The country’s key organisations, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Oil are poised to move into their recently-completed iconic headquarters. Gulf Construction takes a look at how the project has unfolded.

01 December 2005

A striking corporate headquarters building befitting the organisations it will soon house was completed earlier this year at Kuwait Bay at the entrance of Kuwait commercial port in Shuwaikh.

The development – the landmark Oil Sector Complex  – is one of the most significant corporate projects undertaken by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and was spearheaded by the company in response to increasing demands for office space.
The striking complex will serve as the international headquarters of both KPC and the Ministry of Oil.
This state-of-the-art technologically-advanced building of stunning aesthetics and architectural verve – built at a cost of KD35 million ($119 million) – epitomises the prestigious image of both the KPC and the Kuwaiti Government.
The history of the project dates back to early 1985 when KPC issued a scope of works for a design competition for the building.
In 1988 it was agreed that the project would be taken over by the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) to implement it on behalf of KPC. It was also decided that in lieu of a design competition, technical and financial proposals would be invited from a shortlist of seven consultant groups.
A consultancy agreement was signed with Salem Al-Marzouk and Sabah Abi-Hanna (SSH), and Arthur Erickson Architectural Corporation in July 1990 to carry out the work. The project, however, was suspended because of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Several locations were considered for this prestigious project and eventually this prime Shuwaikh site was selected in May 1995.
SSH re-signed its contract with the MPW in 1995 and Bovis-Projacs Joint Venture (BP-JV) signed the construction management contract with MPW in June 1996.
In May 1998, at the Minister of Oil’s request, the MPW transferred management control of the project back to KPC’s Corporate Projects Department.
The Kuwait Oil Sector Complex project involved the construction and management of the headquarters of KPC and the Ministry of Oil spread over approximately 57,000 sq m on a water frontage site of partly reclaimed land in the Shuwaikh area. Around 37,000 sq m of the area  was previously occupied by the Petrochemical Industries Corporation (PIC) salt and chlorine plant – which underwent an extensive clean-up under the control of the Kuwait Environmental Protection Agency.
The complex comprising the following buildings:
• Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and Ministry of Oil offices – with a gross internal area of  53,000 sq m;
• Central core building and level (0) basement – 12,900 sq m
• Training centre – 2,080 sq m;
• Central stores and maintenance workshops – 1,600 sq m; and
• Multistorey car-park building – 25,250 sq m.
The KPC and Ministry of Oil offices are housed in two fan-shaped high-rise towers, each composed of a lens-shaped building at the front and a triangular-shaped building at the back. Both towers are connected by a bridge and an observation lobby at each floor through a central lifts core. The KPC and the Ministry of Oil lens towers are 100 m and 80 m high respectively, from the basement level, with 19 and 14 office floors, respectively. The basement is 10 m high.
The roof structure of the triangular buildings and central core are sloped. The apex of KPC and the Ministry of Oil triangular buildings at 80 and 60 m high from the basement level, respectively. The central lifts core is elliptical in plan and its apex is 115 m from the basement. A spectacular glazed main atrium at ground level, and two full-height glazed internal atria, between the lens and triangular buildings, completes the design.
Construction has involved a framed, reinforced concrete structure with the load transferred to bored piles through a reinforced concrete mat. International specifications reflect a high standard consistent with a prestigious high-quality landmark office building commensurate with the status of KPC and the Ministry of Oil. Materials, workmanship, engineering, technology and management techniques have all been at the cutting edge of construction technology to meet the client's exacting requirements.
The project works were divided into 11 bid packages, with a prime contractor for each bid package.
External finishes comprise curtain walling and limestone cladding, whereas internal finishes include raised floors in the offices, marble tiling in the bridges and central core, demountable partitions and dry walling in the offices, steel-faced monoblock and GRG (glass-reinforced gypsum) suspended ceilings. External and internal doors are of glass, metal and wood, respectively.
The lens towers have full-height faceted double-glazed curtain walling with unique shading devices on the convex facades and limestone on the concave facades whereas the triangular-shaped buildings have limestone cladding to concrete walls with aluminium windows.
Supporting facilities are housed in the basement and ground floors and include the auditorium, library, cafeteria, prayer halls, bank branch, archives, stores and mechanical and electrical equipment rooms, training centre and shelter. Central stores and maintenance workshops have been constructed in a separate building on the site.
The car-park comprises a four-level reinforced concrete structure with a sail-like tensile fabric roofing to accommodate almost 700 cars.
The VIP, general personnel and service lifts are installed at 14 locations. The mechanical systems include plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), fire protection and advanced building automation systems.
The electrical system comprise service and distribution, light and power, earthing system, feeder and riser bus duct systems, under-floor trunking, generators, telephone, fire alarm, public address, CCTV and security, audio visual and satellite.
The project comes equipped with furniture, furnishes and equipment in the offices, and features a library, auditorium, training centre, prayer hall, kitchens and stores. Window cleaning equipment is installed as an integral part of the curtain wall design.
The external works include construction of a revetment wall, reflecting pools, all utilities, shaded surface car parking for 336 vehicles, hard landscaping and security system.
The construction of the project commenced in September 1998 with major project work completed in the summer of 2005. Currently, KPC is mobilising towards occupation of the building following finalisation of office arrangements in 2006.

KEY PLAYERS

Client/owner 
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation,
Corporate Projects Department
Construction manager: 
Bovis-Projacs Joint Venture, Kuwait
Architects/engineers: 
Salem Al-Marzouk and Sabah Abi-Hanna, Kuwait, in association with Arthur Erickson Architectural Corporation, Canada
Supervision consultants: Salem Al-Marzouk and Sabali
Abi-Hanna, Kuwait

Bid package  
1. Demolition and site establishment works: MA Kharafi;
2. Piling works: Kuwait Bruckner General Contracting Company (KBC);
3. KPC/Ministry of Oil buildings, civil works:  Alghanim International and LG
    Engineering and Construction;
4. Conveying system installations: Ahmadiah Contracting & Conveying;
5. Mechanical and electrical services installation: Bader Al Mullah Engineer;
6. Interior architectural finishes:  Mohamed Abdul Mohsin Al Kharafi;
7. Car park: Alghanim International General Trading;
8. Site works and auxiliary buildings: Birdair, US, Fabric Root (with Al Ghusain);
9. Furniture, fixtures and equipment: Aluminium and Light Industries (Alico);
10. Tensile fabric roof at car-park: Al Riyash Trading (furniture and equipment); and
11. External curtain-wall cladding and glazing works: Aluminium and Light Industries (Alico).

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