Building a work of art
CivicArts Eric Kuhne & Associates founder Eric Kuhne highlights the cultural and community values behind the design of Kuwait’s US $86 billion Madinat Al Hareer ‘City of Silk’ project, currently under construction
Primary infrastructure and enabling works are currently underway on Madinat Al Hareer, the US $86 billion mixed-use ‘City of Silk’ development in Kuwait. The huge investment is expected to lead to a contribution of more than $160 billion to Kuwait’s national income during the development’s lifecycle.
Deemed a ‘gateway to the silk route’, Madinat Al Hareer has the potential to also become a gateway to Iraq, Iran and Central Asia, coupled with the Bubiyan sea port and new airport, the city will underpin the revival of the traditional silk route to become a global trading and logistics hub, according to masterplanner and designer CivicArts Eric Kuhne & Associates.
“When planning the city, we took in a number of considerations based on the history of Kuwait and the many silk routes twisting through the land. Today, these silk routes are designed by an entirely different system of trade,” says founder Eric Kuhne.
In line with this, it is hoped the development will reduce dependence on the oil sector by enabling diversification into non-oil sectors, such as manufacturing, financial services, real estate, trading, logistics and hospitality.
Another significant objective of Madinat Al Hareer is employment creation. With a limited number of opportunities for the growing number of Kuwaitis entering the workforce (60% of Kuwait’s population is below 25 years of age), the project is expected to create 430,000 jobs — mainly knowledge-based roles available in the private sector.
“We began to look at creating infrastructure to inform how Kuwait’s employment profile could change from subsidised, with a large percentage of the population on the public-sector payroll, to entrepreneurial employment. One of our objectives was to create nine new employment centres in the heart of the city to create opportunities,” explains Kuhne.
Furthermore, the integrated urban development for more than 700,000 people will facilitate the population growth in Kuwait, forecasted to increase to five million by 2030
“One of the key design considerations has been creating a community. We have largely based this on judging how far people are willing to walk to pray; around 300-350m, and reflecting this in the distance between residences and local amenities.
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?$160m
Long-Term Payback
The expected return on investment to be achieved throughout the project life cycle
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“Once completed there will be 30 communities comprising 25,000 people, each of these will cater to the unique requirements of the next generation which is expected to live to 80 years of age. While incorporating old architecture in the city designs, we will take into account that a person’s average amount of leisure time has also increased four times in the past 100 years,” explains Kuhne.
Drawing on the rich tradition of Arabic Garden design from around the world, ribbon parks and gardens interlaced with lakes, ponds and canals will landscape the development.
“From an aerial view and on foot these cities will instantly be recognised as Middle Eastern cities,” says Kuhne.
At the centre of the development, however, is a huge tower.
“The client wanted the tallest tower in the world, but we suggested a 1001m-high, 250 storey structure to symbolise the 1001 Arabian knights. The tower will be a major revolution in the way we think about designing tall buildings,” he continues.
The twisting tower will create a vertical community made up of seven neighbourhoods stacked on top of one another. Three blades will terminate at different heights, each featuring cultural, civic, and religious amenities for the residents, workers and guests.
The City of Commerce makes up the first stage of the development, which is expected to be completed within two years.
“I believe the whole development is a work of art,” says Kuhne.
Construction Trivia
Name: Madinat Al Hareer (City of Silk)
Location: Subiya (Northern Kuwait)
Size: 250km²
Investment: Approximately KD 25 billion (US $87 billion)
Time period (full project): Approximately 25 years
Time period (phase one): Approximately five to seven years (from 2006)
Local advisor: OHA, Bader Al-Salman Kuwait
Architect and master planner: CivicArts Eric Kuhne & Associates, Eric Kuhne UK David Beale
Economic Analysis: KPMG, Sharat Seth Dubai
Strategic advisors: Sq. Ft. Consulting, Shavak Srivastava Dubai
Legal analysis: Al-Khebra, Moh’d Dallal Kuwait Osama Abdul Jaleel Ghina Malik, Shearman & Sterling, Lee Kuntz USA John Opar
Environmental, fisheries and engineering: Atkins, Robert Whitcombe UK, Terry Bradbury
City components
Al Badeia Resort and Preservation:
A National Wildlife Sanctuary covering around 200 hectares
Jaber Al Ahmed Bridge:
Spanning Kuwait Bay, the new bridge will connect the City of Silk to Kuwait City within a 17-minute drive
Silk Road — Free Zone:
A free zone for trade, investment and business incubator developments, located close to a new international airport
Business City Centre:
A centre for finance, trade, commerce, business and international management
Convention and exhibitions:
The project will feature extensive convention and exhibition facilities.
Sports City and Sports Academy:
A sports centre and resort will occupy the centre of the riverside
Cultural City Centre:
A new centre for diplomacy, culture and academia. Museums will include an archive, visual and performing arts, archaeology and crafts
Resort and hospitality:
Extensive leisure facilities will be developed in all four of the city centres
Leisure City Centre:
Gardens, marinas, parks, recreation facilities and a concierge service
Environmental City Centre:
Featuring a centre of science, research, ecology and the natural environment
Media City:
An expanded media, internet and communications centre
Film City:
Specifically targeted to create a new movie production industry for the Arabic world
Industrial City:
A new light-industrial centre, developed adjacent to the Advanced Enterprise Zone and Business City Centre
Education City:
Partnerships with international educational institutions will expand the reach of Kuwait’s Tertiary Education system
Health City:
The project will include advanced treatment centres, research facilities, specialised medicine and pharmacology, prevention strategy, rehabilitation as well as nutrition centres
Lifestyle zones:
Each community will be branded with a distinctive lifestyle offering
Housing:
Expanded housing plots, diversity of housing types and family amenities
Mubarak Al Kabir Tower:
Towering 1001m creating a vertical community of seven neighbourhoods