Kuwait wins at 2016 MEED Quality Awards for Projects

KUWAIT CITY, May 26: A Kuwaitbased project was among the winners at the recently concluded 2016 MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Mashreq. The GCC Residential Project of the Year, sponsored by VitrA, was awarded to the Wall House Project (nominated by AGi Architects).

This highly private abode, located in the suburbs of Kuwait City, was designed with the wellbeing of its residents in mind. Enclosed in the shell are four patios that were developed three-dimensionally and allow the inhabitants to enjoy the outdoors from within the property’s walls.

The interior is as open and free-flowing as possible, allowing bonding between the residents. Each bedroom has direct access to one of the property’s many outdoor areas. A large lattice creates a welcoming area on the public ground level, and private life takes place around the patios, where cantilevered terraces and gardens are protected from the sun by the shade of the building’s own volume.

Due to the introverted configuration of the space, natural light is brought into the property using an alternative method to that of windows on the exterior facade. Skylights in various parts of the house are angled to funnel light right into the central spaces. Alabaster has been used on the facade, not only to break down the scale of the massive stone wall on the exterior, but also to bring diffused light further into the interior spaces.

John Iossifidis, Executive Vice-President and Head of Corporate & Investment Banking Group, Mashreq says: “We are proud to support the awards programme for the past four years now. The awards have definitely shed the spotlight not just on excellence and quality, but also on the award-winning projects’ valuable contribution to the economic development of the Region; and the long-term viability of the projects sector by sending a clear message to the market, that quality is essential in all parts of the project management process; from design planning to engineering and construction. We wish all participants all the very best.”

Saudi Arabia led the GCC with five awards, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Oman with three awards apiece. Bahrain and Qatar scooped two awards each, while Kuwait received one trophy at this year’s edition of the annual awards programme, the only one to recognise completed projects in the region.

Now in their sixth year, the MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Mashreq, have established themselves as the leading stamp of quality and achievement for stakeholders in the GCC projects sector.

Part of the MEED Construction Leadership Summit, the awards not only recognise the construction element of project delivery but also consider the value and quality of a project throughout its entire life-cycle, from the design concept through to engineering and construction and its wider contribution to society and the environment.

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