ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the process of globalization as experienced by the city-state of Kuwait. It traces the development of architecture and the built environment in the city during the second half of the twentieth century, focusing on the impact of economic, political and cultural aspects of globalization. The analysis covers the development of public buildings designed by large multi-national fi rms for government institutions and large companies as well as private houses designed by small offi ces infl uenced by individual clients’ needs and ambitions. It attempts to illustrate the development of these distinctive built environments under the pressures of globalization.1
