Masaleh - Renovation -
PAD10
Principal
Naji Moujaes
Project Team
Rohan Almeida, Samer Mohammad, Raymund Yadao, Grace Abou Jaoudeh, Hawra Esmaiel
History
Hilton Area Housing
Designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (1977)
The project was intended to address the rising tourism levels in Kuwait during the modernism movement in Kuwait, the Hilton Hotel was located adjacent to the project site, the hotel was not keeping up with the increasing number of the visitors, their families and limited with typical hotel room arrangements. Hence the Hilton Housing Project was designed to address these issues, to provide residences for longer stays, for different family sizes with various typologies provided, and with rentable retail spaces on the ground floor level, creating a lively environment to the area and attracting more visitors. Providing all apartment living rooms with a direct sea view, a total of 86 Apartments in total, five various typologies available depending on the size of the family, with underground parking lots provided.
Brief
In 2014, the current private owner of the complex requested to renovate the current apartments. An initial study was required, to ensure plans match with site conditions and to further study the possibilities to renovate the apartment units, the design implications that are possible and how to properly restore the intended architectural internal language that has been changed over years by various tenants. The concept design phase addressed each typology seperately, detailing unique attributes of each typology to further develop and highlight in the renovated design schemes.
Experience & Involvement
Involved in documenting the current site conditions of the housing complex and the development in the conceptual design of several typologies provided in the complex, addressing the typologies that have been altered by the tenants by years, to their intended layouts through architectural investigations. Proposing several concept design variations and value engineering steps. Preparing several construction drawing related drawings prior to tendering the project.
