ahmet balkan's proposal for the UNESCO bamiyan cultural center

ahmet balkan’s proposal for the UNESCO bamiyan cultural center
all renderings courtesy of frontop

as afghanistan continues to regrow and expand, architecture has a crucial job of instilling a contemporary cultural identity emblematic of the diverse mosaic that is the afghan people. in november 2014, UNESCO, along with the ministry of information and culture of afghanistan–and financial support from the republic of korea–announced an international design competition for the construction of the bamiyan cultural center—which now ranks as the fifth most popular contest in the history of architecture.

kakrak silence court and the path to buddha 

a proposal entered by ahmet balkan architects was chosen as a finalist from the pool of over 1070 designs submitted from 117 countries. titled either the ‘silent groundscraper or the open hawli’, it seeks to distill architecture to its simplest and most essential forms to provide an economical and socially meaningful public space. the traditional courtyard–or hawli–is an essential element of afghan dwellings. like private homes, all functions of the cultural center revolve around the central courtyard, radiating outwards to the greater landscape of bamiyan.

lobby and foyer to the cultural center encircling the hawli

each court has a designated function, and is located according to that purpose. the varied programs and spaces are dedicated to exhibitions, research, education, arts and crafts, performances, events, or conferences. the immediate mission of the design is to provide an area for the community, tourists, archaeologists and scholars to contribute to and safeguard afghan culture–unfortunately too late to protect the buddha’s opposite the site, which were destroyed by taliban forces in march, 2001. 

workshop for arts and crafts opening up to foladi wisdom court

exterior

performance hall 

hawli is the heart and meeting area of bamiyan cultural center 

open court to the valley and buddha cliffs

from across the valley

concept diagram

site plan

grounds floor plan

project info:

team leader: ahmet balkan
team member: emre bozatli
renderings: frontop
location: bamiyan, afghanistan
client: UNESCO, ministry of information and culture of afghanistan
program: cultural centrr
gfa: 2.200m²

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