PAD10 Architects + Designers

PAD10 Architects + Designers PAD10 is an interdisciplinary architectural design practice, based in Paris, Kuwait and Beirut. www.pad10.com

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฉ๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ข๐—กThe typology of the central courtyard โ€” the โ€œhoshโ€ โ€” was reclaimed, not from the buildingโ€™s past, bu...
10/06/2026

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฉ๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก

The typology of the central courtyard โ€” the โ€œhoshโ€ โ€” was reclaimed, not from the buildingโ€™s past, but from what was already latent within its configuration.

What once stood as a commercial frontage backed by driversโ€™ rooms overlooking a fenced private pool was rethought as the main entrance pavilion to the complex. The central garden was elevated to align with the commercial plinth, allowing the ground floor to no longer address only the city outside, but also the courtyard within.

The commercial edge was therefore turned inward as much as outward, activating the central garden and transforming it from a residual void into the social heart of the complex.

Sometimes architecture is not about introducing a new language.
It is about uncovering the one the building was quietly trying to speak all along.

๐—ช๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—œ๐—ง๐—ฌ ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฃ๐—ฆ ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—”Pinned to the tip of a peninsula, the building complex opens its chest to the sea โ€” eng...
08/06/2026

๐—ช๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—œ๐—ง๐—ฌ ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฃ๐—ฆ ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ง๐—ข ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—”

Pinned to the tip of a peninsula, the building complex opens its chest to the sea โ€” engulfed by it while simultaneously embracing within it a central courtyard.

Originally, the project extended itself into the water with its pool, reclaiming part of the coastline long before the public promenade later followed.

Yet with time, the question became not only how the building takes from the sea, but also how it gives back to the city.

In the renovation, the central courtyard โ€” once private and introverted โ€” was opened and publicized, transforming it into an urban breathing space connected once again to its surroundings.

Architecture along the waterfront should not stand as a barrier.
It should mediate between the city, the sea, and the life unfolding between them.

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—ก ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ก๐——๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜More than four decades later, the sandstone was beginning to let go and fall away.Yet its ...
04/06/2026

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—–๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—ก ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—”๐—ก๐——๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—ข๐—ก๐—˜

More than four decades later, the sandstone was beginning to let go and fall away.
Yet its timeless warmth remained โ€” resting against the cerulean of the Arabian Gulf.

The question was never to overload the faรงade, nor to strip it from its identity.

The intervention relied on the widest possible mesh apertures to continue revealing the stone beneath, while echoing the original anodized steel tones already present on the building. Smaller mesh apertures allowed the corners to turn softly without framing or visually hardening the mass. The overlay of the mesh simply rested over the stone skin, stabilizing it without overburdening the building.

The newly introduced windows were intentionally popped outward instead of retreating inward like the original punched balconies. Not to imitate the old, nor compete with it, but to establish a quiet dialogue between what was there and what was added โ€” another layer to the building without pretension.

Sometimes preservation is not about freezing a building in time.
It is about allowing it to continue aging with dignity.

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—” ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฆ ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜Since the day I stepped back into Kuwait, this building caught my attention during my early morn...
03/06/2026

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—” ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฆ ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ช๐—”๐—ฌ๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜

Since the day I stepped back into Kuwait, this building caught my attention during my early morning walks by the sea with my father โ€” may his soul rest in peace. Docking by the waterfront, it carried something whimsical about it. Its alternating fenestration and articulated faรงade already hinted, back in the 70s, that behind it was not your typical apartment building.

The question was how to maintain this, amplify it, while optimizing the relationship with the sea. How to open the eye of the building to feel its surroundings.

You could already hear the hum of the sea at night, sitting on the balcony facing the pitch dark horizon while the waves whispered below, as if boarding a ship docked along the shore.
So why not wake up to it in the morning?

๐‘๐„๐‚๐‹๐€๐ˆ๐Œ๐ˆ๐๐† ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐’๐„๐€Set on a one-of-a-kind peninsula where the city meets the sea without the burden of a highway, this re...
01/06/2026

๐‘๐„๐‚๐‹๐€๐ˆ๐Œ๐ˆ๐๐† ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐’๐„๐€

Set on a one-of-a-kind peninsula where the city meets the sea without the burden of a highway, this residential retooling was less about adding space and more about restoring a forgotten relationship with the horizon.

The original apartment layout placed closets directly along the faรงade, turning the sea into something peripheral โ€” present, yet disconnected from daily life. We relocated the storage spaces deeper into the plan, transforming them into a mediating walk-in closet between bedroom and bathroom, while carving out a V-balcony bay-window allowing the bedrooms to wake up to the sea.

No additional square meters were created.
What changed was the experience of living, from waking up onwards.

Light, depth, perspective, and the constant presence of the horizon became part of the architecture once again.

I still remember one of the tenants when we explained the intervention saying:
โ€œBut I already know the sea.โ€

Knowing the sea and living with it are two very different things.

PAD10 Architects + Designersโ€™ finalist proposal for the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), links ...
14/05/2026

PAD10 Architects + Designersโ€™ finalist proposal for the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), links the Headquarters (HQ) and Convention Center (CC) along Kuwaitโ€™s waterfront. The project extends the existing promenade into a continuous โ€œScience Mile,โ€ connecting architecture, landscape, and public space.

The Convention Center rises as a landscaped form at the peninsula edge, while the Headquarters anchors the marina promenade with transparent faรงades and shifting terraces. A continuous waterfront path links both buildings, creating a civic sequence that frames the marina and strengthens the relationship between city and sea.

The KFAS Convention Center rises as an inhabitable landscape: its sloping green roof extends the promenade upward, offer...
12/05/2026

The KFAS Convention Center rises as an inhabitable landscape: its sloping green roof extends the promenade upward, offering elevated views back toward the city and outward to the Arabian Gulf. Programs such as the library, exhibition areas, cafรฉs, and public gathering spaces open toward the sea, allowing cultural activity to spill outward into a stepped waterfront plaza.

PAD10 Architectsโ€™ proposal was selected as a finalistโ€”ranked 5th out of 110 entries from 25 countriesโ€”in the anonymous two-stage international competition organized under the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA).

PAD10 Architectsโ€™ finalist entry for the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) interlaces two new bui...
07/05/2026

PAD10 Architectsโ€™ finalist entry for the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) interlaces two new buildingsโ€”the Headquarters (HQ) and Convention Center (CC)โ€”along Kuwaitโ€™s most prominent coastal stretch. Together with the existing Scientific Center promenade and a newly proposed elevated pedestrian bridge, the project extends the waterfront into an exploratory โ€œScience Mileโ€: a continuous public sequence that links science, landscape, architecture, and the sea.

PAD10โ€™s finalist proposal for the KFAS HQ &Convention Center interlaces two key buildings alongKuwaitโ€™s most prominent c...
04/05/2026

PAD10โ€™s finalist proposal for the KFAS HQ &
Convention Center interlaces two key buildings along
Kuwaitโ€™s most prominent coastal stretch, extending the
existing Scientific Center promenade into a continuous
โ€œScience Mileโ€ culminating in a shaded public plaza
beneath the Convention Centerโ€™s cantilever.

The HQ rises as an L-shaped volume, stepping from 3
to 8 floorsโ€”set back to preserve and frame views to
and from Pearl Marzouq, while minimizing solar
exposure and opening toward the sea. Its terraced
faรงade forms an urban canopy, shaping shaded public
edges and a vertical promenade that connects
landscape, offices, and roof gardens.

Together, the HQ and Convention Center operate as a
layered civic landscapeโ€”where architecture,
promenade, and waterfront merge into a continuous
public realm.

Finalist Award โ€” ranked 5th out of 110 entries from 25
countries (Phase-EINS competition 2-stage
competition).




In our award winning entry for KFAS new HQ, the L-shaped building steps back as it rises, allowing the existing promenad...
30/04/2026

In our award winning entry for KFAS new HQ, the L-shaped building steps back as it rises, allowing the existing promenade meadow to spill into the siteโ€”expanding the public open space while establishing a respectful setback from Pearl Marzouq. This gesture opens reciprocal views between both buildings toward the Arabian Sea.

Conceived as a landswell, the meadow integrates technical services and parking beneath, merging infrastructure with landscape and reinforcing the continuity of the public realm along the waterfront.

PAD10 Architects was selected as a finalist (5th out of 110 entries from 25 countries) in the international anonymous 2-stage competition for the KFAS HQ & Convention Center, organized by Phase EINS.

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