Atkins opens in Kuwait

CrazY · June 12th, 2007, 05:49 PM

ATKINS celebrates a new sponsorship agreement with local Kuwait company, Al-Awama General Trading & Contracting.

The recently opened office in Kuwait City is the eight in the region and reflects the company's continued growth, joining the already long established bases in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah), Bahrain (Manama), Qatar (Doha), Oman (Muscat) and India (Bangalore).

With its first design consultancy and supervision commissions in the Gulf area in 1967, Atkins has been involved in Kuwait since 1977 and over the last three decades has developed a reputation for its iconic design. The company has built its significant reputation with a major regional portfolio of design and supervision projects such as Dubai's Burj Al Arab Hotel, Burj Dubai Lake Hotel, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Jumeirah Beach Resort Development and the Dubai Metro; the Bahrain World Trade Center and Durrat Al Bahrain project; Barr Al Jissah (Shangri La) Hotel & Spa and the Wave and Blue City developments in Oman; road maintenance projects in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain; the design and supervision of the 66kms eight lane super highway between Doha and Dukhan in Qatar, and Qatar Education City.

Since 1999 the staff total across the Middle East has risen tenfold to around 2000 professionals including Architects; Civil, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical, Process, Marine, Piping and Instrumentation Engineers; Security & IT specialists, Transport Consultants; Project Managers; Environmentalists; Aviation and Oil & Gas industry specialists as well as the largest Railway consultancy in the Middle East.

'As a major component in the company's 17,000 strong worldwide organisation, we are focused on the continued expansion of our Middle East business in order to offer our international standard design services to a wider local base,'

comments Tim Askew, Managing Director Atkins Middle East. 'We are delighted to be formally re-established in Kuwait where we see even greater opportunities to deliver excellence and provide immediate support to our locally based clients," he adds.

Spearheading the new commercial registration of Atkins in Kuwait is an impressive list of projects which includes a 5-star mixed use development at Beid al Gnar, the redesign and construction of Mahboula Towers and the internationally acclaimed Al Sharq office complex, for which Atkins was recently awarded the 2007 MIPIM Architectural Review future projects award.

These pioneering projects are the latest in an established history of Atkins successes in Kuwait. Over the last 30 years, Atkins has been involved in key transport commissions such as the design review for the steel flyovers for the 4th Ring Road (1978), the design and supervision of the Fahaheel Expressway (1979), a joint venture with Freeman Fox and partners for the 6th Ring Road (1980), and the Al Kirhan Development (1998).

From iconic buildings such as the Bahrain World Trade Center, to infrastructure and transport, education and health facilities, Atkins is also at the forefront of incorporating sustainable design into the built environment with a multidisciplinary team approach that provides an unrivalled spectrum of professional services - all under one roof. The ability to offer such a highly talented locally based team of creative and experienced individuals facilitates the firm's working with a wide range of government bodies and private sector companies across a diverse range of landmark buildings and complex developments throughout the region.

Ameinfo

***Skoulikimou*** · June 13th, 2007, 01:38 AM

that was posted today in alwatan newspaper regrading atkins sponsorship in kuwait , you can see the new Ritz development development in the picture behind these guys

CrazY · June 13th, 2007, 12:10 PM

COOOOOOOOOOL

***Skoulikimou*** · July 2nd, 2007, 01:05 PM

Atkins latest activities

2006 Beid Al Gnar Mixed Use development

2006 Commercial Real Estate (Al Tijiaria) Hotel and commercial development at Salymia

2006 Al Sharq Office Complex

2006 KOC Security Project

2006 KOC Ahmadi Township Redevelopment Program

2007 Mahboula Towers

2007 Kuwait Investment Authority Tower Proposal

CrazY · July 2nd, 2007, 01:50 PM

where is this kuwait investment authority tower ??

any renders ?

***Skoulikimou*** · July 3rd, 2007, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazY

where is this kuwait investment authority tower ??

any renders ?

nothing so far , i will keep close eye on atkins

they might release it anytime soon

***Skoulikimou*** · September 3rd, 2007, 12:16 PM

Bling bling architecture: Iconic buildings to remake Kuwait
August 31, 2007

KUWAIT: The Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Flatiron Building, London Bridge and Big Ben, Malaysia's Petronas Towers and the Bilbao Guggenheim all share one thing in common. They are among the world's most iconic architectural wonders.

The Kuwait Towers is the country's current icon of record. But while it might be recognized by people who live in the region, it doesn't enjoy global status like the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House.

Architecturally speaking, the most recognized and awe-inspiring of icons in the Middle East is the recently built Burj Al-Arab in Dubai. Among the elite globally-recognized icons, the Burj Al-Arab is not only the tallest hotel in the world but a symbol of Dubai's modernity, extravagance and extraordinary development.

Its architects have now set their sights on Kuwait. The global design and consultancy firm Atkins has put together concept designs for four new buildings in Kuwait. Each suggest an attempt at the iconic. From a slim-line high rise office building that seems to sway in the breeze to a hotel, commercial building resembling a king cobra, the structures - if built - would add a touch of the extraordinary and the fantastic to the skyline of Kuwait.

What Kuwait needs is an icon that will put it on the global map, or so says Neville Purchase, General Manager for Atkins Middle East. He argues that Kuwait needs a building "that can be put on your number plate. A job that's worthy of national recognition. This needs to be something that people accept as an icon for their country.

Toward that end, Atkins has opened a branch office in Kuwait. At least two of the four buildings it has designed for Kuwaiti clients are now before the Municipality, awaiting approval.

But designing and building an icon is no easy matter. Kuwait's sky high land prices, height and building restrictions and labyrinth bureaucracy can force the price of even a normal building into the multiple millions of dinars.

The building is sometimes only a third of the total investment cost, two thirds of the investment cost is the land," notes Purchase. "Kuwait is sort of a blank canvas," says Atkins' principal architect Nicolas Bailey, who hopes to fill in the empty space with iconic buildings of his own design.

Atkins has done work in Kuwait on and off since 1977, but mostly on the Ring Road system and Al-Qurain. The firm only recently gained commercial registration, allowing it to open a branch in the country.
We're the first international consultant to apply for commercial registration in Kuwait. There is no one else with a front door office in Kuwait," says Purchase.

Only now ready to tackle the private sector building market in Kuwait, Atkins is a long time player in Dubai. Along with the iconic Burj Al-Arab, Atkins has been involved in dozens of private and public sector projects in Dubai.

Dubai is becoming a little bit predictable but Kuwait is a quite interesting an opportunity," points out Bailey. "This is certainly an exciting time for Kuwait," he says.

Charles Jencks, architect and author of The Iconic Building, has criticized the popularity of modern icon landmark buildings. He suggests that iconic landmarks should serve not only as functional buildings but also as important metaphors that symbolize an idea or value of the city in which it's built.

The Burj Al-Arab is a case in point. The tallest hotel in the world, built on its own island in the Gulf just off the coast of Dubai, it symbolizes the emirate's modernity and ability to achieve what seems impossible - to turn a tiny, impoverished emirate into the region's financial and business hub, for example.

Would a cobra personify and symbolize Kuwait? Will it be what some have labeled 'bling bling architecture'? Or will the building of iconic buildings in Kuwait serve to spur development and growth and give Kuwait an identity recognized and respected by the rest of the globe?

www.kuwaittimes.net

CrazY · September 3rd, 2007, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skoulikimou

Would a cobra personify and symbolize Kuwait? Will it be what some have labeled 'bling bling architecture'? Or will the building of iconic buildings in Kuwait serve to spur development and growth and give Kuwait an identity recognized and respected by the rest of the globe?

are they talking about THE cobra tower ??

***Halawala*** · September 3rd, 2007, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazY

are they talking about THE cobra tower ??

NOT AGAIN!!!!

CrazY · September 3rd, 2007, 05:20 PM

LOOOOL i had to ask :P

wooops · September 3rd, 2007, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skoulikimou

Bling bling architecture: Iconic buildings to remake Kuwait
August 31, 2007

Its architects have now set their sights on Kuwait. The global design and consultancy firm Atkins has put together concept designs for four new buildings in Kuwait. Each suggest an attempt at the iconic. From a slim-line high rise office building that seems to sway in the breeze to a hotel, commercial building resembling a king cobra, the structures - if built - would add a touch of the extraordinary and the fantastic to the skyline of Kuwait.

www.kuwaittimes.net

i think they are going to build it
anyway it's good news !

NEWUSER · September 6th, 2007, 08:48 AM

Waaaaaaa..... cobra tower will be built?! No way...

Man! this project is an MEP nightmare! If Kuwait goes ahead and build it, it will be added to the world's most iconic architectural wonders, easily!

***Skoulikimou*** · September 6th, 2007, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NEWUSER

Waaaaaaa..... cobra tower will be built?! No way...

Man! this project is an MEP nightmare! If Kuwait goes ahead and build it, it will be added to the world's most iconic architectural wonders, easily!

i don't think that they are talking about "the cobra tower"

NEWUSER · September 6th, 2007, 04:09 PM

You had to burst the bubble, eh Skoulikimou

Point taken...

But you gotta admit the Cobra tower renderings are amazing and would be a spectacular icon for Kuwait's skyline...

q8_shaggy_17 · September 6th, 2007, 11:16 PM

excuse me 4 asking u guys but, can any of u show me some info about this cobra tower that is possibly going to be built, and plz also show me some rendering if u don't mind

NEWUSER · September 7th, 2007, 03:43 AM

shaggy, renderings of the cobra tower >>

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=499942

q8_shaggy_17 · September 7th, 2007, 10:52 AM

thnx newuser

June 12th, 2007, 05:49 PM	#1
CrazY ... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait Posts: 3,902 Likes (Received): 1	Atkins opens in Kuwait ATKINS celebrates a new sponsorship agreement with local Kuwait company, Al-Awama General Trading & Contracting. The recently opened office in Kuwait City is the eight in the region and reflects the company's continued growth, joining the already long established bases in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah), Bahrain (Manama), Qatar (Doha), Oman (Muscat) and India (Bangalore). With its first design consultancy and supervision commissions in the Gulf area in 1967, Atkins has been involved in Kuwait since 1977 and over the last three decades has developed a reputation for its iconic design. The company has built its significant reputation with a major regional portfolio of design and supervision projects such as Dubai's Burj Al Arab Hotel, Burj Dubai Lake Hotel, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Jumeirah Beach Resort Development and the Dubai Metro; the Bahrain World Trade Center and Durrat Al Bahrain project; Barr Al Jissah (Shangri La) Hotel & Spa and the Wave and Blue City developments in Oman; road maintenance projects in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain; the design and supervision of the 66kms eight lane super highway between Doha and Dukhan in Qatar, and Qatar Education City. Since 1999 the staff total across the Middle East has risen tenfold to around 2000 professionals including Architects; Civil, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical, Process, Marine, Piping and Instrumentation Engineers; Security & IT specialists, Transport Consultants; Project Managers; Environmentalists; Aviation and Oil & Gas industry specialists as well as the largest Railway consultancy in the Middle East. 'As a major component in the company's 17,000 strong worldwide organisation, we are focused on the continued expansion of our Middle East business in order to offer our international standard design services to a wider local base,' comments Tim Askew, Managing Director Atkins Middle East. 'We are delighted to be formally re-established in Kuwait where we see even greater opportunities to deliver excellence and provide immediate support to our locally based clients," he adds. Spearheading the new commercial registration of Atkins in Kuwait is an impressive list of projects which includes a 5-star mixed use development at Beid al Gnar, the redesign and construction of Mahboula Towers and the internationally acclaimed Al Sharq office complex, for which Atkins was recently awarded the 2007 MIPIM Architectural Review future projects award. These pioneering projects are the latest in an established history of Atkins successes in Kuwait. Over the last 30 years, Atkins has been involved in key transport commissions such as the design review for the steel flyovers for the 4th Ring Road (1978), the design and supervision of the Fahaheel Expressway (1979), a joint venture with Freeman Fox and partners for the 6th Ring Road (1980), and the Al Kirhan Development (1998). From iconic buildings such as the Bahrain World Trade Center, to infrastructure and transport, education and health facilities, Atkins is also at the forefront of incorporating sustainable design into the built environment with a multidisciplinary team approach that provides an unrivalled spectrum of professional services - all under one roof. The ability to offer such a highly talented locally based team of creative and experienced individuals facilitates the firm's working with a wide range of government bodies and private sector companies across a diverse range of landmark buildings and complex developments throughout the region. Ameinfo

June 13th, 2007, 01:38 AM	#2
*Skoulikimou* Brief State of Euphoria Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kuwait City Posts: 4,149 Likes (Received): 2	that was posted today in alwatan newspaper regrading atkins sponsorship in kuwait , you can see the new Ritz development development in the picture behind these guys __________________ The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves but wiser people so full of doubts.. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

July 2nd, 2007, 01:05 PM	#4
*Skoulikimou* Brief State of Euphoria Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kuwait City Posts: 4,149 Likes (Received): 2	Atkins latest activities 2006 Beid Al Gnar Mixed Use development 2006 Commercial Real Estate (Al Tijiaria) Hotel and commercial development at Salymia 2006 Al Sharq Office Complex 2006 KOC Security Project 2006 KOC Ahmadi Township Redevelopment Program 2007 Mahboula Towers 2007 Kuwait Investment Authority Tower Proposal __________________ The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves but wiser people so full of doubts.. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

September 3rd, 2007, 12:16 PM	#7
*Skoulikimou* Brief State of Euphoria Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Kuwait City Posts: 4,149 Likes (Received): 2	Bling bling architecture: Iconic buildings to remake Kuwait August 31, 2007 KUWAIT: The Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Flatiron Building, London Bridge and Big Ben, Malaysia's Petronas Towers and the Bilbao Guggenheim all share one thing in common. They are among the world's most iconic architectural wonders. The Kuwait Towers is the country's current icon of record. But while it might be recognized by people who live in the region, it doesn't enjoy global status like the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House. Architecturally speaking, the most recognized and awe-inspiring of icons in the Middle East is the recently built Burj Al-Arab in Dubai. Among the elite globally-recognized icons, the Burj Al-Arab is not only the tallest hotel in the world but a symbol of Dubai's modernity, extravagance and extraordinary development. Its architects have now set their sights on Kuwait. The global design and consultancy firm Atkins has put together concept designs for four new buildings in Kuwait. Each suggest an attempt at the iconic. From a slim-line high rise office building that seems to sway in the breeze to a hotel, commercial building resembling a king cobra, the structures - if built - would add a touch of the extraordinary and the fantastic to the skyline of Kuwait. What Kuwait needs is an icon that will put it on the global map, or so says Neville Purchase, General Manager for Atkins Middle East. He argues that Kuwait needs a building "that can be put on your number plate. A job that's worthy of national recognition. This needs to be something that people accept as an icon for their country. Toward that end, Atkins has opened a branch office in Kuwait. At least two of the four buildings it has designed for Kuwaiti clients are now before the Municipality, awaiting approval. But designing and building an icon is no easy matter. Kuwait's sky high land prices, height and building restrictions and labyrinth bureaucracy can force the price of even a normal building into the multiple millions of dinars. The building is sometimes only a third of the total investment cost, two thirds of the investment cost is the land," notes Purchase. "Kuwait is sort of a blank canvas," says Atkins' principal architect Nicolas Bailey, who hopes to fill in the empty space with iconic buildings of his own design. Atkins has done work in Kuwait on and off since 1977, but mostly on the Ring Road system and Al-Qurain. The firm only recently gained commercial registration, allowing it to open a branch in the country. We're the first international consultant to apply for commercial registration in Kuwait. There is no one else with a front door office in Kuwait," says Purchase. Only now ready to tackle the private sector building market in Kuwait, Atkins is a long time player in Dubai. Along with the iconic Burj Al-Arab, Atkins has been involved in dozens of private and public sector projects in Dubai. Dubai is becoming a little bit predictable but Kuwait is a quite interesting an opportunity," points out Bailey. "This is certainly an exciting time for Kuwait," he says. Charles Jencks, architect and author of The Iconic Building, has criticized the popularity of modern icon landmark buildings. He suggests that iconic landmarks should serve not only as functional buildings but also as important metaphors that symbolize an idea or value of the city in which it's built. The Burj Al-Arab is a case in point. The tallest hotel in the world, built on its own island in the Gulf just off the coast of Dubai, it symbolizes the emirate's modernity and ability to achieve what seems impossible - to turn a tiny, impoverished emirate into the region's financial and business hub, for example. Would a cobra personify and symbolize Kuwait? Will it be what some have labeled 'bling bling architecture'? Or will the building of iconic buildings in Kuwait serve to spur development and growth and give Kuwait an identity recognized and respected by the rest of the globe? www.kuwaittimes.net __________________ The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves but wiser people so full of doubts.. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

September 6th, 2007, 08:48 AM	#12
NEWUSER future Dubaian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto/Montreal [CA] / Kuwait/Salmiya [KW] / Dubai/Abu Dhabi [UAE] / Beirut [LB] / New York [US] Posts: 799 Likes (Received): 0	Waaaaaaa..... cobra tower will be built?! No way... Man! this project is an MEP nightmare! If Kuwait goes ahead and build it, it will be added to the world's most iconic architectural wonders, easily! __________________ IMMORTALITY: A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for. Ambrose Bierce "The Devil's Dictionary"

June 13th, 2007, 12:10 PM	#3
CrazY ... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait Posts: 3,902 Likes (Received): 1	COOOOOOOOOOL

July 2nd, 2007, 01:50 PM	#5
CrazY ... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait Posts: 3,902 Likes (Received): 1	where is this kuwait investment authority tower ?? any renders ?

September 3rd, 2007, 05:20 PM	#10
CrazY ... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait Posts: 3,902 Likes (Received): 1	LOOOOL i had to ask :P

September 6th, 2007, 04:09 PM	#14
NEWUSER future Dubaian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto/Montreal [CA] / Kuwait/Salmiya [KW] / Dubai/Abu Dhabi [UAE] / Beirut [LB] / New York [US] Posts: 799 Likes (Received): 0	You had to burst the bubble, eh Skoulikimou Point taken... But you gotta admit the Cobra tower renderings are amazing and would be a spectacular icon for Kuwait's skyline... __________________ IMMORTALITY: A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for. Ambrose Bierce "The Devil's Dictionary"

September 6th, 2007, 11:16 PM	#15
q8_shaggy_17 crazy devil Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: kuwait city Posts: 585 Likes (Received): 0	excuse me 4 asking u guys but, can any of u show me some info about this cobra tower that is possibly going to be built, and plz also show me some rendering if u don't mind

September 7th, 2007, 03:43 AM	#16
NEWUSER future Dubaian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto/Montreal [CA] / Kuwait/Salmiya [KW] / Dubai/Abu Dhabi [UAE] / Beirut [LB] / New York [US] Posts: 799 Likes (Received): 0	shaggy, renderings of the cobra tower >> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=499942 __________________ IMMORTALITY: A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for. Ambrose Bierce "The Devil's Dictionary"

September 7th, 2007, 10:52 AM	#17
q8_shaggy_17 crazy devil Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: kuwait city Posts: 585 Likes (Received): 0	thnx newuser

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