Bamiyan Cultural Center, Afghanistan. UNESCO competition proposal.

RAISING “THE EARTH” BCC742

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NEW ECOLOGY SYSTEM

The new Cultural Center of Bamiyan conceptually is a portion of the hill rising over the valley in order to create a void that overlooks UNESCO’s protected Bamiyan areas. It has at the same time an innovative and traditional design made out of the own earth of the site. Innovative because it requires of nowadays construction techniques and traditional, due that the earth as a material has been used for centuries in this area.

From the urban side, the poetry of the gesture of lifting part of the hill finds its functional counter-reasons on the need for extra soil to use it to reshape the park’s topography and to fix it erosion on the landscape.

From the architectural side, it is a reinterpretation of afghan architectural typologies and its thermodynamic construction principles.

AD O R

Besides ARpoetry and functionality, the message sent by this lifting-the-ground-intervention is that of the Z BA germinal capacity of afghan people of actively and deeply modify the land and its future the same way the ancient civilizations had the strength to carve the caves and the Buddhas.

It is not just about inhabiting a political borderline and placing constructions at the top.

It is about shaping the land to make it your own in order to re-create the New Afghanistan.

GATES PLANS E 1/500 INTERNAL GATES

VIEW FROM THE BUDDHAS

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NI R OA D

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SMALL BUDDHA GATE VILLAGE GATE

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A NEW ECOLOGY IN BAMIYAN PARK In order to improve the erosion site conditions of Bamiyan Valley, Bamiyan Park is designed as a holistic strategy with the idea to be a sustainable model to follow in the future, a new ecology.

This strategy strengthens and balance three interrelated parts: the social, the environmental and economical ecologies.

Social Ecology, conceives the centre to be “for and by the people”, through: - Participatory design, the program of the whole site will be managed in a participatory way, empowering the communities to be part of it.

- Education, the vocational school will be constructed by the new students guided by professionals as part as the educational program.

VIEW TO THE PARK

Economical ecology, which improve people’s incomes and life possibilities, by creating through education:

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- New jobs and enterprises, in the same centre, park and others - New activities, as ecological tourism that will attract people to this area and traditions will be recovered as typical cultural objects to sell to the foreigners

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LEVELS

All these issues and processes will be exhibited in the centre as part of the exhibition, converted in practical information ( how many employees, liters of collected water, KW generated...) for people to learn and become aware of new ways to interact with the landscape.

Environmental ecology, taking into account the whole interrelated cycles: - Water cycle management, by collecting, treating and storing fog and rain water.

- Production of sustainable energy through wind, sun and people activities through its devices - Soil cycle, by the terracing of slopes, treeplanting and applying an agro-forestry and agro-pastoral system. This will increase the soil cohesion, humidity percentage and CO2 absorption.

BAMI Y A D EPA N C U L T U R AL HE RTME NT RITAG E

BIG BUDDHA GATE 07

PATHS

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MIDDLE EAST GATE

NEW CULTURAL CENTER

PROMENADE THROUGH THE PARK

T V ST

The complex is surrounded by a three meter wall and is connected to the city centre from several paths that lead to five gates. The main promenade starts from the pedestrian and wheeled gate placed in the highest platform, where people will perceive the beautiful views of the park, the centre and the valley landscape.

The gates have a strong presence in the landscape, they are sculptural and indicate the entrance to and the hot spots of the site. From the programmatic point of view, they are mainly conceived as meeting areas that congregate people in and around them

WATTER PATHS

The promenade through the park go in different directions depending on the people’s access. The complex will be the new place for people to meet to relax and enjoy of a garden with views to the Bamiyan Valley.

SHADOW STUDY

POLIC E ST AT I ON

05 WEST BUDDHA

MAIN ACCESS PEDESTRIAN &CARS&LOAD

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SECONDARY ENTRANCE

Water channels go along the paths and form a promenade through the terraces, leading the people inside the centre.

The planted trees of the highest platform follow a 10*10m grid and are walnut trees. Cypresses indicate leading paths to the site and centre entrances and fruit trees (mulberry, pomegranate, apricot, fig trees, etc...) are planted on the terraces of the lower levels.

ATION

ENERGY DEVICES

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SECONDARY ENTRANCE

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NEWPATH PERIMETER 3mWALL

DELIVERY &LOADING RAMP

EXISTING PATH EAST BUDDHA

ACCESS FROM NEW BAZAR

PARKING AREA

MAIN ENTRANCE GATE

VIEW FROM THE PARK TO THE BUILDING

INFRASTRUCTURAL LANDSCAPE

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PRODUCTIVE

The landscape becomes infrastructural and productive in order to be sustainable. To do so a new infrastructural “off the grid” unit has been incorporated and spread in the landscape and included in the walls.

PARK FLOORPLAN E1/750 “OFF THE GRID” BASIC UNIT

WALL GATES

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U ES THO USE

This unit is formed by: - The container, a structure made out of concrete, called “gate” - The content, the programs which fill up the space with the park activities (play, rest, en - And one ensemble of environmental (solar panels, windmills, water treatment devices,,,) devices which provides with energy and purified water to the net, necessary to pump water to irrigate the new planted trees.

“OFF THE GRID”UNIT COMPONENTS

“OFF THE GRID”UNIT CONFIGURATION

TREES

PRIVATE PROGRAM (mezzanine) LEVEL 0 +2558,75

PRIVATE &PUBLIC PROGRAM LEVEL -1+2555,0

RAISING “THE EARTH” BCC742

2 OLD AND NEW: CONSTRUCTION

EARTH

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CONCRETE

Afghan construction system varies according to geographical location, being the Bamiyan caves specific to this area. Also commonly used are structural systems based on wooden or brick domes and vaults.

Instead, contemporary afghan architecture exploits the benefits of reinforced concrete, that allows for larger spans.

PUBLIC LEVEL-2 +2550,00 & 2551,00

Concrete beams span without intermediate support the cultural space that surrounds an orthogonal patio while acting as buttresses for the perimeter containing walls in combination with the vaulting.

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION

VIEW FROM PARK LEVEL

VIEW FROM THE ARRIVAL PATH

PUBLIC PROGRAM

Our contribution and vision for the future of the country is that of profiting from past and present wisdom applied in inventive ways. This is why the new cultural center is made out of concrete combined with adobe walling and ceramic vaulting.

PRIVATE/PUBLIC PROGRAM

PRIVATE PROGRAM

The patio acts as a starting and end point on the park’s promenade. It opens up to the Buddha views across the valley and organizes the cultural center program. Its open wooden skin integrated from afghan traditional passive climate system, allows for a seasonal comfort program change.

BELOW AND ABOVE EARTH: THE QALA OF THE FUTURE The urban strategy tackles the erosion problem of the hill by profiting from the extra soil extracted from the cultural center excavation and the existing site level conditions in order to bank the slopes spreading the height difference of the two original plateaus into more than ten platforms that provide proper planting terrain and platforms for activities and erosion elimination.

The architectural typology proposed plays with the duality stereotomic and of tectonic architecture, either cutting the solid mountain so to be surrounded by soil mass or raising by building above ground and to the views. This vertical duality of wrapping up for shelter or rising up for ventilation is utilized on the typical Afghan on season cycles: Winter rooms look like caves surrounded by large soil thick walls or even excavated and have seldom openings. That provides for enough thermal inertia.

Summer spaces are more airy and deal with afghan carpentry on the shape of wooden frames that allow for ventilation on warmer times.

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B´ Research Center & Library

Workshop& Studio

Tea House& Restrooms

Classrooms

Administration

Exhibition Space

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B

Performance Hall

Reception & Retail

TOTAL BUILDING PROGRAM 2.220 m2

Collection Storage &Loading dock

The interior garden in the patio recreates the Bubar Garden in Kabul and integrates a water channel and fountains which go along the patio towards the open space to the cliff and Budas Valley. Along the channel there are planted cypress trees and on one side two big stalls of pomegranate trees.

Both soil and air vicinity conditions, played as opposites on traditional architecture, are reinterpreted in the center on a symbiotic manner. Both wide pashka walls and wooden framing can play together if combined on an integral passive climate system as the one here proposed.

The large opening on the hill vertically separates the research center above and cultural program below. It acts as splendid viewpoint overlooking the evolution of the region and cultural heritage protected hillside areas across the valley.

Our design intention is that of playing with local materials and techniques combined differently. That applies to the energy and typology systems proposed but also to the construction technology used.

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Above this void that unites soil and sky, past and future, tradition and modernity, rises the research center. This elevated wing makes also use of a symbiotic relation by combining a contemporary concrete skeleton wrapped up with a traditional variation of the “paksha” wall.

Public Acess Research&Administration

Library 50m2 Restorooms & Storage 32m2 Public access To research& office level

Tea house summer terrace

Office 18m2

Study room1 14m2 Study room2 14m2

Offices 100m2

balcony

Study room3 14m2

Classroom 4 60m2

Tea house 80m2

Conference room 90m2

Kitchenette 10m2

Fresearch room 80m2

Restrooms 15m2

Restorooms 10 m2

Classroom 3 60m2

Offices Classroom 2 60m2

Private Acess To Research&Administration

Patio Private access to offices

Ramp to level 0 Private access to offices

Classroom 1 60m2

PRIVATE PROGRAM LEVEL 0 +2558,75 E1/200 Retail store & exit 55 m2

VIEW FROM THE PARK APPROACHING THE BUILDING

Main Entrance from Park at lower levels Performance Hall 335m2

Off stage 36m2

Summer Exhibition space

Musician performance room 45m2

Exhibition space 450m2

Entrance Lobby & Reception 62 m2

Workshop Studio 100m2 Access from the park Upper Levels Access from the park to lower Levels

Mechanical room 140 m2 restrooms 13 m2

Collection storage 110m2

Loading dock 63m2

PUBLIC PROGRAM FLOORPLAN LEVEL-2 +2555,50 E:1/200

SECTION C-C´ E 1/20

PRIVATE & PUBLIC PROGRAM FLOORPLAN LEVEL -1 +2555,00 E:1/200

VIEW FROM FROM THE VALLEY

ELEVATION/SECTION A/A´ E 1/100

RAISING “THE EARTH” BCC742

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SOLAR RADIATION

WINTER SITUATION Lattice windows closed

FLAT ROOF CONSTRUCTION PATIO WITH LATTICE WOODEN WNDOWS

VIEW FROM PATIO TO THE BUDDHAS

BUILDING ENERGY STRATEGY

MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT +2,563,5 (2555,5+8m)

Afghan construction system varies according to We have designed an earth sheltered, insulated, passive solar building made of a thermal mass storage elements. To be a good solar building, it must:

SUMMER SITUATION Lattice windows opened

a) collect the sun energy, b) store this energy and c) distribute it slowly to keep it inside as much as possible The energy strategy is based in the solar direct gain, where the heating is storage in the thick walls and flooring, which a high thermal performance. These elements work as bridges that dilute the maximum and minimum temperature diminishing the losses of the energy cycle of the building.

VIEW OF CONFERENCE ROOM

The walls are made of ADOBE RAMMED EARTH called Paksha, one of the traditional Afghan high thermal performance construction techniques.

The sun’s energy is captured via the large south glazing and it is stored in the Paksha walls and flooring.

The energy is redistributed by direct radiation and convection offsetting the heat along the day.

In Summer time to avoid the overheating the building requires to be shaded and ventilated, which is achieved by opening the latticework façade frames. In Winter time the building will require a supplemental heat due to heat loss

• And finally the air travels through the double skin of the north façade (the corridor) forming a thermal barrier and preventing condensation.

The climate control uses the energy of the solar panels and wind mills in performance.

When this is not enough a biodiesel boiler is prepared for work.

CURVED ROOF CONSTRUCTION FIRED BRICK VAULTS &TIMBER BEAMS CURVED ROOF CONSTRUCTION SUN DRIED BIRCK DOME

We use HEAT VENTILATION AIR CONDITIONING AS A HEATING SUPPLEMENT (hvac strategies). We do the following:

FLAT ROOF CONSTRUCTION TIMBER BEAMS PAKHSA WALLS

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• The air is captured and its circulation is forced by Canadian pipes, buried 6m deep for more than 50 meters long. During the way the air is tempered by the energy of the ground. In Summer the system is also used as air conditioning.

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• Later the air is driven to an air chamber between the inner and outer walls of the building (double skin) placed in the south elevation, increasing its temperature by the contribution of solar energy.

B´

• If necessary it may be adjusted by renewable energy and driven to the climate control for heating.

C´

B

• The air, on low speed travelling, is introduced into the rooms to get to the comfort temperature. The air prior to their expulsion from the building is captured in the false ceiling and its residual energy is still used.

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AXONOMETRIC STRUCTURE & CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMSVIEW

• We drive the air to the heat recovery where it is preheated with the heat of the coming out air.

POSSIBLE EXHIBITION LAYOUTS

CONFERENCE VIEW

CARACTERISTIC BUILDING SECTIONS E1/20

CURVED ROOF CONSTRUCTION FIRED BRICK VAULTS &TIMBER BEAMS

FLAT ROOF CONSTRUCTION PAKHSA WALLS

EXHIBITION

CORRIDOR VIEW

PERFORMANCE HALL VIEW MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT +2,563,5 (2555,5+8m)

ELEVATION/SECTION B/B´ E 1/100

POSSIBLE EXTENSION OF 1000m2 OF THE BUILDING

PUBLIC LEVEL +2,550,0