National Council for culture, arts & letters

NCCAL Architectural Design Competition

The Adaptive redesign and reuse of the Investigation Department Building at Saffat Square – The first police station of the State of Kuwait.

Prizes

10,000 KWD

Deadline

01 June 2025

NCCAL Architectural Design Competition

Introduction

The Adaptive redesign and reuse of the Investigation Department Building at Saffat Square – The first police station of the State of Kuwait.

This competition seeks innovative architectural solutions for a historically significant structure in Kuwait located at the heart of the city, with the aim of identifying a new appropriate function for the building and to develop a design that preserves its historical and architectural value while adapting it for contemporary use. This competition invites architects and design teams to propose a creative and sustainable solution that responds to the building’s history and surrounding context and integrates a new viable and self sustaining function that serves the community.

Built in the late 1930s as Kuwait’s first police station located next to Saffat Square, a major historical commercial square in Kuwait City, and marking a notable step in Kuwait’s early effort at modernization in the mid 1900’s.

Over the years, the building has fallen into disuse and currently has been partially demolished with only the Northern structure still standing and having undergone previous renovations. Despite its historic value, the building no longer serves its original purpose, and can be better utilized with a new dynamic function that will breathe new life into the city while preserving the community’s connection to its heritage.

Saffat Square – 1952

Building History

Design Outcome

The project should focus on balancing heritage preservation with imaginative design solutions. The function should align with the building’s context and contribute positively to the surrounding community.

Submissions should provide a detailed architectural proposal that includes the adaptive reuse strategy, functional program, and design of both interior and exterior spaces. The proposal should offer a clear vision of how the building will be transformed and how it will engage with its users and the wider community.

Site Photos

Brief

The full competition brief may be downloaded from the following link before registration, and is provided in Arabic, English, and French.

Eligibility

This competition is open to both local and internationally licensed architects, urban designers, and multidisciplinary design teams.

If the submission is made under a team or architectural firm, a representative member of the team must be designated for all correspondence related to this design competition, as well as the acquisition of any awarded prizes on behalf of the joint applicants.

Jury

10 April – 20 April 2025

Early Registration

20 KWD

21 April – 10 May 2025

Standard Registration

35 KWD

11 May – 01 June 2025

Late Registration

50 KWD

05 June 2025

Submission Deadline

25 June 2025

Jury Summoning

10 July 2025

Results Announcement

Key Dates

All Applicatnts are encouraged to complete each phase in advance.

Prizes

All the awarded proposals will be published on the official competition website, and transmitted to relevant architectural magazines, websites, and blogs.

1ST PLACE

5000 KWD

2ND PLACE

2500 KWD

3RD PLACE

1500 KWD

4 Honourable Mentions

Besides the competition winners, 4 submissions will be awarded with an honorable mention for their efforts and contributions.

Download

Guidlines

AR | EN | FR