Kuwait Foundation for
the Advancement of
Sciences
TOPOTEK 1 has won the international competition to de-
sign the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Scienc-
es, which aims for completion by 2023.
Situated between a parkland and seaport, the complex is
designed to carefully integrate into the existing environ-
ment, and is characterised by a distinctive typology that
merges two low-rise buildings with a park landscape. This
fosters a “cohesive visual dialogue with the surroundings”,
said the architects.
TOPOTEK 1’s design is inspired by the use of patios and
oases, and adapts traditional building strategies to minimise
direct sunlight while enjoying the benefits of natural light
within the structures.
The buildings are perforated by a series of horizontal and
vertical geometric voids of different shapes and sizes in the
façade, roof and interior, creating a series of “inner land-
scapes”, which unfold as visitors walk through.
The 18m three-storey headquarters building is suspended
on columns above an open public space. According to the
architects, it “offers respect to the adjacent high-rise 1960s
building, complementing its form and appeal.”
The façade of the headquarters building is perforated by
three deeply-recessed niches, the largest of which features
an expansive glass terrace facing the harbour.
The second building houses the conference centre, and
features a simple cubic form that spans 12 stories and an in-
tricate, multifaceted interior that accommodates a modular
workplace. Passing beneath the structure is an open space
that offers views of the nearby beach and sea.
Connecting the conference centre and the headquarters
building is a lush green corridor, which runs along the exist-
ing seaside promenade and continues along the harbour.
“Imagined as a harmonious extension of the northern
coastal promenade, the park embodies the existing land-
scape design’s rhythm of palm trees and small hills,” said
the architects.
Construction on the project is slated for 2021, while com-
pletion is aimed for 2023.TOPOTEK 1 wins an international
competition to design a new cultural
project in Kuwait
Written by Rima Alsammarae
Images courtesy of TOPOTEK 114 / INSIGHT: CONCEPT DESIGN