Jade is a midrise multi-unit residential building in Salmiya, Kuwait, that houses 20 independent residential units. Built on an 813 Sqm plot, the building has a double basement parking, an open plan ground floor with a gym and kids play area, 10 stories of residential units, and a rooftop social space with a 15m long pool and barbeque area. The exterior envelope of the building is a composite skin of light concrete, perforated aluminum panels and high-performance glass panels. The design of the building aims to facilitate an urban and sustainable way of living for young families.
The building occupies a compact urban lot in a high-density area with proximity to neighboring buildings. The location straddles the upscale Arabian Gulf Road and the less affluent inner-city neighborhoods. The site is confined by the main avenue with considerable traffic on the west and a narrow side alley to the north. The placement of the building is determined by the existing plot constraints. Direct pedestrian access and lobby face the broad avenue, while service access is accommodated through the side street, avoiding the inconvenience of the traffic. North and west façades are privileged for their open views and urban relation defining the building's image through an understated yet expressive design.
The living units are organized around the access core with interior gardens connecting different living spaces. Social spaces face the main avenue and the sea, while private areas turn to the southeast side. Through the variation of patio and balcony positions, different floorplans are achieved. The singularity of living spaces becomes the essence of the project. Volumetric expression is explored to determine the formal language of the building. The individuality expressed in the floorplans translates into the façades creating a staggered composition that brings lightness to the tower volume with the dialogue between concrete, glass and Perforated metal panels. North and West Façades incorporate considerably larger openings to take advantage of the open views. While the South and East façades, restrained by neighbor building proximity, have more controlled apertures, becoming critical factors in the façade variations.
The proposal follows a strict philosophy aimed to give the optimal environmental response to the Kuwait climate. In this aspect, the architects decided to use passives systems to generate microclimates within the apartments. A careful analysis of the sun movements with the height of surrounding buildings helped develop the facade by employing strategic subtractive operations. The perforated metal cladding with a weatherproof coating acts as adequate thermal protection, along with the insulated concrete panels, to withstand the harsh desert climate.
An internal garden was strategically placed inside every apartment unit on the periphery to act as a sun barrier and funnel the wind to facilitate natural ventilation. The façade of the building and the internal gardens helps control the microclimate in the liveable areas. The materials used comprise a very restrained palette of metal surfaces and concrete finish accounting for durability. Respecting the budgetary constraints, a low-tech approach was used considering sustainable material choices and
energy consumption.
Jade is designed to be a housing project that goes against the grain amongst the chaotic urban density. It successfully solves the crucial issues in Kuwait's current multi-unit housing typology – lack of identity, natural lighting, accessible green and communal spaces, ineffectively planned apartments that create substandard living conditions, and insufficient parking. The building tackles these issues by creating a new apartment typology with efficiently designed and comfortable apartments with internal garden spaces. The apartments are flooded with plenty of natural lighting, and passive cooling techniques create pleasant habitable conditions. It disrupts the existing monotonous housing typologies by creating apartment units that have character and individuality. Tenants’ interaction is encouraged with social spaces incorporated in the ground + roof levels; furnished lobby spaces, accessible green spaces, kids play area, gym, pool, etc.
The design explores a new typology by adapting and scaling up the traditional middle eastern courtyard house concept with Mashrabiyas (privacy screen) in a multi-level, multi-unit scenario without compromising the vernacular's original qualities combating extreme weather typical in Kuwait.
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