KUWAITI MODERNITY REVISITED: A CONTEMPORARY MIXED-USE PROJECT IN OLD KUWAIT CITY

Abstract

Caught between a cultural scene nostalgic to historic architecture and economic growth manifesting its volume in tall skyscrapers, the overlooked modern heritage of Kuwait City is increasingly vanishing. This thesis tests to what extent modern heritage can inform a contemporary mixed-use development in Old Kuwait City. Not perceived as a source for fixed prototypes, modern architecture is studied both as a major component of the contemporary cityscape, giving the city its urban nature, and as a product of critical thinking that explores different possibilities in mediating the modern with the particularities of the Middle Eastern context. The work of elite architects inspired an investigatory reading of the contemporary City, with focus on lasting implications both modern planning and design had on the city. Modern heritage of Kuwait City is studied at various scales for strategies, in an attempt to arrive at a design that breaks away from prototypical forms while being continuous with the past.