Al-Brayeh City
City as Economic Catalyst: AL-Brayeh City is a 35-million m² master plan for a new mixed-use urban settlement in the southern region of Kuwait, located 70 km south of Kuwait City and conceived directly adjacent to the 4th Oil Refinery at Al-Zour. The city's founding logic is economic: the refinery and its petrochemical complex form a productive anchor that catalyses residential communities, civic infrastructure, education, healthcare, and commerce.
Where earlier planning studies in this region failed for lack of an economic nucleus, AL-Brayeh resolves this by merging the traditional Kuwaiti 'Al Furjan' block model and its Baraha garden courts with the Garden City framework—updated for contemporary smart-city standards and rooted in the proven precedent of AL-Ahmadi City.
Hydrology, Civic Structure & Roads
The city's hydrological strategy centres on a massive industrial water lake. To ensure a continuous, balanced water cycle, desalinated seawater from the nearby coast supplies the city's domestic needs, and the resulting treated wastewater is sustainably reclaimed to fill this central reservoir. This water is then repurposed to irrigate the parklands and power the district cooling plants.
Public life is anchored by the 1,107,456 m² Central Park—the 'Large Baraha'—which serves as the primary civic core. The institutional framework is supported by AL-Brih University and Research Center, along with a dedicated health region. The 9.4M m² transportation network encompasses an integrated metro line, bus rapid transit, dedicated bicycle lanes, and pedestrian pathways, all shaded by high-canopy trees to guarantee walkability.
Residential Character & Landscape
Private housing (45% of site) is arranged in traditional Al Furjan blocks of ~400 m² plots, each neighbourhood framing a local Baraha garden court. Building coverage holds to 90% of plot area with a maximum height of 10 m—preserving a human-scaled, low-density character consistent with Kuwaiti family life. Facades draw from warm sandy desert tones, with vertical solid WPC screens providing solar shading and visual privacy.
Investment housing delivers mid-rise apartment blocks for the city's workforce. Each block is set around a landscaped shared court, with desert-adapted planting, rock features, and generous seating areas creating a community heart within every cluster. The green framework adapts the Garden City model for Kuwait's extreme climate, with tree-lined avenues connecting neighbourhood Barahas to the Central Park.
Business & Civic Employment District
The Fourth Oil Refinery at Al-Zour is the primary economic engine, providing approximately 6,000 direct jobs, supplemented by a Petrochemical Complex and future industrial factories. Together the refinery cluster attracts a skilled workforce and their families who become AL-Brayeh City's founding population.
The administrative and business areas form a contemporary office campus at the city's civic heart. Cultural centres, administrative buildings, conference facilities, and co-working spaces are organised around wide commercial avenues. Commercial areas include open markets, modern retail complexes, and a Heritage Village inspired by the ancient Kuwaiti urban fabric.
A City Built to Last
AL-Brayeh City’s sustainability strategy integrates three mutually reinforcing systems: energy, water, and mobility. A district cooling network fed by the lake’s treated-water reservoir displaces individual air-conditioning units citywide, while floating photovoltaic arrays generate renewable energy and cut evaporation losses by up to 70%. Underground utility tunnels carry all infrastructure beneath every street, allowing the city to adapt to future technology without surface disruption.
AL-Brayeh City aspires to be the beating heart of Kuwait’s southern region — a model of economic integration, cultural continuity, and environmental resilience for generations to come.
