KEO International Consultants, a creative enterprise for planning, design, engineering, and project management has won the International Architecture Award 2022. The award is the world’s foremost and oldest international distinguished building, landscape architecture, and urbanism awards program.
Founded in 2005 by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre, the awards aim to set a global standard for architectural achievement worldwide.
Over 130 of the Best-Designed Buildings and Landscapes from around the world—Winners of the 2022 International Architecture Awards were unveiled at a gala event held on 9th September in Athens, Greece.
The much-anticipated annual awards honour the best, most significant new buildings, landscape architecture, and planning projects designed and/or built by the world’s leading architects, landscape architects, and urban planners practising internationally.
In the category of corporate buildings, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) Headquarters building was named a winner of an International Architecture Award. The KIA building is an icon on the Kuwaiti skyline. The podium’s structural inspiration is drawn from the traditional form of the dhow, representing Kuwait’s past heritage, while the tower symbolises its soaring global presence in the future. The traditional mashrabiya façade is not only eye-catching but uses its clever geometry to fulfil passive design principles.
Darryl Custer, Managing Director, KEO Design attended the event. He said: “I am very proud to have represented KEO and to have received this award on behalf of the talented team of designers and engineers who worked so hard to create this spectacular building. The design and realization of the KIA Headquarters represent everything that is special about architecture; a design that clearly demonstrates a sense of place.”
KEO’s President and CEO, Donna Sultan: “The KIA building is an exceptional piece of design, expertly bought to life by our dedicated team of designers, engineers and construction professionals. It is a real honour for everyone in KEO and all those associated with the KIA Headquarters to be granted the prestigious International Architecture Award.”
KEO provided complete consultancy services including concept and architectural design, interior design, structural and MEP engineering, construction management and supervision services as well as final handing over and commissioning.
The KEO project
KIA award-winning design is a globally recognised iconic landmark with a tower resting on a dhow-inspired 6-story podium structure containing impressive formal and public spaces including an auditorium.
The KIA Headquarters is 230 meters in height and is featured in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat list of globally ranked tall towers. The 48-story tower has a unique stacking of four office courtyard atria with eight floors each, and one 6-story executive office courtyard that with a director’s meeting room with its own lounge. Each of these 8-story atria has a 2-story atrium facing east, north, and facing west.
The façade of the tower is based on the tradition of the mashrabiyas as a screening mechanism for reducing and increasing the window apertures, to reduce or increase natural light into the building. This dynamic façade changes depending on the directional orientation and levels of the tower.
The podium structure that has sophisticated conferencing facilities draws its inspiration from the traditional form of the dhow (traditional sailing vessel) symbolizing Kuwait’s past heritage while the tower symbolizes its soaring global presence into the future.
The project was won through an international anonymous design competition conducted by KIA. It has since garnered many awards for its design and notably, in 2020 it was selected by identity as Commercial Project of the Year.
KEO provided complete consultancy services from concept design through to managing and supervising its construction until the final handing over and commissioning of KIA headquarters. KEO also were the interior designers of the KIA Headquarters.
About the awards
Since 2005, The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd. have organized The International Architecture Awards as a way in which to honour the best, significant new buildings, landscape architecture, and planning projects designed and/or built around the world’s leading architects, landscape architects, and urban planners practising nationally and internationally.
The International Architecture Awards give an important global overview of the current aesthetic direction of today’s commercial, corporate, institutional, and residential work.
The International Architecture Awards are dedicated to the recognition of excellence in architecture and urbanism from a global point of view.
The program pays tribute to new developments in design and underscores the directions and understanding of current cutting-edge processes consistent with today’s design thinking.