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Barrak Al-Babtain

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November 1, 2017

Sustainable Design in Kuwait

Sustainable design is the balance between reducing the energy needs of a building while maximizing living quality. When people think of sustainability they usually think of solar panels. You put them on your roof and they start converting sunlight to electricity. That's great! However in…
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Sustainability
October 31, 2017

Designing a Sustainable Home

Kuwait is an extreme living environment. We live in one of the hottest and driest places on earth yet very few people are designing and building homes that take this reality into consideration. The issue is that the low cost of water and electricity blinds…
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February 20, 2017

Before the Music Stops

I realized that I didn't propose a solution to the previous post. I make a point of not simply complaining and pointing out what's wrong without proposing what I feel needs to be done. So here's what I think we could do the help soften…
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February 20, 2017

When the Music Stops

We are approaching a convergence in technologies that will reshape transportation and the way cities are designed. In about 10 years everything will change and it will be a disaster for the GCC. Technological change happens very fast. It took only a few years for smartphone…
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Urban
May 21, 2015

242.4 Million KD

Cities are learning the lessons of the 20th century and removing urban freeways. Building more roads is not the answer, as it actually makes traffic worse (more here, here, here, here and here). The website for the project claims that the main objective is to: Segregate…
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November 24, 2012

Jaber Bridge

Without traffic the bridge will save about 25 minutes from the journey. Let's say someone lives in Mishref and wants to work in Silk City. In order for that person to drive to the entrance of the bridge they have to go through the traffic…
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Politics
November 13, 2012

Hidden Taxes in Kuwait

There's a difference between pride and patriotism. People keep asking for more handouts and assume that we don't pay any taxes in Kuwait. Sure, our salaries and income isn't literally taxed, but we pay for our political and social dysfunction in other ways. We pay…
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July 9, 2012

Dialogue

1- Building Codes Jassem: Building codes needs revisiting by the authorities. We are building way too much on a small piece of land. I can't think of any reason why someone is capable of building a 40 floors of apartments on 3000 sqm. Where are…
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Energy
July 8, 2012

Is It Hot Outside?

It feels so good inside ourselves we don't want to move.* Obesity has been linked by some with the constant use of central air conditioning. I'm not sure i'd go that far, but it does help us maintain a comfortable sedentary existence which is generally…
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ArchitectureOtherUrban
July 1, 2012

A Gaze onto the City

I am sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Kuwait City. I am enjoying my cup of coffee while browsing the net, checking my timeline on twitter, and gazing out to the street. The sight from where I'm sitting shows how far the city went…
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