Kuwait University Concludes Participation in the Third Gulf Housing Week: Strong Student Presence and Academic Excellence in the Housing Care Hackathon

The State of Kuwait witnessed the conclusion of the Third Gulf Housing Week, attended by the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Eng. Abdulatif Hamed Al-Mashari. The event included a series of activities and events under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). One of the highlights was the participation of students from the College of Architecture at Kuwait University in the Public Authority for Housing Welfare’s Hackathon, held this year under the theme “Sustainable Real Estate Development”, supervised by Dr. Mai Al-Ansari and Dr. Anas Al-Omaim.

The competition brought together students from universities across the Gulf region in a competitive yet collaborative environment aimed at supporting human capital and encouraging student creativity. The architectural challenge focused on redeveloping an existing project on a vacant plot of land in the city of Saad Al-Abdullah, in line with a forward-looking, sustainable vision. The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm and a spirit of challenge, with rich exchanges of experience among the student teams from across the Gulf.

Representing the College of Architecture at Kuwait University in this event was a distinguished group of students:

• Retaj Fawzi Buzbar
• Dhiaa Ali Al-Kandari
• Lulwa Youssef Al-Sajjari
• Dima Khaled Al-Rashdan
• Fatima Abdulaziz Al-Balushi
• Asmaa Fahad Al-Subaie
• Saja Khaled Al-Yaseen

At the closing ceremony of the Third Gulf Housing Week, students from the College of Architecture achieved honorable results. The “Irth” (Heritage) team won first place, with student Asmaa Al-Subaie among its members. The “Nama’a” (Growth) team took second place, with students Retaj Fawzi Buzbar and Dhiaa Ali Al-Kandari participating. The “Sarih” (Monument) team came in third, with student Lulwa Youssef Al-Sajjari on the team. This accomplishment 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 “Urban Planning and City Design” was held, moderated by the Acting Dean of the College of Architecture, Dr. Adel Al-Mu’min, and attended by several prominent experts including Eng. Faisal Al-Juhaim, Dr. Ameera Al-Hassan, Eng. Mahmoud Abu Ghazala, and Dr. Paul J. McKeown.

In his remarks, Dr. Adel Al-Mu’min emphasized that urban planning is not a luxury, but a necessity to ensure quality of life. He stressed that urban planning is a direct investment in community safety, public health, and the sustainability of the future. He pointed out that unplanned cities suffer from environmental and economic congestion, citing global experiences that illustrate the challenges stemming from the lack of planning.

This strong and active participation by Kuwait University reflects its academic and social role in supporting student creativity and contributing to the ongoing dialogue about the future of urbanism in the Gulf, through a vision grounded in sustainability and the integration of knowledge and practice.