Hamad Residence
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Rifat Chadirji constructed the Hamad Residence in Kuwait in 1967. 

The home takes the form of a square block rising two stories. A notable feature in the house's plan is the concept of an enclosure wall, a traditional architectural form that provides privacy and blocks noise as well as direct sunlight. Chadirji incorporated this idea into a number of buildings constructed during the same period.1 In the Hamad Residence, the enclosure wall takes the form of a wall surrounding the perimeter of the house, placed several feet away from the house's sides. The space in between is covered by an extension of the roof, and arch-shaped perforations in the exterior enclosure wall aligned with windows and doorways allow light to pass through the intermittent space into the house. On both the ground and upper floors, several balconies project across the open space between house and exterior wall, allowing for direct access to the exterior. Adding to the visual interest of the facade is an elaborate cornice surmounting the exterior wall. The cornice is divided into three registers by scalloped moldings. These moldings resemble the tops of blind arches and are reminiscent of the facade of Iwan Kisra at Ctesiphon.

The interior of the house is designed to separate private and public spaces. The ground floor contains the home's reception areas. At its center is an enclosed, interior garden, and the reception rooms are arranged around this space. The main entrance leads onto a foyer giving access to the reception room and sitting room, along the front of the home, and a large dining room along the side. The back of the house on the ground floor contains dining and sitting rooms for the family, as well as a bedroom and kitchen. A separate entrance on the back of the house gives access to these spaces from the back gardens. The upper floor, accessible via two stairwells toward the back of the house, contains a number of bedrooms and sitting areas. 

Notes:

  1. Chadirji, Al-Ukhayḍir, 275-288.

Sources

Chadirji, Rifat. Al-Ukhayḍir w’al-Qaṣr al-Billawrī: nushū‘ al-naẓariyya al-jadaliyya fī al-‘imāra. London and Cyprus: Riad El-Rayyes, 1991.
Location
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1967
Variant Names
دار الحمد
Original
Dar al-Hamad
Transliterated
Building Usages
residential