Essential Elements of Architecture in Kuwait |
Posted: August 3, 2016 |
In the past years the architectural undertakings in Kuwait were mostly foreign ventures, but today there are a number of trained architects in Kuwait, with overseas experience, that have designed several wonderful buildings in the country. Architecture in KuwaitThere are some commonalities and differences between the views of the Kuwaiti architects regarding the sources of the real Kuwaiti cultural identity. A general agreement is that the climate and environment have a big influence on the culture of the people of Kuwait and the identity of the architecture in Kuwait. The hot climate and environmental response to the climate is a key factor in reflecting the architectural identity of the country of Kuwait. The long hot summers of the country which is located in a harsh desert region mean that most buildings are designed in a way to keep them cool and windy. Located at the tip of the Arabian Gulf make it one of the dominant representative of Gulf architecture. Since Kuwait has a history of sea trading, fishing, and pearl harvesting it is also reflected in the architecture in Kuwait where the architects employ simple metaphors of the pearl shells and fishing boats in the buildings. Impact of ReligionIn Kuwait, religion has a significant impact on the country’s culture as well as the understanding of the needs of privacy, family interaction, and space configuration and orientation. The religion of Islam is also commonly viewed as the unifying force that integrates the people with nature and society. There is an agreement among the Kuwaiti architects that there are some elements, vocabularies, proportions, and materials that differentiate traditional Kuwaiti architecture, but there is no agreement on whether they should be continued to use in the future. Some of the architects think that the reuse of these elements and materials is essential to keep the distinctive Kuwaiti architectural identity which relates contemporary architecture to the traditional architecture of the country. Cultural IdentitySome architects disagree with the traditional ones, and believe it is not necessary to reuse the old elements and materials because it is now more essential to respond to the climatic conditions and specific needs of the people in Kuwait. It has also been recognized by Kuwaiti architects that these buildings alone are not enough to portray the cultural identity of Kuwaiti architecture. The context of architecture provides an important background against which architecture is essential understood.
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