The State of Kuwait witnessed the conclusion of the 3rd Gulf Housing Week activities, which included a series of events under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Among the most prominent was the participation of students from the College of Architecture at Kuwait University in the Public Authority for Housing Care Hackathon, held this year under the theme “Sustainable Real Estate Development,” supervised by Dr. Mae Al-Ansari and Dr. Anas Al-Omaim.
The competition brought together students from Gulf universities in a competitive and collaborative environment aimed at supporting human capital and enhancing student creativity. This was achieved through an architectural challenge targeting the redevelopment of an existing project on a vacant plot in the Saad Al-Abdullah residential city, within a sustainable future vision. The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm and a spirit of challenge, alongside a rich exchange of expertise among the Gulf student teams.
The students representing Kuwait University’s College of Architecture at this event included an outstanding group of female students:
Asma Al-Kandari, Retaj Fawzi Bouzubar, Dhia Ali Al-Kandari, Lulwa Youssef Al-Sijari, Dima Khaled Al-Rashdan, Fatima Abdulaziz Al-Balushi, Asma Fahad Al-Subaie, and Saja Khaled Al-Yaseen.
At the closing ceremony of the 3rd Gulf Housing Week, the College of Architecture students achieved honorable results, with the “earth” team winning first place, featuring student Asma Al-Subaie. The “Nama” team took second place, featuring students Retaj Fawzi Bouzubar and Dhia Ali Al-Kandari, while the “Sarh” team came in third, featuring student Lulwa Youssef Al-Sijari. This achievement reflects the students’ excellence in applying their design skills to a real urban project based on creative thinking and sustainability.
On the sidelines of the Housing Week, a panel discussion titled “City Planning and Design” was organized, led by the Acting Dean of the College of Architecture, Dr. Adel Al-Mumen, with the attendance of several prominent specialists such as Engineer Faisal Al-Juhaim, Dr. Ameera Al-Hassan, Engineer Mahmoud Abu Ghazaleh, and Dr. Paul J. MacKeown.
In his speech, Dr. Adel Al-Mumen emphasized that city planning is not an urban luxury but a necessity to ensure quality of life. He stressed that urban planning is a direct investment in community security, population health, and future sustainability. He pointed out that unplanned cities suffer from environmental and economic bottlenecks, citing global experiences that show the challenges resulting from the absence of planning.
This active presence of Kuwait University embodies a confirmation of its academic and societal role in supporting student creativity and contributing to the development of dialogue about the future of urbanism in the Gulf with a vision based on sustainability and the integration of knowledge and practice.