Kuwait

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre

The Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre has created a new world-class museum district within Kuwait City. Together with the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, it forms Kuwait’s new national cultural district.

The cultural district is a celebration of the scientific and cultural achievements of mankind, and the scale, shapes and shades of the buildings are designed to convey a sense of wonder and awe.

ASCC occupies a total of 127,000 sqm and offers parking for 1,1231 cars. The development comprises eight buildings which include six museums, a conference hall and a documents facility. Altogether, the buildings house 22 display halls with more than 1,000 pieces of relics and unique items.

Each building contains an array of permanent and temporary world-class exhibits and artworks. Walking through the cultural district beneath the canopy of the street leads to a journey full of surprises, with stunning views deep into the heart of the museums where visitors can see framed vistas of priceless exhibits.

Kuwaiti architecture is represented by the main ‘street’, echoing the traditional ‘Ferej’. This creates exciting spaces, Islamic patterns, corners and walkways that mirror the experience of walking down a traditional, busy Kuwaiti street.

The museum district consists of six main buildings:

• Natural History Museum
• Science Museum
• Museum of Islamic History
• Space Museum
• Fine Arts Centre
• Theatre

The centre was built in only 20 months and has, since its opening in 2018, attracted hundreds and thousands of visitors, making it one of the country’s most prestigious scientific and cultural monuments. The centre regularly hosts local and international events in addition to specialised conferences and exhibitions, lectures, workshops and festivals.

The International Property Awards has announced Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre (ASCC) as winner of the Best Public Service Architecture Arabia Awards in 2018. It received a further three international awards, as well as the prestigious ABB Leaf awards for Public Building of Year, also in 2018.