Kuwait City Gets First Super Tall Tower

Work is now peaking above ground on what could be one of the defining schemes on the skyline of Kuwait City.

Another design by your friendly neighbourhood architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) for Al Hamra Real Estate Co, the skyscraper resembles a half rolled up newspaper that the architects have been billed as a timeless, elegant marker for Kuwait with its sculptural form, representative of a shrouded figure, its veil reflecting the peninsula beyond.

Located in the heart of the city when complete, the tower named Al Hamra Firdous, something that sounds like a character from Star Wars, will stand at a very respectable 412m which should make it the 8th tallest building in the world.

Stunning views are definitely order of the day behind the concept of this build with a quarter of each foot plate chiseled out on the south side continuing to the west and east sides of the tower as it rises. This results in an exposed colossal stone face wrapped in elegant ribbons of torqued, glazed façade giving the tower its distinctive look as well as serving to minimizing solar heat gain throughout the tower.

The clean-lined interior of the stone facade has deep niche-like windows and sandstone that is clearly inspired by more traditional Arab architecture and should provide a welcome respite from the desert heat without the need for air conditioning.

Sky bridges with deep, sculpted windows on every level of the tower will connect the two wings, providing dramatic views south to the city, peninsula and the desert stretching out infinitely beyond.

Greeting visitors and residents of the tower will be an impressive 20 metre high lobby. By applying the principles of lamella structures, the geometry of the lobby is generated and through this design continuity between the buildings and its footings is achieved. This also acts as a strengthening component to the building whilst being entirely integrated with the structure itself.

At night a sophisicated lighting scheme will be run to turn the project into one of the dominant features of the cityscape with the floodlighting ordered in such a way as to enhance the look of a twisting tower by playing with the building's massing.

The usual amenities of swimming pools, gymnasiums and shopping areas will be featured in the build and the décor of the apartments have been designed as elegant and modern rather than the in-your-face Dubaiesque bling that dominates the region.

Compeltion of the project was tenuously peniclled in for 2008 but with it only a few floors above ground level, building such a scheme by the end of next year could be a rush for even the most efficient of contractors making a 2009 the more likely date for the finish of construction.