KUWAIT: Agathering to walk, talk and envision Kuwait's most recognizable and historiclandmarks - the residential Al-Sawaber complex - was held in Sharq yesterday.The walking tour was organized by 'Save Al-Sawaber' to talk about the historyof the complex, which may soon become a memory after it is demolished.
MohammadAl-Jassar, a faculty member at Kuwait University's College of Architecture,told Kuwait Times that the gathering included several architects who areinterested in the design of the complex, and they are asking the government notto demolish it. "We are here today to listen to a tour about Sawaber'shistory before the demolition begins. As architects, we are hoping the complexwon't be demolished but revived by giving it to an investor. It can be turnedinto a shopping area, apartments or offices with a unique architectural design.Rather than being demolished, the team is proposing that the complex be rehabilitatedand regenerated as a mixed-use urban development building while maintainingelements of the original character and structure," he said.
"Thedemolition of the complex will result in a large amount of waste. Buildingwaste often includes concrete, metal, glass, plastic, wood, asphalt, bricks andmore. Not only does this pollute the land and the air, but the transportationrequired to remove such waste has a major impact on the environment as well.This is why most countries levy a tax on demolishing buildings to encourageinvestors to revive them and protect the environment," said Jassar.
"Sawaber isvery valuable to the heritage of Kuwait. It also stands as a symbol of a veryimportant era in the history of the modern state of Kuwait. It represents the20th century buildings of the city," said Architect Zahra Ali Baba,Chairwoman of the Chapter of Docomomo International, which is dedicated to theadvocacy and conservation of modern heritage in Kuwait. "Sawaber was aneighborhood where all families lived and knew each other, but in multistoriedbuildings. The complex is a modern heritage building of cultural and historicalsignificance, but the project has now been marked for demolition," shenoted.
The governmenthas used various means to empty the complex of residents in order to have itdemolished. Fourteen families have refused to move and they're still in theirapartments, but most of the tenants have left. Some were offered an apartmentin Northwest Sulaibikhat, while others were offered financial compensation.
The complex wasbuilt in 1981, designed by famed architect and urban planner Arthur Erickson.Al-Sawaber represents a distinct architectural, economic and cultural period inKuwaiti history. One of the first complexes in the country, it is located onapproximately 245,000 square meters of prime real estate property in the heartof Kuwait's financial district. The complex includes 33 buildings and more than520 residential apartments.
By Faten Omar