Critical nostalgia: Kuwait urban modernity and Alison and Peter Smithson's Kuwait Urban Study and Mat-Building

Al-Ragam, Asseel

doi:10.1080/13602365.2014.1000679

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The quest for The production of national projects building a new national identity and the clear commercial benefits of the newly imported architecture overshadowed discourses about the preservation of the local architectural heritage and the attention to the real need of the community. Only later "nostalgic" discourses were triggered, lamenting the destruction of the old city (Al Ragam, 2015).…”

Section: Modern Architecture and National Identity In Lebanon And Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences and aspirations in the production of national projects in Lebanon and Kuwait

Mazzetto

El-Khoury

2020

ARCH

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PurposeBy looking at a selection of iconic modern projects designed by or commissioned to the prominent but not well-examined architect Sami Abdul Baki both in Lebanon and Kuwait during his most productive years in the 50s, this paper attempts to identify first main trends, influences and ideologies that shaped these works at the peak of modern architectural development in the region. Through these examples, the paper then aims at retracing predominant trajectories of intellectual capital exchange and transfer of knowledge between Lebanon and Kuwait. These can go far beyond their territorial boundaries, without claiming a single grand-narrative that describes the modern architectural development in any of the two countries.Design/methodology/approachThe data collected from discourse analysis, interviews and biographical notes were mapped into a schematic diagram illustrating a complex network of connections and multidisciplinary involvement in projects.FindingsHowever, the outcome did not generate a dominant theme for the projects or expertise of the architect.Originality/valueIt is very likely that Sami Abdul Baki's strong political dimension and quality as a mediator or facilitator in addition to his strong network of contacts played a significant role in the project commissions that he has won as an architect/engineer in Kuwait, Lebanon, Germany and other countries.

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Section: Modern Architecture and National Identity In Lebanon And Kuwaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences and aspirations in the production of national projects in Lebanon and Kuwait

Mazzetto

El-Khoury

2020

ARCH

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“…Frictions worsened when the local team was barred from participating in the consultants' work and was left to carry out tedious secondary studies ( ibid .). Different networks were formed, which included local and foreign architects, construction companies, contractors and high‐ranking civil servants, some of whom had tremendous influence over the execution of projects (Sultan, ; Al‐Ragam, ; Al‐Nakib, ). Alliances shifted, often interrupting the continuity of planning procedures.…”

Section: The Short‐term Plan For Kuwait City and Urban Residential Plmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating the Politics of Exclusion: Georges Candilis, Housing and the Kuwaiti Welfare State

Al-Ragam

2017

Int J Urban Regional Res

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In the early stages of welfare planning, the Kuwaiti state restricted equal access to its housing programs in neighborhoods outside the city. The subsequent demographic shift, caused by a Kuwaiti exodus to the ‘suburbs' and non‐Kuwaiti urban labor migration, prompted calls for housing schemes to encourage city living for citizens. Georges Candilis's proposal for a residential neighborhood in Kuwait City emerged from this context. This article examining Candilis's unrealized project also offers a critical perspective on Kuwait's unbalanced housing policies. From this analysis, it draws observations on the role of architects and their limited impact on policies established by decision‐making networks within the welfare state. Seen from this perspective, the Candilis project bears witness to broader socio‐economic agendas that privileged some groups while marginalizing or excluding others.

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Regional Architecture in the Persian Gulf: Conflicting Architectural Narratives of Global–Local Border Convergence

Tosland

2023

The Urban Book Series

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Critical nostalgia: Kuwait urban modernity and Alison and Peter Smithson's Kuwait Urban Study and Mat-Building

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Influences and aspirations in the production of national projects in Lebanon and Kuwait

Influences and aspirations in the production of national projects in Lebanon and Kuwait

Negotiating the Politics of Exclusion: Georges Candilis, Housing and the Kuwaiti Welfare State

Regional Architecture in the Persian Gulf: Conflicting Architectural Narratives of Global–Local Border Convergence

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