1. Globalization Versus Localization:
Contemporary Architecture and the Arab City
Omar Khattab
Member, CTBUH
Department of Architecture
Kuwait University, Kuwait
ABSTRACT
In its earlier attempts to catch up with modernity, the Arab city has lost, whether
intentionally or unintentionally, its local image. Historically, this image has been primarily
associated with obsolescence. Meanwhile, Western models conveying the desired
modern image were readily available. Thus architectural development mainly followed
the prevailing international trends without addressing the Arab tradition. This resulted in
a loss of identity and a separation between the Arab city’s past and present, as well as a
concern for its future. This is apparent in the main cities of the Arabian Gulf states.
Particularly in the case of Kuwait, reasserting the local identity has lately become a
matter of great importance especially after Iraq’s claims in Kuwait and the second Gulf
War. This paper compares some examples of contemporary architecture in Kuwait,
representing a typical Arab city, to examine the influence of Western architecture on their
design. It also contrasts this with some other examples, which revive local design
elements and traditions in contemporary practice in order to preserve continuity and
reflect change. The aim is to document the effect of globalization on the local
architecture of Kuwait, and to investigate whether an attempt to portray a local
indigenous image with some global ingredients can prove successful.
INTRODUCTION
The Arab city has experienced dramatic changes during the second half of the 20th
century. These changes have occurred in the political, economic, and cultural arenas,
and are especially evident in architecture. These cultural changes are attributed to a
number of factors such as political independence, rapid population growth, and, most
significant, the discovery of oil in the Arabian Gulf states. As a result the built
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2. environment of major cities in the region has undergone major transformation. The oil
boom has resulted in a flourishing building industry. The enormous job opportunities in
this field have attracted foreign experts and labor to meet the increasing demand for
urban development and modernization.
Kuwait is one of the important Gulf States. Kuwait City became the focus of international
construction activities and many internationally renowned architects competed for large-
scale projects. Increasingly, the government turned to famous foreign architects for
major building commissions, and so did most of the private sector. This alienated the
city's inhabitants and resulted in a loss of local identity. Prominent planners and
architects anticipated this trend around 40 years ago (Kultermann, 1999)
EARLY MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN KUWAIT
The use of traditional local building materials and techniques, which are often considered
archaic and obsolete, was abandoned in favor of modern imported materials and
construction techniques. Affluence, resulting from the reinvestment of oil revenues in
building construction, has dramatically changed the methods of traditional design and
construction. This is especially the case now that modern building technology and
materials are being imported from around the world (Bosel, 1995).
Early Modernism and International Style architecture (often associated with corporate
architecture developed in the post-World War II era) influenced the design of some
buildings built in Kuwait during the 1970s and 1980s Early modern movement
architecture introduced at the beginning of the 20th century was characterized by
simplicity in plan and form, and avoided the stylistic embellishments and complexities of
Neo-classical and Beaux-Arts architecture. International Style buildings were designed
following modern movement tenets. These buildings, which borrowed aesthetic
inspiration heavily from other famous and internationally recognized office buildings, were
mainly office complexes designed for influential corporations in the public and private
sectors.
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3. Through the International Style, corporate architecture aimed at conveying a sense of
permanence and authority and was characterised by the extensive use of glass and steel
(Peel et al, 1992). In the case of Kuwait, fair-face concrete was extensively used in early
corporate architecture as well as stone and marble cladding. Some examples of early
Modern architecture in Kuwait, which were awarded to internationally renowned firms
such as the Architects Collaborative and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of USA, are shown
in Fig. 1.
Kuwait Fund Headquarters Behbahani tower High Courts complex
Office tower on Fahed Al-Salem Al-Rashed & Al-Anjari tower Al-Muthanna complex
street
Dasman tower The Blue tower
Fig. 1: Examples of Early Modern Architecture in Kuwait
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4. Neo-Islamic and Late- and Post-Modern Architecture
As an Arabic and Islamic country, Kuwait was bound to experience some experimental
work in Neo-Islamic architecture. This movement was characterized by Islamic motifs
and architectural elements used in a different context, and was a reaction to the
architecture produced during the period of Islamic revivalism, which occurred at the end
of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. This period was characterized by
a return to traditional Islamic architectural motifs, such as the use of decorative elements
like the mukarnas as a column capital in the Al-Awadi towers (Fig. 2). In fact, unlike
Modern and International Style architecture which tended to be straightforward and
tectonic, this phase was characterized by ambiguity between what is functional and what
is decorative. As Makiya (1990) explains, the structure and non-structural elements of
buildings were becoming increasingly ambiguous, which is what they historically had
become in late Islamic architecture. "Is the mukarnas a structural element or a
decorative one? The inspiration behind it is constructional: the problem of making the
transition from a rectilinear to spherical geometry, from a square plan to a dome"
(Makiya, 1990, p.79). The use of Islamic geometric patterns on facades presented yet
another way of achieving aesthetic imagery that can be associated with Islamic
architecture. This is clear in the examples shown in Fig. 2.
Le Meridian hotel Audit Bureau Headquarters Kuwait Airways Headquarters
Al-Awadi towers
Fig. 2: Examples of Neo-Islamic Architecture in Kuwait
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5. During the years after the liberation of Kuwait from the brief Iraqi occupation in 1991 a
number of large building commissions have been completed in an effort to rebuild the
country and change the cityscape. Some of these large commissions were influenced
by the growing trend in Western architecture towards the Late-Modern and Post-Modern
movements. The effect of international architectural styles has become more apparent
after Kuwait has been opened, even more, to the West in the aftermath of the Gulf War.
The influx of foreign architects practicing in Kuwait continues adding yet another
dimension to the effect of globalization on Kuwaiti architecture. High-tech materials and
modern, non-indigenous construction techniques are gradually replacing traditional
building practices and materials, such as concrete and stone cladding, that have been
used extensively in Islamic countries for millennia.
At the same time there have been some attempts by architects to reinvent traditional
Arab forms. This is what architectural consultants like HLW International have tried to
do in projects such as the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce Headquarters. They have
taken the idea of a traditional Caravanserai (traditionally a resting-place for caravans
travelling across the desert) and have translated it into a modern idiom to create an
urban landmark (AR, 1999). Some examples of Late-Modern architecture in Kuwait are
presented in Fig. 3.
The Post-Modern movement in architecture became popular during 1970s and 1980s.
The use of classical architectural elements such as Roman orders in novel settings,
unusual variations of materials, textures, and forms used in the same building, and
polychromatic colors are some of the characteristics of this movement. Although the
columns and pediments of Post-Modernism went out of fashion in Europe after the 1980s
to give way to new directions and concepts in architecture (Tietz, 1999), the influence of
Post-Modernism can still be seen in buildings that have been recently completed in
Kuwait. The well-known broken pediment of the AT&T headquarters by Philip Johnson,
which became the cliché of Post-Modernism (Peel et al, 1992), has appeared in Kuwait in
residential, office, and commercial buildings (Fig. 3).
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6. Al-Ahli bank (left) & Kuwait Al-Ahlia Insurance company Kuwait Chamber of Commerce
Finance House Headquarters
Al-Sahab tower Some apartment blocks using the pediment cliché of Post Modernism
Al-Humazi office tower Central Plaza shopping mall and
Offices
Fig. 3: Examples of Late & Post Modern Architecture in Kuwait
Al-Mutawa’s Architecture: A New Vision
"A country is recognized by its architects and its history is built into it,…[or] else the new would
have nothing to do and nowhere to go" (Goodwin, 1997). In addition to the examples
presented in this paper that have been influenced by the modernist aesthetics of international,
non-indigenous architecture, there were a few attempts by some local and foreign architects to
recognize and acknowledge the heritage of traditional Kuwaiti architecture. Among these is
Saleh Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti architect whose dream has been to revive the traditional
architecture of Kuwait (Al-Mutawa, 1994). He has attempted to localize his architectural
practice by reinterpreting some local architectural elements in a contemporary language of
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7. three-dimensional forms. "His architectural language makes an immediate impact on all who
see it, but it is disconcerting to fellow architects. The proof of this is that trivial bits of pastiche
have appeared on a few other works by architects who have in no way absorbed the ocean of
experience, both intellectual and emotional, behind Al-Mutawa's creativity and merely borrow
his ideas as if adding sugar to a glass of tea" (Goodwin, 1997).
Court, liwan and mindah Vestibule
Mastaba High roof tops fences
Wooden windows, doors & parapets Merzam
Jandal Badgeer
Fig. 4: Examples of Traditional Elements of Architecture in Kuwait
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8. The Influence of Tradition
Al-Mutawa has identified a number of elements of old Kuwaiti architecture (Al-Mutawa,
1994). The most important of these are the courtyard, the liwan or passage surrounding
courtyard, the vestibule or bent house entrance, the mastaba or outdoor bench, and the
high roof parapet. He also has identified the merzam or roof gutter, the jandal or
exposed wooden roof structure, the badgeer or wind tower, and the mindah or supporting
pillars around the courtyard as components of the Kuwaiti architectural heritage. The
use of teakwood for parapets, doors, and windows, and finally the specially decorated
building corners were a common practice in old Kuwait (Al-Mutawa, 1994). Some of
these elements are illustrated in Fig. 4.
In Al-Mutawa's architecture all of these traditional elements are employed in an active
and somewhat contemporary fabric of built form. According to Goodwin (1997), Al-
Mutawa first intuitively understood and absorbed what is pertinent in the past through his
childhood experience, then with an extraordinary empathy, he was able to transmute it
into the living circumstances of today and the future.
Building Projects
From the late 1980s through the early 1990s Al-Mutawa has designed a large number of
middle- to large-size apartment blocks around Kuwait, in addition to a high-rise office
building. Three primary characteristics that have distinguished this phase of his
architectural practice are: 1) the extensive use of wooden elements, both old and new; 2)
the incorporation of punctuated, fair-face concrete walls painted white with square
patterns; and, 3) the utilization of some traditional Kuwaiti elements used for the same
function in new buildings. The unsentimental use of historic concepts and building
materials, like the use of traditional drain spouts, also characterize his early works
(Goodwin, 1997). The white color used in all the buildings serves as an effective
background to the dark brown or blue woodwork ornamentation, as well as to the play of
shade and shadows created by recessed ventilation holes and various projections and
cantilevers. These embellishments provide his buildings with a unique image and give
them a special aesthetic flair in comparison to similar buildings in Kuwait (Fig. 5).
Since the mid-1990s Al-Mutawa has continued to contribute actively to the built
environment in Kuwait by undertaking the design of public and commercial buildings.
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9. Among his latest projects are a restaurant/coffee shop and a multi-use high-rise building
complex that will house commercial spaces and a hotel. The latter seems to have been
met with enough success to be duplicated on an adjacent site even before the
inauguration of the first complex.
Salwa 5 apartment block Salwa 3 apartment block
Al-Mubarakia shopping mall Al-Mutawa Office building
Al-Jabria apartment block Salmiya Palace mashrabia detail at night
Bedaa Restaurant and Coffee shop Salmiya Palace hotel & shopping mall
Fig. 5: Examples of Al-Mutawa’s Early & Late Projects
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10. The woodwork extensively used in the commercial and hotel complex, called Salmiya
Palace, is based on traditional formats that have been varied in their visual proportions
and scales to add visual interest. The facades of Salmiya Palace simulate decorated
lacework, especially at night when light comes through colourful glass panels (Fig. 5).
The extensive use of repetitive design elements, as in the facades of Salmiya Palace,
also characterizes this late phase. The use of mahsrabiya or wooden lattices in Salmiya
Palace does not actually recall a Kuwaiti tradition but rather an Arab one. Also the
yellow paint of the fair-face concrete walls of the Bedaa restaurant/coffee shop presents
a deviation from white colour used in almost all of his earlier buildings.
From a technical perspective, some studies have stated that Al-Mutawa's buildings have
proven to be less expensive to cool and heat. "It is important to note that all the
elements together in a building by Al-Mutawa can reduce the usage of air conditioning by
as much as fifty per cent" (Goodwin, 1997).
THE EMERGING STYLE
Recognition and acknowledgement of tradition can take the form of interpreting the
essence, in meaning and function, of certain elements of architectural heritage and
abstracting them in modern designs. It can also take the form of reusing, or recreating,
some of these architectural elements in a contemporary design to convey a traditional
image. Both approaches have been tried in current architectural practice in Kuwait. Al-
Mutawa's endeavours come under the second approach. The other examples of
contemporary architecture in Kuwait presented in this paper, although claiming to reflect
its traditional heritage in one form or another, do not succeed in reflecting a local image.
At the same time the various examples of Al-Mutawa's architecture presented, whether in
residential, commercial, or office development, seem to convincingly convey a local
image that had been considered lost or forgotten. This is not to say that this should be a
prototype for the revival of traditional Kuwaiti architecture. Nor is it an effort to justify a
form of architectural revivalism, similar to the one that took place in the 19th century, by
emphatically copying buildings from past architectural styles (Goodwin, 1997). Also, it is
not out of nostalgia to the past that people can recreate, or attempt to create, a museum
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11. city. On the contrary, architecture must not become a prototype, or especially a
stereotype. But the essence and merits behind Al-Mutawa's work deserve to be studied
before one embarks on designs that reflect a local, yet contemporary, image of Kuwaiti
architecture.
After reviewing some of the works of Al-Mutawa, one can define some positive and
negative aspects. Among the positive aspects is that his unique style is his own
architectural invention that comes principally out his personal development and cultural
background, as well as from advances in modern engineering (Goodwin, 1997). He has
also shown how he can break the conformity and the monotony inherent in most of the
buildings in Kuwait through "the creation of poetry of concealed disorder in his domestic
buildings" (Goodwin, 1997).
Yet there are some negative aspects in his work, such as the superficial use of wooden
beams, which appear to support concrete roofs and balconies, and the contradictory
mixture of styles of arches and motifs used in the same building and sometimes the
same facade. Despite these shortcomings, a local image of Kuwait’s heritage is
invariably reflected in Al-Mutawa's work. Whether this image is specifically a “Kuwaiti
image,” as he claims, or not is open to debate. Some architectural critiques agree with
him, while others criticize his work as only pastiche and stereotyped decoration of
traditional forms (Goodwin, 1997).
What is undeniable is that Al-Mutawa’s work has resulted in an emerging style, a so -
called “style of practice” of his own that has been reflected in all his architecture, from the
earliest buildings to the present. It is a personal style that provokes both positive and
negative architectural critiques. His architecture stimulates the emotions of its users and
creates a lasting impact on their psyches. Whereas a few foreign architects, it might be
argued, may have successfully absorbed the cultural heritage of Kuwait and produced
traditionally responsive architecture, the majority did not. The latter group has even
suggested that “tradition and innovation” are at odds and cannot be combined in
architectural terms (Randall, 1985).
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12. CONCLUDING REMARKS
This is, by no means, a comprehensive view of contemporary architecture in Kuwait,
since there are numerous other buildings and projects worthy of analysis. Also this
paper did not aim at analyzing the full architectural spectrum of the country, but rather to
examine through selected examples some of its current architectural trends. It attempts
to document examples of architects who are using and reinterpreting indigenous images
and motifs and then apply them to contemporary building types, such as high-rise offices
and hotels, which were once considered unsuitable for this type of expression.
In the first part of this paper, the author looked at the attempts to modernize Kuwait by
adopting international global architectural images for the design of medium- and large-
scale projects. The second part of the paper presented a Kuwaiti architect who is
attempting to reflect a local Kuwaiti image through his designs of modern buildings in a
city that is grappling with the problem of assimilating modernism into its traditional
cultural heritage.
We may agree, or disagree, that Al-Mutawa's architecture represents a revival of
traditional Kuwaiti architecture. We may also like it or dislike it according to our personal
architectural taste. In fact some Kuwaitis dislike his style while some foreigners admire it
so much (Goodwin, 1997). It is a style that has been influenced by the neo-traditional
architectural trend that prevailed during the second half of the 20th century. Al-Mutawa's
architecture surely reflects a local image of some sort, if we don’t take it literally as a
Kuwaiti image. It is an image that asserts its local Arab identity in the face of current
worldwide trends toward sweeping globalization.
REFERENCES
AL-MUTAWA, S. A., 1994
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE IN OLD KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait: Al-Khat.
BOSEL, S., 1995
A PERSONAL VIEW OF ARCHITECTURE IN KUWAIT. Kuwait Arts and
Architecture: A Collection of Essays, edited by Fullerton, A. and Fehervari, G.,
U.A.E.: Oriental Press, pp. 209-219.
CTBUH REVIEW / VOL. 1, NO. 3: FALL 2001 12

13. CARAVANSERAI REVISITED, 1999
In The Architectural Review Journal, no. 3, pp. 20 - 27.
GOODWIN, G., 1997
SALEH ABDULGHANI AL-MUTAWA: NEW VISION IN KUWAIT, London: Alrabea
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KULTERMANN, U., 1999
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN THE ARAB STATES: RENAISSANCE OF A
REGION, New York: McGraw-Hill.
MAKIYA, K., 1990
POST ISLAMIC CLASSICISM: A VISUAL ESSAY ON THE ARCHITECTURE OF
MOHAMED MAKIYA, London: Saqi Books.
PEEL, L., POWELL, P. AND GARRETT, A. , 1992
AN INTRODUCTION TO 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE, Leicester: Magna
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RANDALL, J., 1985
SIEF PALACE AREA BUILDINGS, KUWAIT, Mimar: Architecture in Development,
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