The Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2024 competition participant - Jassim Fj S Alnashmi

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the participant of our "Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2024" competition – Jassim Fj S Alnashmi from Kuwait!

Jassim Fj S Alnashmi

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

Manmade Studio was founded in January 2020 in Kuwait City, just weeks before the pandemic! It started as an accessories brand but instead it took a turn to become focused on bespoke interiors and architecture do to my degrees in Architecture (Jassim AlNashmi). We started designing restaurants, furniture, retail stores, exhibitions and private villas, as well as commercial facade renovations. The studio started with just myself but grew by having remote team members like Shenouda Salat, Mohamed Elkishk (who are full-time), Bobby Paman, Kevin K, Ardacan, Theo, Yi-Chieh Liao (who are project-based hires), all of whom worked on this project. After a few projects we got an office space, then moved to a bigger studio space in a creative hub in Kuwait. We really care about working on design projects where we can research Arab design identity and revitalize it in our new designs, because we have such a rich heritage.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

We have designed projects in Kuwait and Qatar, many of them restaurants (which have been built), some retail stores, some retail booths, and some private villas, and a lot of exhibitions. Restaurants, retail stores & booths tend to be inside shopping centres, private villas are all over Kuwait's residential neighbourhoods. As for the exhibitions, they come in all shapes and sizes, from a book fair exhibit space to an art gallery to a stadium and all its ancillary spaces. This Cultural Center project is by far the most unique, for a private real estate client who owns a residentil neighbourhood in Kuwait and wanted to design a mosque for that neighborhood, which would have been the most upper class neighbourhood in Kuwait, with an intentionally iconic mosque and museum.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

An architect makes visions happen, whether it be office spaces, exhibitions, stadiums, or dream homes, people in Kuwait have many ideas and they always value working with an architect who will make the dreams that they cant describe into full-fledged realities. In some cases, the architect sets the standard for quality, decides the type of events that will take place, and helps in decisions about branding, accessory design, signage and wayfinding, as well as who will be invited to the space.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

It brings out a competitive and creative spirit that I only seem to experience through competitions. I stopped pulling all-nighters a long time ago, but for competitions, I do whatever it takes. I must say I enjoy competitions; it feels like a race where you keep running without looking back to see how far behind the other runners are, nor knowing who is ahead of you—you just maintain your pace until the finish line. It’s exhilarating.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Just do it. Stop whining, stop complaining, and most importantly stop making excuses. There's a reason why full-functional architecture firms still do competitions, its because they know they need to in order to keep their creative spirit alive, its a necessity, its not just for fun, its a serious lifeline to the creative realm.