Al Shaheed Park
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Approximately 807,293 sf. Overstructure & Daylight Greenroofs and ~1,500 sf. Exterior & Interior Greenwalls

Greenroofs.com Featured Project November 12, 2018

We had the pleasure of attending the 5th International Green Roof Congress 2018 Kuwait, produced by IGRA, last February.  Hosted for the first time in the Persian Gulf region, the Congress was held in the very green municipal Al Shaheed Park, one of the biggest overstructure greenroofs in the world.

My Kuwait Congress presentation was entitled “Top 10 Living Architecture Trends in Dry and Sub-Humid Regions.” Arid and semi-arid lands, grasslands and savannahs, and Mediterranean landscapes encompass 47.39% of the global terrestrial area, and I showed some awesome and sustainably designed, climate appropriate projects from across the planet.

It was also our first time in the area, and Kuwait is a lovely country with lovely people.  Aramis and I were treated wonderfully, with special thanks to local congress organizer Mona Maher and her team!  We were reacquainted with old friends Patrick Blanc, Roland Appl, Wolfgang Ansel, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, and Aslan Jonoubi.  And we met some great new ones – to name a few: Kyo Suk Lee from MVRDV Architects, Rudi Scheuermann from Arup, Khaled Al Fouzan from the Associated Engineering Partnership, and the Al Shaheed Project Engineer/Supervisor, Haifa al Muhana, from developer Al Diwan Al Amiri.

At the end of the IGRA congress she presented me with a fantastic bilingual book on Al Shaheed Park with stunning photos – thank you again, Haifa!

On the second day before the Congress we were given a great tour of the massive grounds, and visited both museums, Thekra and The Habitat.  Very different from each other in tone and feel, the two sister museums nonetheless offered us informative and touching experiences.

The Al Shaheed Congress Center venue has its own sloping greenroof, and from the top of the adjacent restaurant we could see more greenroofs!

Excerpt from Project Profile:

Al Shaheed Park is Kuwait’s historical, environmental and cultural platform with cutting-edge architecture and artwork. Providing the public with high quality programs, events and spaces, part of its mission is to spread awareness and to educate the public on the importance of the country’s land, history and environment.

The park was developed by Al Diwan Al Amiri (a civic organization) to revamp and reclaim a portion of the former Green Belt, a series of gardens built from 1961-64 between the old city of Kuwait and its expansion. The nearly 20 hectare park was constructed in four successive stages, from 2013-2017.

Al Shaheed Park is also one of the largest overstructure greenroofs in the world at about 75,000 m2, utilizing ZinCo systems. In addition, several greenroofed buildings sit atop the park including on museums, the Visitor Center, and restaurants.

Several living walls are located within the park, too, including at the main entrance Celebration Gate.

Designed by Sara Machado + Ricardo Camacho and The Associated Engineering Partnership (with numerous consultants), the expansive site is beautifully landscaped and holds monuments, botanical gardens, two museums, a congress center, the Visitor Center with cafes and restaurants, the Amphitheater, the Bird Aviary, the Green Belt Lake (used for park irrigation), a jogging and biking lane as well as a mosque.

The park has two main monuments: The Martyr Monument is a seven meter high glass sculpture, and the Constitution Monument was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s constitution.

Thekra is a memorial museum that narrates the history and battles of Kuwait, including the Gulf War. The Habitat is an environmental museum that explores Kuwait’s habitats and aims to promote awareness and educate the public on the different ecosystems and the effects of pollution in the land.

The 2-floor Underground Parking offers 900 spots and beautiful oasis fountains, and a unique element is the presence of underground gardens. The beautiful, sensitive, and multifaceted Al Shaheed Park is a public garden oasis in a desert city honoring its past and promoting sustainable cultural and environmental design.

Year: 2015-2017
Owner: Al Diwan Al Amiri
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
Building Program: Park
Roof Type: Intensive & Extensive
Greenroof System: Single Source Provider
Size: ~807,293 sq. ft.
Greenroof Slope: 1%-30%
Greenwall Type: Exterior Living Wall
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 1,402 sq. ft.
Greenwall Type: Interior Living Wall
System: Single Source Provider
Size: ~1,000 sq. ft.
Greenwall Slope: 100%
Access: Accessible
Privacy: Public

Credits:

DEVELOPER:
AL DIWAN AL AMIRI

MANAGEMENT:
LOYAC (LOTHAN YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT CENTER)

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE:
SARA MACHADO + RICARDO CAMACHO AND THE ASSOCIATED ENGINEERING PARTNERSHIP

CONSTRUCTION:
AL HANI CONSTRUCTION & TRADING COMPANY

PROJECT ENGINEER:
HAIFA AL MUHANA, AL DIWAN AL AMIRI

PROJECT CONSTRUCTION MANAGER:
KHARAFI NATIONAL CO.

LEAD CONSULTANT:
KHALED AL FOUZAN, THE ASSOCIATED ENGINEERING PARTNERSHIP, TAEP

GREENROOF SYSTEM:
ZINCO GMBH

GREEN ROOF CONSULTANT:
GREEN STUDIOS

EXTERIOR & INTERIOR GREENWALL SYSTEM:
PRO-WALL®, GSKY

WATER FEATURE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION:
WATERCUBE

CONSTITUTION GARDEN LANDSCAPE DESIGN:
SDARCH TRIVELLI&ASSOCIATI, ALHADEFF ARCHITECTS

All the Info:

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By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host