GULF Consult – which ranks among the top 200 architectural practices in the world rated by World Architecture magazine – is currently working on three private hospitals, among a string of prestigious projects in Kuwait.

The hospitals – the 108-bed Al Maidan Maternity Hospital, the 71-bed Elite General Hospital (with US-based NBBJ) and the 100-bed Al Safat American Hospital - should considerably enhance Kuwait’s capabilities in offering quality healthcare services.
Construction work has started on the Al Maidan Maternity Hospital and should be completed within two years. The 20-storey hospital is located along Belajat Street in Salmiya and takes advantage of the magnificent sea views. Designed to provide high quality service, the complex will combine excellence in health care with the luxury of a five-star hotel. The forms, materials and detailing of the structure respond to the site, in addition to creating a beacon that celebrates the theme of the hospital: “the birth of a child,” says a spokesman for Gulf Consult.
Lead architectural design work for the KD8 million ($27.14 million) hospital was carried out by Langdon Wilson International of the US, with support architectural work and all engineering design undertaken by Gulf Consult.
Construction work is also in progress on the Elite Hospital, another hospital of excellence offering five-star-hotel quality of service with excellence in healthcare. Strategically located close to the Kuwait University Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, the project is well into construction. 
Both these projects are being implemented on a fast-track basis and involve multiple bid packages, says Jeff de Lange, deputy managing director of Gulf Consult.
The most recent hospital in which Gulf Consult is involved is the Al Safat American Hospital, to be located in the Sabah Al Salem district of Kuwait.  Designs for this hospital were originally prepared several years ago but are now being updated to reflect current medical thinking.  Work has already started on site and construction should take another 24 months.
Gulf Consult has developed unique expertise for the design of public and private hospitals and has been commissioned for the design and supervision of 12 hospitals in the last five years, particularly including the Centre for Research and Treatment of Diabetes (with NBBJ) and the Mowasat General Hospital (with Rees Associates).
Besides these hospital projects, Gulf Consult has recently secured (with SOM of the US) the design contract from the Ministry of Defence for a new military academy which will take in 1,200 cadets, as well as a new General Aviation Terminal for private aircraft at Kuwait International Airport. (with Mott MacDonald)
It has just clinched the design deal for a new five-star hotel in Kuwait, the Monarch, says de Lange.
Meanwhile, work on the total reconstruction of the Messilah Beach Hotel, as a six-star hotel started three months ago. The design was undertaken by SOM of the US and Gulf Consult with construction supervision services provided by Gulf Consult.  Following completion of the 33-month contract, the hotel will include 308 rooms offering standard and twin rooms and junior, senior and deluxe suites; 78 service-apartments; 17 independent two-bedroom chalets and a wedding hall and two adjoining dining halls with capacity for 2,000 people.
Gulf Consult, in association with Harradine Golf, is designing the first 18-hole grass golf course in Kuwait. The course will be a 6,600-yard par 70 hole, PGA standard competition course.  It features 13 holes within the existing Hunting Club race-track and five holes outside. The project has involved moving 790,000 cu m of soil from within the race-track to the areas outside, so as to create a challenging contoured course incorporating three lakes, hills 12 m high and the planting of 5,000 trees.
The project also includes:

• A prestigious clubhouse with pro-shop, spa and health club and quality restaurants; and
• Driving range and golf academy.

“Gulf Consult has built its reputation by delivering quality projects in a timely manner to the exacting standards that our wide range of clients demand,” says de Lange.
Over the years, the company has been involved in a very wide range of projects of different specialities, complexity, sizes and scales; and the firm prides itself on the diversity of its portfolio.
Some of firm’s other more notable recent projects include: Kuwait National Petroleum Corporation Head Office (with C7A); Kuwait University’s Marine Science Faculty (with C7A); KOC office complex; Police College (with SOM); Villa Moda luxury shopping centre; the extension of the First Ring Road (with Parsons Brinckerhoff); CCTV Phases V, VI, VII, VIII and IX (with Montgomery Watson, Parsons and NJS);
Founded in 1967 by Hamad T Alghanim, who still remains its chairman and CEO, Gulf Consult is one of the Middle East’s leading firms of architects and engineers with over 380 staff. Operating principally in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf, it offers a full range of multi-discipline design and construction supervision services.
Gulf Consult is fully networked with the latest computerised design and production capabilities in both its head office and branch office.
The company has also developed a skill base for working with international architects on major civic and cultural buildings and with international engineering firms, particularly on sewage, highways and airport work.
In addition to its work for private clients, the company has extensive experience of working for government ministries and public authorities including: the Council of Ministers; the Ministries of Planning, Public Works, Energy (formerly the Ministry of Electricity and Works), Communications, Defence and Interior; Kuwait Municipality; Divided Zone Agreement and Kuwaiti Islands and Mega Projects Development Team (DIZART); Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources; Environment Public Authority; Public Utilities Management Company; and the Kuwait Public Transport Company.