Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre
Kuwait’s Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), designed by SSH, has won the Cultural & Heritage Project of the Year at the 2018 MEED Projects Awards in association with Mashreq recently held at the Westin Mina Seyahi in Dubai. The titanium-clad cultural centre won against worthy and world-class competition, such as the sprawling Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture & Recreation in Oman, and the famous Dubai Opera complex in the UAE, among others. SSH was appointed by design and build contractor, Al Hani Construction & Trading Company, as lead architecture and engineering designer on the four-building complex.
Since opening in 2016, JACC has received several architectural and design awards including a CID Award in 2017. The complex is a focal attraction for various performing arts and cultural events and hosts numerous local and international acts. Together, with the recently opened Sheikh Abdullah Al Ahmad Cultural Centre (ASCC), and recently restored Al Salam Palace, both also SSH projects, JACC forms part of Kuwait City’s new national cultural district. The complex’s main buildings are the Theatre Centre, Music Centre, Conference Centre and National Library for Historical Documents, all set within a new national park. Designed to resemble a set of jewels, JACC is the centrepiece attraction of the country’s cultural quarter.
“The Amiri Diwan and SSH are both extremely proud that the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre has been awarded this prestigious honour by MEED,” said Sadoon Al Essa, executive partner of SSH. “The Amiri Diwan’s mission has been to elevate culture and heritage within Kuwait and the wider MENA region, and I believe this has been successfully achieved. This latest award further validates the vision of the Amiri Diwan, JACC’s place as regional and international cultural destination, and SSH’s architectural and engineering pedigree. We are all very happy.” 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.
