Under the patronage of Kuwait University, Dar AlAthar AlIslamiyyah, and Pace, the American Cultural Center hosted the gallery of the President’s Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as part of joint effort to promote excellence in the study of Architecture, talent support, and encourage architectural debate, with the attendance of the General Director of Dar AlAthar AlIslamiyyah Sheikha Hessa Sabah AlSalem AlSabah, the British Ambassador at the State of Kuwait Mr. Michael Davenport, member of the Gulf Committee at RIBA in Kuwait Mr. Iain Pears, the Dean of College of Architecture at Kuwait University Dr. Omar Khattab, the Executive Officer of Pace Mr. Tareq Shuaib.
In his speech, the Dean of College of Architecture at Kuwait University said: “we are delighted to host this exhibition in Kuwait as it is a forum for the outstanding students of Architecture around the world who have been awarded prizes by RIBA.” Dr. Khattab pointed that the RIBA award is considered the most prestigious award in the field of Architecture around the world since 1836. He also mentioned that the exhibition not only presents the winning entries, but also displays the quality and diversity of the work at all levels.
The Dean brought the attention to the various workshops and events with the participation of a group of experienced and competent from Kuwait and abroad during the period of the exhibition in Kuwait. He then thanked Dr. Aseel AlRaqum, Dr. May Al-Ansari, and the Executive Officer of Pace Mr. Tareq Shuaib for their obvious efforts in cooperation and organizing the exhibition in Kuwait.
For her part, the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Architecture Dr. Aseel AlRaqum that this exhibition shows the creative perspective of future architects and highlights the architecture and the role and impact of architectural excellence around the world. She added: “We look forward to repeating this international exhibition in Kuwait and to presenting our students with their projects for the coming year. This is an opportunity for architecture students and architects from countries accredited by RIBA to participate in these prestigious awards. Dr. AlRaqum pointed that there are 70 countries participating in the exhibition this year with 200 projects. In addition, she mentioned that the exhibition will be held until the 15th, June and the opening hours will be from 10:00 a.m. to 07:00 p.m. except Sunday, and from 02:00 to 07:00 p.m. on Friday at the American Cultural Center.