Kuwait’s 31 Iconic Water Towers
Kuwait City’s 31 water towers are now an iconic part of the cityscape. Commissioned in 1965 to connect seawater distillation plants to the city, the towers were to replace the antiquated water distribution system which required tankers to deliver the water directly to consumers. The Amir of Kuwait specified that they were to be not just functional, but stand tall as architectural and artistic landmarks.
Via Alluring World and SOS Brutalism
The five groups of towers were completed in 1976, each holding 3000 cubic meters of water. Each set of towers differ in height, color and ornamentation, becoming district landmarks in their own right – though they all have the same fundamental design. Swedish architect Suni Lindstrom — who dubbed the resulting structures “mushroom towers” — chose this design to ensure the towers would cast shade on the ground below, where landscape gardens were planned as public spaces.
An additional sixth site was constructed in 1979: a trio of towers now known as the “Kuwait Towers”. Instead of the characteristic mushroom shape, the Kuwait towers are all “needle” shapes and two of them feature spherical orbs. These spheres are decorated with blue, green and gray steel plates – apparently chosen “to imitate the mosaic surfaces of Islamic domes.” The design brings together local and global motifs – as “the Muslim minaret and the mighty moon missile merge in a single architectural expression.”
The water towers won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. You can get them on a black or white t-shirt from the afikra online store.
