Project Description
This project was named a winner in the 2015 American Concrete Institute Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. Read more.
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Reaching a height of 412 meters, this iconic, award-winning skyscraper is the tallest building in Kuwait. The sculptural office tower anchors a commercial complex comprising offices, a health club, and a high-end shopping mall. Al Hamra was named one of the best inventions of 2011 by TIME magazine.
A desire to maximize views of the Arabian Gulf while minimizing solar heat gain inspired the building’s asymmetrical form, which calls to mind the traditional robes worn by Kuwaitis. The purity of its form, expressed by a simple operation of removal, makes the tower a timeless, elegant marker in the heart of Kuwait City. A quarter of each floor plate is chiseled out of the south side, shifting from west to east over the height of the building. The result reveals a rich, monolithic stone at the south wall framed by the graceful, twisting “ribbon” walls that gesture toward the sky.
The tower welcomes tenants with a soaring 20-meter-tall lobby with a lamella structure that supports the tower above and articulates the space below. This distinctive feature provides continuity from the building to its footing and acts as a strengthening component.
FROM THE AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE:
Al Hamra Project’s mixed-use development comprises of the Business Tower, the Luxury enter, and a Multi-Story Car Park. The development is constructed on a site of 10,978 square meters. The Luxury Center has a Built-up Area of 66,448 Sqm. and the Business Tower an Area of 161,003 Sqm. making a total of nearly a quarter of a million square meters. The Total Leasable Areas are 21,632 Sqm. For the Luxury Center and 99,020 Sqm. for the Business Tower, all served by a Car Park consisting of 11 levels with approximate capacity of two thousand spaces.