Title: Bamiyan Cultural Center Design Competition

Client: UNESCO

Investor: The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – The Republic of South Korea

Location: Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Status: 2015 Concept Design



Site:

Bamiyan is known as the peaceful province and heart of Afghanistan. The project site is located in the centre of the historical Bamiyan Valley and faces the former Buddha monumental statues (Buddha cliff). It’s surrounded by beautiful agricultural fields and colorful, peaceful mountain terrains with legendary figures



Program:

The Project will be a cornerstone in efforts to preserve culture, promote research and build community around culture, in order to build cohesion in a fractured cultural context.



The “Building Permit” information and regulation for this project include:

- Project Type: Cultural / Educational

- Site Area: 26,000 m2

- Budget: [176].5 Million

- Total Floor Area: 2222 m2 +1000 m2 Future Extension

- Total Storeys: 2

- Total parking space: 30 Stall + 30 Stall for Future

- Setback: 15 m from Land Border Line

- The site divides in two high and low elevations with 10m difference



Abstract:

The idea of this design formed with the hope of peace, safety, and happiness for a future full of color in Afghanistan, which is based on discussion rather than war, a discussion between the past and the future.

In this design, this discussion has been symbolized by the structural formation with the idea of a simple wall alongside the historic walls of Buddha which lies on a colorful carpet of flowers. The building refers to a person who is sitting on a carpet in front of Buddha and is praying. The flower garden’s design comes from an Afghan carpet style called “Jajim”. Each row of flowers symbolizes a national flower of one of the neighbouring countries to Afghanistan which lies on the Silk Road Path.

With respect to the projects time and location, in response to parameters such as the historical characteristics of the site, including the presence of Buddha and the Silk Road, Pure Nature, local architecture, the cultural, social, and economic effects of war and other realistic factors involved in the project are the main instruments running this project.

Maximum use of the sites potentials and minimum change on its geometry alongside the use of local architectural literature elements such as color, gardens, walls, carpets, and flowers is our poetical architectural response to the projects subject.



Systems:

- Structure: Expose Concrete frame work with slab floors.

- Architecture: Combination of traditional clay bricks work with the exposed concrete

- Utility: Photovoltaic panels for Electricity and Hot Water. Project Pursuing tomeet LEED Platinum





PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Afghanistan is a land of contradiction and complexity. Pure beauty as oppose to pure abomination, pure nature in the face of destruction caused by war, and dark despair opposing the light of hope, are all aspects of Afghanistan’s fascinating personality. Our purpose for participation in this competition are to highlight the astonishing features of Afghanistan, to bring the sensation of peace, hope, dreams, safety, and happiness for our Afghan brothers and sisters. We believe it’s the time for change, for a future full of color in Afghanistan.

IMPRESSION

Bamiyan is a place where east meets west by the ancient silk road, the land where ethnicity is a blend of Persian, Greek, Turkish, Chinese, Indian, and Mongolian. This creates a multicultural and colorful region. Bamiyan is known as the peaceful province and heart of Afghanistan

The project site is located in the centre of the historical Bamiyan Valley and faces the former Buddha monumental statues (Buddha cliff). It’s surrounded by beautiful agricultural fields and colorful, peaceful mountain terrains with legendary figures. Referring to the information above, the three points that captured our attention are:



NATURE - The first impression emerges from the purity, virginity, and the beauty of nature. It looks like a natural, colorful, afghan carpet.

BUDDHA -The presence of Buddha statues and its legendary cliff creates an undeniable, vigorous spirit which influences us to pursue our goal in creating a humble piece of architecture. ARCHITECTURE - Over the centuries, people developed the local architecture and urbanism on the geologically rich terrain with respect to nature’s endless beauty. This strongly impressed our team in following their approach, in our architecture.

DESIRE

We desire to create ultimate teachable moments for the people, as a flexible, responsive, and learning environment through our design. This is a facility that can adapt, engage, and inspire.

To achieve these goals, our design criteria should reach the following characteristics:

1) To create a humble, pure, simple, precise, readable, and colorful architecture

2) To create a poetic design solution of combination of the landscape and architecture

3) To extract the spirit of design by using the local architectural taste and colors

4) To give full respect to the “Time and Location”

5) To create the project on a foundation of sustainability (Following the LEED standard and adapting that with local conditions. (Use of Photovoltaics panels to generate electricity and heat water)

6) To Integrate and create positive visual impact on the cultural landscape of Bamiyan Valley

7) To Integrate an environmentally conscious design, into the urban context and architecture

8) To use the best in local materials by inventively combining them with improved construction techniques.

9) To connect to the historical context of the World Heritage property

10) The Maximum use of the land topography

DESIGN SCENARIO



In celebration of the history of Bamiyan, and a bright future for Afghanistan, our design is inspired by the idea of covering the land by a colorful carpet and placing the building on the carpet, face to the Buddha, symbolizing a person having a spiritual dialogue with Buddha. In this regard, our design scenario consists of two elements:



1. The Site as a colorful carpet

2. The Building facing Buddha (parallel to the Buddha cliff).



SITE CONCEPT

The site design concept is inspired by the two following subjects:



- Traditional garden – It symbolizes a paradise on earth.

- Traditional carpet – It symbolizes the garden



The site was designed by a combination of two natural carpets as the garden which is connected perpendicularly based on geometrical grid of walkways, laminar and steady flow of water. The gardens characteristics include:



1. THE EXTERIOR GARDEN which is formed based on the traditional garden concept and covered with seasonal fruit trees. This concept is inspired by classic form of carpet and it’s known as “GHALI”(Char Bagh or Baharestan design style)



2. THE INTERIOR GARDEN (Silk Road Garden) is covered by seven flower fields, in which, each row symbolizes a neighboring country of Afghanistan, which, lies on the Silk Road path, and is represented by its National Flower. This garden is inspired by the “JAJIM” style carpet.



3. POND - The geometry of the walkways and water flow in the gardens consists of three ponds:



3.1. Pond in Entrance Area (Pond of Hope) – The garden geometry is started from the area of this pond

3.2. Central Pond (Pond of Life –Peace) – The direction of the garden changes at this area. An olive tree will be planted at the middle of the pond, symbolizing the persistence of the afghan

3.3. The last Pond (Pond of Hope) – Located at the end of the flower garden axis which symbolizes the Afghanistan hope for future.







BUILDING CONCEPT



The Architectural characteristics of the building can be described as follows:



1. The building concept formed to symbolize a “Wall” parallel to the Buddha Cliff and to create a bilateral dialogue from the past, to the present, and to the future

2. Create a pure, simple, humble, precise, and a readable architecture form

3. The exterior façade was formed based on a rhythmic vertical motive of transparent elements to catch indirect natural lights

4. The usage of local baked bricks, concrete framing, and masonry construction techniques for the building

5. Two blue pieces bump up from the main facade to be a symbol of missed Buddha statues

6. The minimum impact on land soil work by maximizing usage of the differential height between two site levels to use for required building spaces

7. Proposed three different future building development locations, two adjacent and one separate of the building

8. The cautious attention to the rooftop architecture of the building to adjust the photovoltaic panels and other mechanical devices without any distractive views

Bamiyan is known as the peaceful province and heart of Afghanistan. The project site is located in the centre of the historical Bamiyan Valley and faces the former Buddha monumental statues (Buddha cliff). It’s surrounded by beautiful agricultural fields and colorful, peaceful mountain terrains with legendary figures

The Project will be a cornerstone in efforts to preserve culture, promote research and build community around culture, in order to build cohesion in a fractured cultural context.



The “Building Permit” information and regulation for this project include:

- Project Type: Cultural / Educational

- Site Area: 26,000 m2

- Budget: [176].5 Million

- Total Floor Area: 2222 m2 +1000 m2 Future Extension

- Total Storeys: 2

- Total parking space: 30 Stall + 30 Stall for Future

- Setback: 15 m from Land Border Line

- The site divides in two high and low elevations with 1