There's an evident urban uprising in the Arabian Gulf with many developments underway changing the physical landscapes of cities and the interiors of spaces all around us. While it's refreshing to see progress on an urban scale, we featured 6 young Kuwaitis in our past Urban Issue who are working on highlighting the crucial and overlooked role of culture within urban development.
Rayah J. Al-Sabah is one of the participants in our Urban Faces And Spaces editorial. An Architecture graduate from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Al-Sabah currently works at the Kayan Office in Kuwait and heads the Design-Build Studio there. Her interest and love for architecture is not just in design but also rather in the realization of the designs into a built product.
What inspires you when it comes to urban development?
What interests me is to better the living conditions in Kuwait by first acknowledging the individuals that live within these urban spaces through architecture, design, and attention to detail. Through that, a natural beautification process develops that addresses the human scale and in that, the larger urban fabric.
What does the word "urban" mean to you?
To me the term urban reflects a set standard for design and the constant evolution of architecture based on our changing needs by the development of the building code and regulations to match our necessities and demand for more efficient space and expected future growth.
Shoot location: A mobile construction site office, built and designed by Kayan. According to Al-Sabah, "It is important to provide a comfortable working environment, within a design that doesn't intrude upon the natural aesthetic of the neighborhood, that also fully functioning as a proper work station.
