Built in 1981, Al Sawaber Complex was designed by renowned Canadian architect and urban planner Arthur Erickson with the idea of creating a community for Kuwaiti families of modest means. He accomplished that with a layout that provided easy horizontal circulation between the apartment blocks, while also creating intimate spaces sheltered from the rest of the city.
The complex is recognised as a modern heritage building of cultural and historical significance by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature. But, because of a complete lack of maintenance, arson in some of the units, escalating land values in the surrounding area, and gentrification, the project has now been marked for demolition.
The demolition date is unknown but a contractor has been chosen so demolition can begin any day now.
A team comprising of members from Kuwait Municipality Master Plan and Planning Departments, Kuwait University School of Architecture professors, and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature are trying to save the project. They’re hoping to raise public awareness as a last resort to save Al-Sawaber Complex from imminent demolition.
Rather than being demolished the team is proposing that the complex be rehabilitated and regenerated as a mixed-use urban development while maintaining elements of the original character and structure.
If you’d like to support the team in trying to save Al Sawaber then follow them on instagram @save_alsawaber and sign their petition [Here] (blocked on Viva for some reason)
Top photo by Asseel Al-Ragam
29 replies on “Save Al Sawaber from Demolition”
Saving it from demolition alone isn’t enough. It’s currently a garbage infested favela. Either rehabilitate it or demolish it, but the status quo is unacceptable in the heart of the financial district.
Ummm yeah, read the last paragraph
A complete overhaul to turn it into an Apartment hotel, residential, and office space with a commercial district (shops, restaurants, cafes) in the ground floor and courtyards would be beautiful. Shame to let these buildings be demolished. I think they should bring it a proper architecture/design company to turn this into Kuwait City’s new go-to spot.
Well put. That would be pretty much exactly the proposal we have in mind.
What about an architecture competition with open invites?
Exactly! This is what I came to suggest. The government or a committee with planning and business execs should judge submitted business plans that meet certain criteria without being restricted in terms of uses for the building (commercial, recreational, residential, industrial, agricultural, institutional..). Shark Tank Sawaber edition.
Shops/ restaurants/ cafe will turn into
Vol.1 Richards Arabica Doh & solo pizza
No thanks
It’s too bad that in general such projects are hardly invested in or supported. Entertainment city, green island, Failaka , Muthana bookstore, and many others etc are either abandoned, closed, or doomed for demolition. All these places hold value, history, memories. It’s a pity, really.
There’s a couple of cool Graffiti Artwork done on those buildings.
Our offices are nearby and we used to park in the Sawaber Buildings till about two weeks back, when they started putting Ministry of Finance – No Parking Stickers on our cars.
Anyone knows what the Ministry of Finance has to do with this building ?
Since it’s a government-owned property, any plan of rehabilitation is another decade or more of sitting still, so better demolish it.
Are there people still living there or were they evicted? And will these people be compensated to give up their homes?
I passed by earlier today, there is nobody living there, I don’t think the place has electricity even.
There are, to this day, , 13 families living there.
Sawaber residents and owners were compensated maybe 4-5 years ago. Some apartments were valued at KWD 300k, some more I think
I hope Amiri Dewan to takeover.
Singing the petition is a step too long
Change is good, change means progress. I understand people have an emotional attachment to things, but sooner or later it’s time to let go.
For what though? Another generic strip of restaurants? What could we honestly put there that would be better than mature trees, grass and pathways, shops, cafes and restaurants and a community in a living space that’s designed for the passage of people, not cars? It’s a beautiful property with tons of promise that has been sadly neglected for years. Kuwait needs more multipurpose communities, not more restaurants and parking spaces. Create new out of the old.
Change is good but wastefulness is not. Picture all those buildings, reduced to rubble, and all that rubble the size of a city block being dumped in a big hole in the Kuwait desert. This will all go to landfill. Have you seen the scale of our toxic landfill situation in Kuwait? It’s shocking and unsustainable.
Not to mention all the amazing trees and plants on the site that would be destroyed…
Imagine if the cities and countries in the world that we all love to visit had just destroyed all their existing urban fabric…imagine Paris, Barcelona, London, New York City, etc if they had been so reckless and destructive with their built assets and heritage.
We need to start thinking with a more long range view, and thinking about the collective good rather than short-term, quick-fix gains for a select few.
We couldn’t save Bait Lothan and we won’t save this place.
Thats what I thought as well but then I remembered Bait Lothan was privately owned while this is government property
I am still waiting for someone to tell me why this complex is worth preserving. Beyond it being ‘visually’ appealing to some, the Sawaber is infamous of having many problems making its refurbishment difficult and costly.
When I received an email from the same organizers asking me for my signature. I asked them the same question above and I did not get an answer but been promised that there will be one soon.
I’m not here to criticize or اكسر مياديف I am merely bringing to their attention what any logical person would think. It make no sense to seek support based on sentiments in a reality where the Dinar rules. And there is no sense in seeking support without being able to defend your cause.
If we look back how those same groups reacted when the old Chamber of Commerce and Bait Lothan were taken down (showing up for photo ops when its too late); I worry that the sole purpose of this ‘movements’ is not convening for the sake of achieving a unanimous goal but rather to promote certain characters who would likely benefit personally on the long run.
For one thing, the complex was designed by the famous Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. So demolishing the building would be kinda like demolishing an art sculpture, at least that’s how I look at it. Most people will look at Sawaber and be like its fucking gross they should demolish it but I look at it and see so much potential.
I haven’t heard of any problems in the construction of the buildings so if you could share what you’ve heard that would be great cuz I’m curious to know now.
For starts, the plumbing is the biggest headache in that complex and one example is the excessive use of “elbows”. Pluming refurbishment will be costly and maintenance will be demanding.
its ugly outdated and indecent for the location let them demolish it and construct something beautiful in that prime location .. save all that drama.
it’s not ugly, it just hasn’t been maintained in decades. if they demolish them you’ll end up with ugly towers covered with alucobond
Sawaber is hideous. who cares about the canadian architect, it doesn’t look like a word of art is looks like a pos. Takes up prime space can we be done much better and much nicer. this should have been bombed years ago
If it were up to me (which it’s not) then Sawaber should have been used as the ministry complex, the use of space is extremely efficient compared to the current complex, it is also a tiny bit more tucked away meaning possible chances to how traffic accumulates. However it’s definitely too late for that. The land is useless, I predict that Kuwait City may become a political capital and nothing more, all the important businesses and important people to will (if everything goes to plan) run off to Kuwait 2.0 aka boubyan where neither parliament nor men in overgrown hipster beards can stop them living a decent life. Kuwait City will become a playing ground for politics like the house of cards. Until then Sawaber should be used to represent the old Kuwait, it should be a carbon neutral space which promotes freedom of thought and expression.
New govt policy: Deport or demolish
The building can be the saviour of Kuwait city, Kuwait city is a ghost city by night
This building has the potential to bring back life to the city in the night,specially When we start giving a closer look to the efforts made by city of kuwait municipality to bring back life to it.
Not to mention that this building can help reduce the traffic jams since many of its residents wont need cars to get to their work. A building like Sawaber if redesigned to accommodate new functions to it’s interiors can for sure serve the city of Kuwait greatly..