Skoulikimou]

differences75 favorite project

[CrazY]

heheh you guys were harsh on this project :P

[Kuwaiti]

i think its great! masterpiece for kuwaiti culture! ppl will remember our creativity for this.




not

[ChaoticTranquility]

hm.

i always supported the idea of building a national library for the country, but when i saw the renderings of what was supposed to come up on that plot of land, i was disappointed. the building looked hideous and i felt that something MUCH better could have been designed. but looking at the final product, the only somewhat decent thing [and i say this with emphasis on the 'somewhat'] is the curvilinear glass façade. the circular, relatively windowless stone structure in the center is just as monstrous as it was in the renderings, and the rest of the complex fails to impress me.

i read architecture books and journals during my spare time. i learned that the purpose of a building should be reflected in its exterior and interior spaces. in this case, a library is supposed to be a beacon of knowledge and a wealth of information, something that should instill curiosity in people and make them want to know more, to approach the building, enter it and lead them on a 'journey.' look at the Seattle Central Library. it was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004. it's a spectacular modern glass building on a prime downtown site flooded with natural light. in fact, the building was so well-designed that it's now a tourist sight. look at Egypt! the Bibliotheca Alexandrina [Latin for Library of Alexandria] is one of the most beautiful buildings in the country. it's essentially a disc-shaped structure imitating "the rising sun of knowledge." our library looks like a fortress. i'm guessing they were trying to echo Kuwait's past as a walled city, but this is a library! make it welcoming, not imposing! or they could have integrated the fortress theme in subtler ways rather than making the whole building look like it. if i were driving by it, i'd ignore it. the building doesn't "wow" me or make me want to know more about it or what it is. for all i care, it could just be another block of offices in an uninspiring building rather than a public library.

whatever. it took them long enough to commission and build this; you eventually start to lose hope with these people and their government-backed excuses for 'national projects.'

ANY idea if our beloved government will invest in renovating the nearby Kuwait National Museum? or is that still stagnating/going to Hell as far as we're concerned?

ChaoticTranquility

***

Seattle Central Library: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Central_Library

Bibliotheca Alexandrina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliotheca_Alexandrina

[Danny21]

Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Municipal Affairs Dr. Fadhil Safar has announced that the national library is in process of being finalized and is expected to be completed by February.

After touring the library site accompanied by the ministry''s Undersecretary Abdulaziz AlـKulaib and Assistant Undersecretary for the Construction Engineering Sector Hussam AlـTahous, Safar said that the national library project is "a modern library similar to international libraries... which reflects the Kuwaiti interest in literature, culture and science." He also expressed pride that the project came as the result of a local initiative rather than international funding.

For his part, Undersecretary AlـKulaib revealed that the project has cost KD12,700,000 to complete and that the ministry is now working in coordination with the Ministry of Finance to fund items such as furniture.
He added that the ministry is undertaking a number of major projects in conformity with the government''s plan to transform Kuwait into an international financial center.
Chief engineer on the site Alya Abdullah disclosed that the project was scheduled to be ready last April but a collapse in the roof of the first floor delayed the project despite the ministry doubling the hours of construction work and recruiting more laborers.
The national library building consists of two basements with four floors on an area of 47, 300 square meters and will accommodate an estimated 1,700,000 books.
The ground floor is for library services and the first floor will be allocated for storing the books.
The second and third floors will be reserved for private collections donated by private contributors.
Part of the second floor will also be allocated to an IT department which will be tasked with supervising the library terminals used search through the computerized library catalogs

- Al-Watan Daily

[differences75]

any updates on this?

[Danny21]

image hosted on flickr

- Artist Photo

[iSORROW]

I ve always though that the design really suited q8 but could not explain that is till i relized it shared the same idea along with the prliament.


u c, both of em have columns in front. the columns represent equilty and freedom.

[Skoulikimou]

By italian in Q8