Al Sawaber, With my Regards

للتاريخ تسمية منطقة الصوابر نسبة

لفخذ الصوابر من قبيلة العوازم

 يرويها العم د. صالح العجيري

             In the past, Kuwait planned for huge infrastructures and development projects through long term strategies and envisages after discovering Petroleum(black gold). Until the Gulf War, where these goals were bombarded to a halt. The plan was aiming to overcome the needs for welfare housing and transforming the country to be more urban centric. These goals wouldn’t be achieved without having a strong partner(private sector), that could turn the wheels of the economy by participating in constructional mega projects with the public sector in Kuwait. Private sectors were a turning point for Kuwaiti society since 1950's, where it participated in providing better services for planning and construction that the public sector were unable to provide . One of these mega projects was Al Sawaber complex. It was designed by the Canadian Architect Arthur Erickson in 1977.

Al Sawaber Complex

                The design was aimed for the citizens that are looking for new housing in the mid 1980's. The complex included many concourses buildings design type and contained many apartments for the newlyweds. The Sawaber Complex main objective is to provide a Utopian environment to live in, where it meets every resident's needs and at the same time to be affordable for rent or buy by regular citizens. That was the architect vision for Al Sawaber complex, yet unfortunately, what had been built was against his vision. Instead the design was tempered with, sacrificing the original design to fulfill financial gain. 



Concourses of Al Sawaber



                Al Sawaber complex should be the ideal housing complex project for the newlyweds Kuwaities that needed a safe and convenient environment for them, where all their daily life needs were met. Yet due to it's design flaws, the residents had moved out and left the apartment for sale or rent, where all the expats began to move in, making grow into it's current depressing state. It is a beautiful place theoretically, but in fact it is not at all in reality. The complex need to be evacuated now and reconsidered again to redesign and solve the issues in the complex. After that, they should start rehabilitating it again with Kuwaiti citizens, although there is some Kuwaiti citizens that are living there today ,but they are not satisfied with it. 

                  The complex now is not a good example of Kuwait development plan department KDP and PAHW history. Many things to say about the place for preserving it, not to demolish it again. It was one of the first projects that would shape the permanent Kuwaiti apartments with a view over the suburbs and gardens for all of the apartments rather than overlooking the cemetery that could have been avoided with the original design plan. 

Side View 

                Finally, Al Sawaber complex was and still a pleasant complex to be occupied, if it has been well preserved from its main users and government. What is happening for the place nowadays is that the government is neglect it after the Gulf War and the result of that neglegance had led to the deterioration of the complex. Unfortunately, the Concourses nowadays from time to time are usually on fire and the only ones that takes care of it are the firemen, not the government nor the people that are occupying the complex.

The Complex usually in the begging of each year is on fire** 

              The complex now is in a poor condition, in terms of the facilities that serve its residents. The government from long time ago had neglected maintaining and fixing problems such as sewage, electricity, security, municipality and a lot of issues that is related to daily life requirements for the people that live there. The government had blamed the private sector for Sawaber's problems. The complex still has the power to be ready to reveal its beauty, if the government starts to address it's problem seriously.

Al Sawaber Suburbs

                For now there is another project that is being built by the private sector and the project is called Dhahiat Hessa Al Mubarak district, which is located in the main gulf road. This project have the same characteristics of Al Sawaber complex as a Utopian environment for the users and is fully dependent on the private sector unlike Al Sawaber complex. The question is when and what is the perfect time to manage the problems in the Kuwait Development Plan and Public Authority of Housing Welfare? Who will be in charge to solve the conflicts inside?  Will they address the problems now ? or postpone it as usual? 

كشف مدير عام المؤسسة العامة للرعاية السكنية المهندس بدر الوقيان عن قرار لمجلس الوزراء يقضي بهدم مجمع الصوابر قريباً، وضم الموقع للمنطقة 

***التجارية في «الكويت»، معلناً «نزع ملكية آخر شقة في 31 مارس الماضي

لا طبنا ولا غدا الشر

  Mishal Al Musaileekh

*Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh
**http://cdn.sabr.cc/wp-content/uploads/picture/45279200px.png
***http://www.alraimedia.com/ar/article/local/2016/04/04/669979/nr/kuwait



Mutual Life

What are the main elements of the Kuwaiti private houses?  How can we identify it? To find the proper answers for these questions, the history books of Kuwait will always be the first source of information to find these answers. A home has to find a balance between the environmental factors of the site and the lifestyle choices of its inhabitants.

For sure, there are different kinds of views for the people to construct their own dream houses and in fact it is the human nature that people are  different from each other. Privacy issue will be the main concern for the Kuwaiti citizens when they start to think of having a house for living. We all have a basic desire for personal privacy. None of the Kuwaitis want the interior of his house to be visible from the outside for pedestrians or people passing by which will allow them to see what is happening inside except for those who are not the original people and their desire is having a giant transparent windows to show the passersby their furniture’s, palm trees and the magnificent exterior. Moreover, some people try to show the price labels of the furniture in order to get a prestigious view.  Other people tend to have big windows and whenever they want more privacy, they would close them with shutters.

Giant Windows Houses

    Because of these reasons, they do not know what they want as some people want to show that they are wealthy. It is a waste of materials and money but in their point of you it is worth it. They have the wrong point of view for designing the house. Our climate is the key to define this identity. For example, in summer it is hot, dry and the winds come from the north western direction. In winter it is cold and rarely humid. The design simply will be a courtyard surrounded by rooms.

Courtyard Surrounded by Rooms





                  The design of a courtyard house (Arabian house) will create a ventilation system by creating that courtyard.  In summer, the hot air will get out from the house from the courtyard and the cold air will be preserved and in winter, it will be cold and beautiful place to live in. The design will be simple and beautiful. Clear governmental rules and regulations will create pleasant results. The design will create a historical place that will be nostalgic to the old times of the old Kuwaiti people which the design was token from the old ancient Roman metropolis.

                At the end, the government have to make a clear vision of designing houses for the citizens. They have to make restrictions for building and every Kuwaiti have to follow it and to have a consistency when someone starts to build his or her own house.  Penalties must be harsh and equal against the citizens so people will not think about breaking the rules. We need to have a clear identity and vision to give it for the next generations. The government have to build houses that cover the citizens need.  The citizen is free to choose whether to live in an apartment or house.  He is free to choose if he want a big or small house.  So, the government must be flexible with the citizens as the citizens are living in a Democratic country.  As long as the citizen is not breaking rules and regulations, he has the chance to do whatever he view that is suitable for him.  

Mishal AlMusaileekh
Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh
  

Lost Identity



As a reflective mirror to our heritage and traditions, Kuwait international museum is the panel to present our identity through history, art and sculptural work. The museum plans were designed and ready to be constructed in 1960’s. It was opened at 1981 and later the planetarium was a later addition to the museum and it was opened at 1986. The museum was designed by the French architect   Michel Ecohard. The land of the museum was utilized as residence of Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaber Al Subah. The government took the lot and converted it to a museum. Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaber Al Subah had a lot of historical artifacts that were the main collection of Dar Al Athar museum show room and was took back and displayed in this museum. The visitors of the museum will discover the wonderful art collection of the Al Sabah dynasty.

Kuwait National Museum

The museum is a rectangular plan set around a central garden and at the north perimeter of it Al Muhalab boom lies around 16m from the sea which is a big and old trading wooden ship that signifies the beauty of that era's craftsman ship of the entire museum,  overlooking the gulf street. 

Al Muhalab Boom

         The museum comprises five main buildings.  The first building is on the left from the main entrance contains artifacts that was founded on Failaka Island and some features of old Kuwaiti houses such as “Babb Bo Khokha” and other things. The second building contains  artifacts that was utilized during 1940’s and 1950’s in Kuwait and It includes detailed information that was nicely presented in a panoramic view with statues presenting scenes of the Kuwaiti traditional daily activities such as scenes from the market, local neighborhoods, interior of mud houses, governmental buildings and the showcasing of the earliest examples of modern housing after the discovery of oil. Signifying the turning point of the years before and after the oil boom and showing its effects on Kuwaiti Culture and Architectural Society. The third and fourth building was closed because of the gulf war in 1990. The fifth building contains scientific materials and daily video lectures related to astronomy as a later addition to Kuwait national museum which is the planetarium which is part of Kuwait national museum resembles a big oil container. In terms of criticism, there are many problems hat I saw which must must be fixed.  there must be a security check point in order to protect the building from terrorism and theft but it was not at all.   Moreover, there are no clear procedures for the visitors while entering the museum. 

Planetarium

                The museum was popular and many people visited it and foreigners  too but after the gulf war, people stopped visiting the building because it was neglected by the government. The government did not try to fix it until 2000 then pause it till 2015 then the government started the real renovation process at 2015. It is embarrassing as foreigners and citizens are seeing that the building is neglected. We are in 2017! and the museum is still at its abandoned state. Hoping the museum is alive again, with its nice tours and programs that will attract people not only from Kuwait but also from all around the world and become a tourism attraction supposedly!  




Mishal Al Musaileekh

*Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh