As you’re probably aware by now, last month demolition started on Al Sawaber even though people tried to stop it from happening. I heard a bunch of stories about how the contractor wasn’t supposed to start demolition because of a court order or how the whole thing was a miscommunication between various ministry departments. But all the stories aside, what’s happening to Al Sawaber now?
Basically, the contractor started demolition by removing all the pedestrian bridges that connect all the Al Sawaber buildings together. From what I could tell the buildings have been untouched so far. Activists went to court early in the month to stop the demolition from taking place with one of the reasons being that Al Sawaber is classified as a modern heritage building so it should be protected not demolished. On February 19th the court will make their decision and if they agree with saving Al Sawaber, then the contractor will supposedly have to rebuild what they’ve demolished.
If you want to stay posted on everything Al Sawaber, then your best bet is to follow the @save_alsawaber account on Instagram.
18 replies on “Whats happening with Al Sawaber?”
So am wondering, if I had owned that land then I would built or demolish anything on it ,how does an activist gives a right to stop building ? If that activist is really concern then why not buy and do what ever they want.
1) It’s not privately owned, the government owns it
2) Private or not, if a building is considered a heritage site or an iconic building then the private owner doesn’t have the right to demolish it. Just recently there was a situation in San Fransico for example when a developer demolished an iconic home, he is now forced to rebuild it the way it was
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/19/677929775/san-francisco-orders-man-to-rebuild-his-historic-home-after-it-was-demolished
If its the same when rebuilt, why bother troubling the original owner, and not rebuilt it elsewhere in the first place? This is literally poking your nose in other people’s business
Lets not compare politics of a 1st world country to a 3rd world country.
In the UK you are free to purchase pretty much any property but some are “listed” or protected by the government based on historical significance. The grade of listing defines the restrictions on modifications which the owner must comply with. Sometimes not even minor modifications are allowed. I feel this is needed to protect the country’s heritage as otherwise profit motive would soon wipe away all history. In the Gulf this is very much needed. On a recent trip to Abu Dhabi I was saddened to see that the iconic clock tower from the 70s had disappeared.
The problem is that most of these heritage sites and places of historic value arent well-kept. Probably Sawaber was overgrown and so abandoned that they just thought to get rid of it instead of maintaining the area and now at the last minute people are pleading to save it after all these years of rotting with time.
Sometimes people realize how important something is as they’re about to lose it
I fully support the campaign to save Al Sawaber and I really do see the potential in restoring and reviving it.
However, while the great people behind the campaign have the best of intentions they are failing miserably in communicating and defending their case.
The concept of converting Al Sawaber into “creative spaces” may appeal to a certain “creative class” who has seen similar spaces in Berlin or Brooklyn, but it has little resonance to the general population especially those who are struggling to find decent affordable housing.
I think most people would appreciate decent apartments, with lots of green space and PROFESSIONAL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. Plus a selection of ground level businesses and services to keep the community buzzing and self contained
this
If it does get renovated this is what I want to see! Exactly what I was thinking… and I really think that this is the best option.
I was pretty bemused by their vision video and the whole creative design studios… it really catered to a specific group of people and wasn’t helping at all
By “creative class” do you mean Instagrammers who are obsessed with instagramming the fuck out of it?
Cause that’s the only thing I see.
No I mean actual creatives like artists, architects, designers and so on
I know, I was being facetious.
Why haven’t they used the space before?
In reality it’s gonna be both… they are pretty similar anyways
Our thoughts exactly! Professional facilities management please! Spot on about the ground level commerce and services. That right there improves the quality of life and will ensure it stays vibrant and protected.
The court order was not to demolish the buildings themselves because of the risk of asbestos. I’m guessing the demolishers were like “well they didn’t say anything about the bridges”
But the activists seem to be gaining some traction after parliament members brought it up… very curious to see how all this pans out.
Demolish the buildings but keep one as heritage. Everyone is happy.
Looks like the buildings are being demolished again. From inside out, the outter building are not being touched, the inside once are being demolished.