K I F  

Kuwait International Fair – KIF, Mishref, Kuwait City, Kuwait

Proposal : 2016

 

The KIF operates Kuwait’s first and largest Exhibition Centre, which has been organizing and hosting a vast variety of Trade Shows and Consumer Events for almost 40 years.

 

The existing Exhibition Centre consists of +/ - 35 000 square metres of Exhibition Halls, which have recently been re furbished.

 

The brief called for a Convention Centre Expansion – consisting of approximately 7 500 square metres of Conference facilities, additional to the existing Exhibition Halls.

 

The facilities included : a Prime Event Space (3 400 sqm, subdivisible into 3 ‘halls’, Ball Room, Majlis, Bridal Suite), Meeting Rooms (1 350 sqm, subdivisible into 4 ‘units’) and all the necessary front and back of house facilities, (including building services), as required for a Centre of this nature.

 

The Conference Facility Site is placed within the overall precinct and setting of the existing Exhibition Halls. As such, the design proposes that the new building also acts as a ‘Front of House’ facility in itself, or ‘Entrance Building’ for the entire Exhibition Centre.

 

The required spaces are contained within a full height protective and enclosing, yet permeable, screen structure which encloses the new facility and shields internal landscaping areas and courts, (with water features), as well as the back of house service access and marshalling yards from view. The screen consists of steel framing and precast reinforced concrete panels comprising of only 3 ‘types’ in form and shape, but fixed alternately to create an organic pattern reminiscent of wind formed ridges on the surface of a desert dune. The roof is constructed of the same screening structure, separated from the building and forms an over sailing shading roof plane, supporting a field of Solar Photo Voltaic panels. Openings in the roof plane occur over the planted courts.

 

The screen is ‘lifted’ from the ground surface in the form of a low arch to create the main entry way into the facility.

 

The building is structured over 3 levels – maximising servicing and flexibility whilst ensuring both vertical and horizontal movement separation of visitors and clients from the back of house servicing of the facility.