The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), informally known as the Kuwait Opera House, is a cultural center in
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
, located on the
Gulf Road in the capital
Kuwait City
Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
. It is the largest cultural center and opera house in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
.
[
The cultural complex, which includes theatres, concert halls, music centres, conference and exhibition halls, cinemas, libraries, center for historical documents, and public park, took two years to complete.][Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre](_blank)
New Kuwait. It is 214,000 m² in size and had a budget of US$775 million.
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Design
The cultural centre contains four buildings, which are organized around entrance courtyards off a civic plaza.
The design was inspired by Islamic architectural tradition. These are two dimensional patterns, which are transformed three dimensionally to create spaces below a complex geometric form. The buildings sit independently below the "jewel" which houses the functional requirements of the building.
The buildings are linked by a linear landscaped podium to the back of the buildings where the car parks and service areas are situated below ground. Visitors move from the car park via lifts and travelators to the courtyard access points at ground level.
The four buildings consist of full span steel envelopes which cover a series of independent concrete buildings. This primary steel grid is wrapped in a rainscreen weathertight envelope, with glazed areas supported by secondary steel, deck and insulation. This ‘inline’ surface is then protected with a series of titanium composite panels.
The buildings beneath are largely constructed of concrete and include a large excavated basement level connected with a series of services tunnels and MEP areas. The buildings are independently circulated with stairs and lifts and walkways, with public level access in most cases being ground level upwards.
See also
* Kuwait National Cultural District
* Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre
* Music of Kuwait
Kuwait is well known in the region for its exploration of many different and new forms of music and dance.Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ...
* Culture of Kuwait
* Kuwait Vision 2035
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
References
External links
Official Website
(English)
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Opera houses in Kuwait
Cultural centers in Kuwait
Entertainment venues in Kuwait
2016 establishments in Kuwait