Here is a documentary about the tallest sculpted tower in the world, which is the Hamra Tower. It is an interesting documentary and very informative. I thought of sharing it here since I’ve noticed that not a lot of people have seen it on youtube.
Hope you enjoy it. I will be commenting on the project in a later post very soon.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu-J8jc6Z2M&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0n8da9GfDs&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm936yW0VxM&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTPU8hOF4YM&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThtZ9jGy-H8&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbzrpXF3z94&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wopfu9dfvs&feature=related] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pcOEVA9lS4&feature=related]

Join the discussion 13 Comments

  • Bu Yousef says:

    I saw this on Mark’s blog – but didn’t get round to watching it. Thanks.

  • Marzouq says:

    That is seriously one of the coolest towers I have seen! Too bad they make it sound like the Government helped with this, its a huge project that they pushed really hard to produce!
    I’m hoping for the success of the building!
    The building developers even offered to widen the roads around the building and fix a bit of the surrounding area to accommodate the amount of people they are expecting but its sad that the government isn’t letting do that or that the Baladiya doesn’t prep the area for such a massive structure!

  • Nawaf says:

    This project is quit big. The surrounding area around the tower will not be able to accommodate the amount of traffic that it will see. It will be very sad to have a building with so much amenities but an unfortunate 1-2 hours waiting line for parking.
    Kuwait needs to start enforcing traffic feasibility studies towards new projects. I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again. You will not get the maximum amount of costumers if you do provide the adequate amount of parking. ie. 360 mall

  • noon says:

    aaah , im in love , i see it every time i go to work , and it distracts me !! was about to have a car accident every time i see it
    and yes im wondering how the parking will be

  • Esma says:

    The building developers even offered to widen the roads around the building and fix a bit of the surrounding area to accommodate the amount of people they are expecting but its sad that the government isn’t letting do that or that the Baladiya doesn’t prep the area for such a massive structure!
    +1

  • Sara says:

    As an urban sociologist, I would say the videos mirror that Kuwait is trying to meet the criteria of what is called a “Globe City” a term which is coined by Sasika Sassen (1999). Looking Forward to read you next post.

  • Summer says:

    can’t wait til it opens!!

  • Jasem Nadoum says:

    I have taken a long break to prepare my self to be slammed by the readers.
    This project is irritating me. The higher it gets the more boring it becomes. I hate the northern facade of the tower, its so boring. The building is too massive in scale and proportion, and its location couldn’t have been any worse.
    To me this project, as an addition to the city is a big giant failure.
    I will be posting my opinion soon.

  • Bu Yousef says:

    More posts please, team… We miss your analysis and discussion!

  • flawed_pearl says:

    Hi
    Firstly, I would just like to say. Thank you.
    I have just come across this blog. Im so happy I finally found something intellectually stimulating, talking about real issues in Kuwait, written by young motivated constructive thinkers. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I was almost convinced that Kuwaiti blog readers were commended to world made up childish gossip, restaurant openings and burger reviews.
    Now about the Tower. I’ve seen this documentary before. It really makes you appreciate the concept and design.
    BUT … I don’t share the enthusiasm of the previous comments.
    From a planning and investment perspective I think this project shameful waste of money, which gives nothing back to country or the population, apart from the 3 seconds of international acknowledgement and being a prized trophy/mantel piece to the very wealthy people who are behind its inception.
    Ya it adds to the Kuwait skyline… … …but with all the things Kuwait needs how could money be invested in this way.
    Does anyone else share my view ?
    What i like about this blog is that ….. it doesnt seem to be a place just to whine and complain.
    So for the sake of being constructive ….
    If you could initiate a building project or an urban development project of any anything type and anywhere in Kuwait what would it be and why ?
    Has anyone ever been to Centre Pompidou in Paris ?

  • flawed_pearl says:

    condemned *

  • Thank you so much! We have been neglecting this place, though. We haven’t posted anything in quite a while.
    I share your pessimism about the project. Imagine the traffic at rush hour… I work near there and I can walk to it, but it’s going to get real ugly once it opens. The only way to get to it is through a 2 (3?) lane road that’s already packed. The infrastructure just can’t handle all that. It will force a lot of people to start walking, I guess, which is always a good thing.
    A Kuwaiti Project: Well, I guess that depends on the scale of it.
    Mega scale: Obviously, I’d like to see Silk City built. We need to have another city to absorb some of the development that’s just being wasted here in Kuwait City. We can’t just pile up more and more stuff and sprawl endlessly. A successful city has to have a pretty well defined perimeter and not just grow mindlessly like cancer. Rent and land prices will fall, which is a good thing for almost everyone.
    Urban scale: We talk about this a lot, but Salem alMubarak street really has a lot of potential to be reinvented and redesigned to be something very special, especially during winter
    Also, I want to experiment with a residential area that has no cars. Yes, you read that right! It would feel like an old Kuwaiti ‘fireej’ but designed with modern design methods and materials. The point is to show that you can live just as comfortably without being forced into a typical road patterned residential block. It’s not for everyone, but i’d live there. See: Masdar City.
    National initiative: I’d like to see Kuwait set a firm but achievable target for itself to reduce energy consumption by 20% in 5 years, and actually enact laws and enforce them to achieve that target. That would solve our energy crisis without us having to build new power plants or a nuclear reactor.
    Building: I’d like to see better houses, plain and simple. Houses that care more about the livability factor of the inhabitants than how it looks or what it says about the owners. Passive cooling, courtyards, all that good stuff.
    I’m sure Jassem and Amna have entirely different ideas, though,

  • flawed_pearl says:

    Hi again,
    Thanks for replying to my post.
    Silk City: hope they do it in our life time, meanwhile to help reduce the problems of radial city growth, what about creating government regulation and legislation or incentives to relocate (temporarily relocate) jobs and schools to others parts of Kuwait so that congestion can be reduced be deviating the flow of traffic away from the city.
    Salem alMubarak Street: it wud be interesting to see what you envision.
    Masadir city: Is extremely!… i might wanna live in a tamed down version of it though.
    Reduce Energy Consumption: I totally disagree with you on this point. A national intaitive to increase energy efficiency i agree with.
    Our energy crisis is not a result of over consumption. Its poor planning and sheer negligence. Our power grid has been functioning over capacity for at least the last 2 decades. The population has grown significantly (Kuwaiti and Non Kuwaiti Population) but no provision seems to have been put in place. Its extremely embarrassing that a country like Kuwait gets power cuts in the summer. And far worse than that is the actual state of the power plants.

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