KEO wins award for KIA headquarters building

The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's government investment arm, estimated to hold in excess of $200 billion of assets, and is reportedly one of the largest Sovereign Wealth Funds in the World.

KEO won the award to design the KIA Headquarter Building Complex from a field of six highly acclaimed design firms from Europe and the United States. The list included NORR, WS Atkins, Cambridge 7, Hamzah & Yeang and Fentress Architects.

KEO's design team was lead by Principal Designer, Raj Patel, who described the design as an opportunity to reflect the strength, stability, dynamism and futuristic outlook of the Kuwait Investment Authority. KIA clearly expressed their goals for their building to be a state-of-the-art facility, but also stressed the importance that it was to be innovative, functional, flexible and have a pleasant working environment.

KEO's winning design created a 220 meter iconic tower lifted 6 floors above the ground with a podium structure housing all public facilities including an auditorium, that slips through the base of the tower. The podium structure inspiration is drawn from the traditional form of the dhow, representing Kuwait's link and heritage to the past, while the tower manifests its soaring global presence into the future.

The design also incorporates sustainable design elements including wind turbines and photovoltaic panels meeting KIA's brief of creating an efficient building, a benchmark for future towers in the region.

The estimated $200m building with over 130,000 m2 of area will be built on a site located in the heart of Kuwait City. Construction is expected to begin by early 2009.

KEO International Consultants is one of the world's leading and fastest growing international full-service consultancy firms. Founded in 1964, the firm has emerged as a dynamic leader in design, engineering and project management. Due to an unprecedented growth and expansion in the last decade, the firm today is strategically located in ten global offices with a staff of over 1600 professionals.