The Kuwaiti House
In his keynote address to the First International Conference on Architecture
and Design in Kuwait , the famous Kuwaiti architect Hamed Shuaib
he reiterated the question posed by many conferences and seminars held
in the Gulf area: "when will we, in Kuwait and other Gulf countries, have
modern architecture suitable for our community, environment and heritage?",
he questioned. He criticized the fact that architecture in Kuwait is being
produced by architects coming from different parts of the world. He argued
that Kuwaiti architecture has passed through 3 distinctive phases since
the end of the fifties until the end of the 20th century. He focused on
the private house as the true reflector of the Kuwaiti citizen view of
life and needs.
The first phase, he argued, was a mixture of houses built according
to the traditional Kuwaiti house; a courtyard house closed from the outside
and open to the inside area called alhoush, and some modern western villas.
The second phase during the sixties and seventies was marked by the
introduction of the modern villa in the form of Mediterranean architecture
found in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, where the architects of theses villas
came from. The Kuwaitis were inspired by the cultural development of these
Arab Mediterranean countries, where they used to spend their summer vacations.
Those villas were designed using strange shapes and forms which did not
reflect the type of life that existed behind them.
The third phase encompasses the eighties and the nineties is marked
by a mixture of styles from all over the world. It is also marked by an
interest in revival of Kuwaiti traditional architecture has evolved. Several
trials are made to develop contemporary architecture with identity and
style.
Hamed Shuaib argues that the badjair, the traditional wind catcher considered
by many as an importnat feature of traditional Kuwaiti architecture, is
not part of the "true" traditional Kuwaiti architecture. The badjair, he
argues, was found in very few buildings located in the eastern quarter
of the city belonging to rich Iranian merchants who resided in Kuwait at
that time. He regrets that many architects are using the badjairs extensively
in their modern buildings as symbols of traditional Kuwaiti architecture.
The "true" Kuwaiti traditional architecture, he added, is found in the
villages and towns of the desert. It arrived with those who immigrated
to Kuwait from the Arab Gulf and is found in many Gulf cities. This traditional
architecture is found in what is left of the famous Kuwaiti diwanias (seminar
houses) such as bait al Ghanem, bait al Badr, The Red Castle, and Dasman
palace. He urged young architects not to "copy" the architecture of the
past but to develop a Kuwaiti architecture that is derived from the tradition
and is modern enough to cope with modern era.
