The most distinctive architectural landmark along the
Designed by Swedish architects, they evoke the image of the traditional Arabian rose-water sprinklers. The tallest tower which is 180 meters tall has two spheres with the top one having a revolving platform and souvenir shop and the other one housing a café, a fine dining restaurant and a lounge. The lower half of the sphere is a reservoir that holds 4,500 cubic meters of water. The second tower, standing 120 meters high, supports a spherical water tank and the third one is equipped with floodlights that illuminate its two neighboring towers at night.
The Towers at the entranceway
The spheres – except for the glazed areas – are covered with steel plates enameled in bright blue, green and white colors which act as sun reflectors. They also evoke the mosaic-covered domes of mosques prevalent in the Islamic world. Two high-speed elevators whisk visitors up to enjoy the splendid views of the sea and the city. One can have a snack in one of the high tables located on the rotating platform of the upper sphere and watch the changing views through the tinted double glazing.
I remember after the Iraqi invasion, the Towers were one of the most damaged structures in the country. My former boss who was with Touristic Enterprises, the semi-government company that manages the Kuwait Towers, at that time asked me to help look over the place for an initial damage-assessment report with the contractor that renovated the interiors. Nothing could be salvaged because all the furnishing were burned and stripped - right down to the toilet bowls. There wasn’t anything that could be used from what was left inside. It was surprising that the structures were not completely demolished. Probably, the Iraqi military had no time to do so which is fortunate since they still stand as the symbol of
Promontory location by the Arabian Gulf
In late 2000, our company was awarded the job to renovate the Towers and I was involved for the second time. Although this time as overall designer for the facilities – restaurants, lounges and lobby – I had fun doing it since it had peculiar challenges due to the irregular shape. There were also constraints like using fire-retardant materials which included even the chair fabrics. My only beef about the project was that the client became quite stingy about the costing so that some of our design proposals didn’t see the light of day and many finishes were substituted with those of lesser quality. To think that this was a prestigious project! Oh well, strange things happen in this strange country.
The VIP Dasman Lounge and Le Cafe But this architectural gem of a landmark has a charming and timeless quality no matter which angle you may look at it. During the second Gulf War in 2003, people around the world could see it prominently displayed on their TV screens since it was the main backdrop that newscasters used (specially CNN) while they broadcasted their reports from If only I could tell them that hey, you know, I designed the interiors of that place!
