AFGHAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
MASTERPLAN AND DESIGN GUIDELINES
AREA STUDY - URBAN DESIGN ANALYSIS AND STRATEGICAL APPROACH
MASTERPLAN CONCEPT DESIGN PROPOSAL DECEMBER 2016 - DOHA
KABUL REGION HISTORY AND SOCIAL FACTS PROVINCE
Kabul Kabul the capital of Afghanistan and country’s largest city, is located in the eastern section of the country. Population of the city is approximately 3,678,034 including all the major ethnic groups. Very interestingly, rapid urbanization had made Kabul the world's 64th largest city and the fifth fastestgrowing city in the world. Kabul has a history of over 3,500 years. Many empires have controlled the city which is located at a strategic position along the trade routes of South and Central Asia. Kabul during its’ ancient period has been ruled by the Achaemenids, the Seleucids, the Mauryans, the Kushans, the Kabul Shahis, the Saffarids, the Ghaznavids, and the Ghurids. It was later controlled by the Mughal Empire until finally becoming part of the Durrani Empire with help from the Afsharid dynasty Antiquity First historic references of Kabul date back to 1500-1200 BCE, in the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism the Rigveda were Kabul is praised as an ideal city, a vision of paradise set in the mountains. Kabul, became a center of Zoroastrianism followed by Buddhism and Hinduism. It was explored by Alexander the Great after his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BC. After that period Kabul was captured by the Mauryans , the Greco-Bactrians, the Indo-Greek Kingdom the, Indo-Scythians, and the Kushan Empire. Then the city was conquered by Kushan Emperor Kujula Kadphises in about 45 AD and remained Kushan territory until at least the 3rd century AD. Around 230 AD, the Kushans were defeated by the Sassanid Empire and replaced by Sassanid vassals known as the Indo-Sassanids. The Kabul rulers built during this period built a long defensive wall around the city to protect it from enemy raids. This historical wall has survived until today. Islamization and Mongol invasion The Islamic conquest reached modern-day Afghanistan in 642 AD, In one of the many attempts, Abdur Rahman bin Samana arrived to Kabul from Zaranj in the late 600's and managed to convert 12,000 local inhabitants to Islam before having to abandon the city. Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar of Zaranj conquered Kabul in 870 and established the first Islamic dynasty in the region. Over the following centuries, the city was successively controlled by the Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Khwarazmshahs, Qarlughids, and Khiljis. In the 13th century, the Mongol horde passed through and massively destroyed the area. During the Mongol invasion, many natives of Afghanistan fled to India where some established dynasties in Delhi. Timurid and Mughal era In the 14th century, Kabul became a major trading center under the kingdom of Timur (Tamerlane). In the 15th century, the city fell to Babur, and became one of the principal cities of his later Mughal Empire. Durrani Empire At the next historical period Nader Shah and his forces invaded and occupied the city. After his assassination Ahmad Shah Durrani, commander of 4,000 Abdali Afghans, asserted Pashtun rule in 1747 and further expanded his new Afghan Empire. This historic event marked the beginning of Afghanistan. His son Timur Shah Durrani, transferred the capital of Afghanistan from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776. In 1826, the kingdom was claimed by Dost Mohammad Khan. In 1839 Shujah Shah Durrani was reinstalled with the help of British India during the First Anglo-Afghan War. In 1842 the British returned to Kabul, plundering Bala Hissar in revenge before fleeing back to British India whoch is today Pakistan. Akbar Khan took to the throne from 1842 to 1845 and was followed by Dost Mohammad Khan.
“Kabul has existed for centuries, despite having been constantly exposed to dramatic disturbances like war and natural hazards, or transformations instigated by social or technological development”
Recent History of Kabul 20th century Kabul In the early 20th century King Amanullah Khan rose to power. His reforms included electricity for the city and schooling for girls. In 1919, after the Third Anglo-Afghan War, Amanullah announced Afghanistan's independence from foreign affairs at Eidgah Mosque. In 1929 King Ammanullah left Kabul due to a local uprising orchestrated by Habibullah Kalakani. Three years later, in 1933, the new king was assassinated by a Hazara student Abdul Khaliq during an award ceremony inside a school in Kabul. The throne was left to his 19-year-old son, Zahir Shah, the last King of Afghanistan. What follows in Kabuls and Afghanistan modern era history is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan On April 28, 1978, the civil war and the Taliban regime which at the end found the city almost completely destroyed. 21st Century November 2001, the Northern Alliance captured Kabul after the Taliban had abandoned it and a month later the new government under President Hamid Karzai was established. War-torn Kabul began to see some positive development as many expatriate Afghans returned to the city. The city's population grew from about 500,000 in 2001 to over 3 million in 2015. Since today the city is trying to hill through an urbanization process backed by the democratic elected government and foreign investment.
Geography, climate and environment Kabul has a cold semi-arid climate with precipitation concentrated in the winter with almost exclusively snow falling and spring months. Temperatures are relatively cool compared to much of Southwest Asia, mainly due to the high elevation of the city. Summer has very low humidity, providing relief from the heat. Autumn features warm afternoons and sharply cooler evenings. Winters are cold, with a January daily average of −2.3 °C (27.9 °F). Spring is the wettest time of the year, though temperatures are generally amiable. Sunny conditions dominate year-round. The annual mean temperature is 12.1 °C or 53.8 °F. Kabul Demographics The population of Kabul has changed in numbers various times since the early 1980s. According to local government statistics, it is estimated at 3,678,034 in the year 2015. However, the World Factbook estimates that Kabul's population is little over 4.6 million, which possibly includes the people of the province as well. Unsettling conditions in the near by provinces, forces a number of the population to stay in Kabul on a temporary basis. Development plans A $1 billion USD contract was signed in 2013 to commence work on the "New Kabul City", which is a major residential scheme that would accommodate 1.5 million people. In the meantime, Kabul is witnessing many high rise buildings that are being constructed in order to control the overcrowding urban area and also to modernize the city. City of Light Urban Development The Kabul - City Of Light Development is an urban reconstruction plan, first proposed by urban planner and architect Hisham N. Ashkouri to revitalize the capital city of Afghanistan. The plan targets a large scale area just south of the Kabul River for redevelopment. The plan intents to revitalize Meywand Avenue, one of the main avenues of commerce in the city and part of the historic Silk Route, between the Shah Do Shamshera Mosque and the Id Gah Mosque. Together, retail, business, and residential areas are planned, alongside preserved and restored structures of historic value. Also incorporated into this project is the new Afghan National Museum. Higher Education and existing infrastructure The Afghan Ministry of Education has plans to build more schools in the coming years so that education is provided to all citizens of the country. The Ministry of Education led by Ghulam Farooq Wardak is responsible for the education system in Afghanistan. Public and private schools in the city have reopened since 2002 Boys and girls are strongly encouraged to attend school under the Karzai administration but many more schools are needed not only in Kabul but throughout the country. The city's colleges and universities were renovated after 2002. Some of them have been developed recently, while others have existed since the early 20th century. With about 100,000 being enrolled in different universities around the country; at least 35% of these students are female. The Government nowadays is trying to boost Afghanistan’s Universities educational level by investing in the creation of new campuses inside and outside Kabuls’ region. The government envisions that a University campus will not only create an educational pole in the area located but it will also provide peace and help the rural areas become modernized.
Education The Afghan Ministry of Education has plans to build more schools in the coming years so that education is provided to all citizens of the country. The Ministry of Education led by Ghulam Farooq Wardak is responsible for the education system in Afghanistan. Public and private schools in the city have reopened since 2002 Boys and girls are strongly encouraged to attend school under the Karzai administration but many more schools are needed not only in Kabul but throughout the country. The city's colleges and universities were renovated after 2002. Some of them have been developed recently, while others have existed since the early 20th century. With about 100,000 being enrolled in different universities around the country; at least 35% of these students are female. The Government nowadays is trying to boost Afghanistan’s Universities educational level by investing in the creation of new campuses inside and outside Kabuls’ region. The government envisions that a University campus will not only create an educational pole in the area located but it will also provide peace and help the rural areas become modernized.
MAIDAN SHAR WARDAK PROVINCE area analysis
Maidan Shār Maidan Shār is the capital of Wardak Province in Afghanistan. Its population was estimated to be 35,008 in 2003, of which 85% are Pashtuns, and a smaller number of Hazaras and Tajiks forming the rest. The city of Maidan Shar has a population of 14,265 and It has 4 districts and a total land area of 3,347 Hectar. The total number of dwellings in Maidan Shar is 1,585. With a cold and temperate climate, Maidan Shar features a cool summer humid continental cimate. It has cool, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The average temperature in Maidan Shar is 8.8 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 373 mm. July is the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 21.2 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of -6.4 °C. Maidan Shar is an urban village located 40km west of Kabul. The majority of the land is not occupied or utilized with barren land and vacant plots combining for 81% of total land use. Institutional land is the second largest built-up land use (22%). Residential dwellings are concentrated in Districts 1 and 2. Maidan Shar is located in the north eastern part of Wardag Province, Afghanistan. It is surrounded by Arghandeh and Paghman mountains of Kabul Province, Jalrez and Nirkh districts of Wardag Province. It has an area of 345 km2, its elevation above sea level is 2225 meters. The district consists of 59 main villages and 1 sub-village. The majority of people in Maidan Shar are engaged in agriculture, livestock, gardening and trade. The overall economical status of the people of Maidan Shar is poor. By the end of 2008, there were a total of 14 schools serving approximately 9268 students. There were around 275 teachers teaching in these schools. The Wardak province is suffering from serious war conflicts and very recent violent incidents. The area has a very low sence of security and civilians are being victimized often. The need of large development as a University campus with a University hospital faculty would definitely contribute to the peace bringing process in the area. The Afghan university campus will upgrade the infrastructure also of the area and the sanitary and healthcare conditions. The area seats on the boundary of a very important highway axis road that connects Kabul with other major areas in the country. When in this area, you might want to check out Tay Taymur, Pul-e Surkh, Sar-e Ghundey, Khwajah Kotgai, Khushkak Darah and Deh-e Muslim as well. The closest airport we know of is Kabul International airport with a distance of 29 mi (or 46.8 km) NorthEast of the city center of Awal Khel The local time zone is named "Asia / Kabul" with an UTC offset of 4.5 hours.
Maidan Shar location and the proximity of Kabul
Maidan Shar area. Landscape physical characteristics.
Maidan Shar area. Location in relation with the main road artery to Kabul
AFGHAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS DESIGN GUIDLINES
University campus design guidelines study. Introduction. 1. Design principles • Buildings that Promote Intellectual and Social Exchange • bring together diverse people and their ideas • physical character and quality of a campus is defined by both its buildings and its open space • promote the sense of community • open space has the potential to knit together the diverse elements of the campus in a coherent way • Heights of Structures • buildings should be in scale with the surrounding structures, and the streets and public ways that are adjacent to them • care should be taken not to cast shadows on open spaces or important walkways • Predominant Materials • Utilize local building materials • Explore and expand on this basic vocabulary, and to find ways to contribute to the interplay of materials and textures • Orientation • most campus buildings are seen from perimeter streets as well as the campus interior, and lower ones from above as well, and should be designed so that they contribute to the buildings, streets, and pedestrian ways on each side • building entrances should be visible to those arriving on the campus • building entrances are frequently the meeting places • academic activities of the University should be visible to passers-by • windows should be placed to light and provide views to internal spaces • give walks and streets the security and richness that derives from the visibility of adjacent activity • create both active gathering and contemplative spaces • reinforce linkages and gateways within the campus and at its edge • Landscape, Streetscape and Signage • structures should be sited and designed to form lively and secure public ways • the campus palate of landscape materials, walkways, lighting, signage and street furniture must be used on all public spaces that are part of building projects • Commitment to Accessibility • the university is committed to providing equal access to all buildings for those with disabilities, and to doing so in a dignified manner • new construction must comply with International disabilities guidelines • Functional and Mechanical Facilities • mechanical equipment should be designed so that their visibility from public areas, including walkways, is minimized • mechanical equipment should be enclosed in structures that are integrated into the building design • Architectural Style • buildings should express the aesthetic ideas of our times, so that as we look back on them they also become a cultural record of ideas about architecture and campus life
• the essential quality of the campus is one of buildings that speak in their own voice about their purposes and the era in which they were built • design each structure so it not only suits its occupants and addresses its physical and historical context, but also contributes to ways of thinking about buildings Respect for Cultural Resources • Outline each structure’s level of importance as a cultural resource • structures on campus should have local, regional or national historic significance Responsible use of energy and natural resources The university intends to be a leader of environmentally sensitive design • is committed to creating a campus environment that moves beyond merely sustainable, to one that actively improves the quality of life and the environment for its users • reducing dependence on non-renewable resources • promoting selection of locally manufactured or fabricated products and materials • landscape design to create healthy and ecologically appropriate spaces • Improving indoor environmental quality • building flexibility to satisfy the varied demands of current and future users and residents • reduce energy consumption of building and site systems (HVAC, hot water, lighting) through the use of appropriate mechanical and construction technology (natural cooling, light recovery, passive solar design, etc.) 2.Design Framework • designers should study the surroundings, research the topography and history of the site • predominant materials to be used in the building so that it harmonizes with its surroundings • scale and building envelope language • designers should prepare a “design framework”, describing: • Context • Analysis of the fit of the program and the site • Massing and bulk possibilities • Zones of pedestrian and service entry • Facade expression lines • Fenestration guide lines • Suggested materials palettes and details • Ground level expression, program, and relationship to adjacent open space 3. Design Guidelines Goals • Support Afghanistan University vision for the future: • Enhance Afghanistan’s image and identity • Accommodate planned growth of total 19.320 people • Emphasizing strong connections and ease of access within campus and to the surrounding community • Creating a regional model of planning, design and environmental stewardship • create a campus that is responsive to the intrinsic character of the region: • Fostering an intellectually-inspired ‘community of learning’ • Providing visual connections to the surrounding landscape • Respecting the legacy of clear, modernist design • utilize the buildings to support the campus open space system • strengthening the relationship between buildings and landscape • integrate the new development with the natural and historical context through the use of complementary materials, colors, structures and landscape elements
4. Campus Framework • Regional context • campus identity is strongly tied to its natural setting • visual and physical connections to local ecosystems • local climate are essential elements of the campus, both symbolically and functionally • Essence of campus • pattern of buildings, open space and circulation should continue and be strengthened through the entire campus development • Campus open space structure • Natural Open Space • Naturalistic Open Spaces • Courtyards and Plazas • Thematic Gardens • Structural Landscapes • Icons • The Afghan University campus will feature several distinctive icons. • They will be represented on campus publicity and evoked by students and faculty as physical touchstones of their campus experience • Towers, Arches, Entries, Halls, Signature buildings, etc • Regulating plan and future growth • Future growth and expansion will be regulated by a series of area plans and long term strategies • Important to maintain a large scale vision • Guide growth of building and open space in a cohesive manner • regulating plan will outline the dimensions of significant open spaces on campus • regulating plan is intended to provide build-to lines to define the outer facade of future buildings • future projects must adhere to these build to lines, as well as the architectural guidelines • the masterplan should also use available campus land efficiently so as not to diminish future building capacity • Circulation systems • campus circulation system will be a key organizing element • links buildings and districts and complements the hierarchy of open spaces around which the campus is organized • will provide access for transit, service and emergency vehicles, with increasing emphasis on comfort for pedestrians and cyclists • campus core will be pedestrian-oriented, with wide walks paralleling and crossing a spine of open public spaces, complemented by narrower connecting walks to and from buildings • this fundamental structure will offer order and clarity to the campus and define one’s experience of UCR • General parking will be consigned to the campus academic perimeter • Circulation systems will be categorized at: • vehicular street • Limited access street (emergency, services, etc • Major pedestrian – bicycle way • Parking
• Architectural elements • The Afghan University campus will demonstrate unique architectural responses to: • climate • topography • local history • integral relationship of buildings to the adjacent open spaces will create a sense of openness that in part will define the character of the campus • following elements, standards and strategies should be incorporated into new buildings to help ensure the development of a cohesive campus: • Arcades • Sun Shades • Direct Expression of Structure and Honest Use of Materials • Screening • Varied Massing • Permeable Ground Floors and • Signature Buildings 5. Sustainability • the Afghan University will be committed to stewardship of the environment and to reducing the University’s dependence on non-renewable energy. • following selection of guidelines summarize the key system wide guidelines in support of sustainable practices • design and build all new buildings to a minimum standard equivalent to latest US Green building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “Certified” rating, striving for “Silver” rating or higher • the University will implement system wide portfolio approach to reduce consumption of non-renewable energy • campuses will strive to increase the percentage of low or zero-emission vehicles or cycling & waste management 6.
Site Guidelines
• Site planning guidelines implement the underlying campus design framework, goals and policies for specific physical development • Planting
• Paving
• Lighting
• variety of plants can be grown at the campus due to the range of microclimates created by the unique setting and terrain • well-designed hierarchy of walks, plazas and building entrances enriches the campus environment and identity, improves visual quality and reinforces the primacy of the pedestrian • campus lighting should also be well-organized in simple patterns which reinforce the open space, courtyards and plazas and circulation on campus
• Furnishings • Site furnishings are important elements of the exterior public realm • Campus Art • art can express the intellectual inquiry, exploration and creativity found within the campus • Rainwater Management • campus should accommodate topographic changes in an elegant and appropriate manner and encourage infiltration of site drainage where practical • Circulation Systems • there will be a hierarchy of circulation throughout the UCR campus • pedestrians should have priority in the academic cores of campus, especially on walkways closely associated with campus open spaces • use of the narrowest cross-section feasible for vehicular traffic to reduce impervious surface and mitigate urban heat islands • priority to pedestrians on sidewalks and at street intersections • trees and plantings should be provided along pedestrian walks, providing definition and enclosure • walks should generally be straight, orthogonal or diagonal in alignment • integrate accessible routes in a visually cohesive manner • service areas at the campus will be generally on the outer, rear edges of buildings, minimizing pedestrian conflicts. • 7. Architectural guidelines • architectural guidelines will provide detailed descriptions and guidelines for the elements listed below: • Outdoor Circulation • integration of campus buildings with outdoor spaces • careful siting of buildings helps give definition to open spaces • covered walkways, exterior corridors and connections between buildings further define these outdoor spaces • Building Orientation and Entrances • careful siting and orientation of buildings helps define the character of a campus • building entrances help orient students and visitors to the campus • it is important that entrances be clearly marked and visible from a distance • Relationship of Interior to Exterior at Ground Floor • a successful campus relies on a positive relationship of its buildings to adjacent exterior spaces • important to have ground floor levels of buildings that maintain human scale and encourage activity in and around the buildings • Building Massing and Articulation • the architectural character of the campus will in part defined by the expression of structure and the honest use of materials • attention to building massing and articulation is important to reinforce the character of the campus • Building Materials and Color Palette • the architectural character of the campus is in part defined by the clear and direct use of materials
• selection of building materials should be sensitive to the overall context • buildings, materials and colors should be harmonious on campus to achieve an overall sense of unity • all campus buildings are expected to incorporate the “main material” use on campus to achieve the above mention homogeneity • materials should be durable, lasting and detailed appropriately for climatic conditions and patterns of maintenance • Building Response to Climate • the siting and layout of a building should consider the climate of the region as well as the microclimate of the building site • response to the sun is a major factor in the functionality of the building • ability for building occupants to control their environments through operable windows and shading devices helps to keep them connected to the larger environment • each element of the guidelines address the defining characteristics of the Afghan University • when a new building is proposed, the Campus Framework, Site Guidelines and all of the following Architectural Guide - lines should be considered
RESILIENCE THEORY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE AFGHAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
“THE DYNAMICS OF NATURE CAUSED BY DISTURBANCES AND CHANGE”
Introduction The Resilience theory Resilience as a concept visualizes the dynamics of nature caused by disturbances and change. The concept was developed in the 60ties and 70ties based on ecological research on how the dynamic interplay between predators and prey can relate to the stability of ecosystems (Holing 1961b Folke 2006) .An important insight was offered 1973 by C.S . Holling who showed that ecosystems may have several stable states .Thus, nature is in “balance”, but in constant change where a few dominating processes tend to “capture” ecosystems in certain states that we perceive as natural.
Afghan University campus as a critical urban development project for the area. • large transformations • Integration with the area • Develop internationally competitive knowledge environments • build an internationally competitive research environment which at the same time is a leading example of sustainable urban development
Small changes in slow variables may over time cause ecosystems to shift abruptly in their character and function .A classic example is the shallow lake that shifts from clear to turbid with profound implications for plants and animals . Another example is where former coral reefs have shifted to a new algae dominated state, a shift partly caused by the reduction of algae
• highest importance for the areas’ future economic and social development
This research made it clear that it is the system’s resilience that decides the durability of variables and relations within the system, and thus its aptitude for renewal and endurance when under stress .A transition from one state to another means a shift in dominating relationships and variables when a threshold is crossed.
• The agreed upon assumption has been that urban development is something apart from nature and as such often in conflict with nature conservation concerns. However, with the current environmental situation this is an untenable assumption and the great challenge urban design is facing is, as discussed earlier, how ecosystems can be integrated into an urban development aimed at long-term sustainability.
Based on resilience theory, this urban design study suggest a number of different measures. Importantly, these include design of both spatial and institutional components, so-called critical social-ecological design components. The concept of institutions is used within the social sciences as societal institutions and includes the formal and informal rule systems, rights and practices that affect social practice. The discussion on urban design most often revolves around physical components such as urban shape and housing typologies and rarely includes the institutional framework. We include these issues, especially management institutions, which can keep up activities at the site and promote place based learning and the capacity to change. We argue for a polycentric management where different local actors and users share responsibilities. By connecting users in different networks place specific hands on knowledge can be combined with analytical knowledge from research institutes. This provides the basis needed for an adaptive attitude where measures and methods can be adapted to the place based knowledge accumulated over time. Spatially, the landscape is divided into smaller management units, which makes it possible for a diverse set of actors, users and biotopes to exist side by side. Buildings are designed to interact with the landscape performatively, with green roofs, walls and yards that can support ecological functions such as water treatment and dispersal of birds and pollinators while at the same time offer an inspirational educational environment to researchers and students. To become a living public space the Afghan University campus must be connected to the rest of the area, with roads as well as public transportation. A number of important, access creating connections are presented as green arteries, i.e. important dispersal routes for a multitude of different organisms. The objective is to make the whole area to work as one big research laboratory for sustainable urban development where different solutions can be tested full scale and, by involving different actors, continuously contribute with new knowledge on how social-ecological systems develop. We believe Afghan University Campus can highlight and elaborate an approach to urban planning where change is normal and the key to a city’s success lies in how well it can adapt to changing conditions and engage a multitude of actors in a continuously ongoing development.
• Universities and colleges have become the equivalent of the factories of the industrial time.
• During the 1990ies and the early 21st century these thoughts gained momentum in the scholarly discourse and later also within policy. A qualitative difference arising when you use this perspective instead of focusing on single species (e.g. red listed species) is that ecosystem functions and processes become the target of management. These must be incorporated into planning to maintain the system’s resilience. Tightly coupled to this change in thinking is the view that ecosystems are dynamic and that man is an integrated part of nature. As a consequence, and contrary to traditional conservation biology, humans are seen as actors upholding resilience and biodiversity within historical, cultural landscapes rather than a destructive force. Cities are often placed on cultural land. • change and diversity as a strategy for adaptive management • change as a strategy builds on the insight that all systems are exposed to disturbances of different kinds and that a certain level of disturbances is beneficial to diversity. • change is just as prominent within the human domain • change as a strategy is important for the maintenance of resilience • The constant debate and strife of democracies may be seen as tedious and time consuming, i.e. an obstacle when decisions are needed quickly. Yet history shows that groups and societies allowing dialogue and debate about values and world views are better at absorbing information from the surrounding world. Change as a strategy welcomes alternative world views, critical discussion and intermittent small scale disturbances in ecosystems according with traditional practices. To include small scale change/disturbance thus “lets off the steam” and reduces the risk of large scale disturbances and chocks (Folke et al. 2003).
• Heterogeneous landscapes so called mosaic landscapes stand a better chance of surviving storms than do homogeneous ones (monocultures) as strong winds will act differently depending on vegetation and land-use.
• Together with this challenge many parallels can be seen between traditional urban design and the discourse on resilience. As our perhaps most obvious example of complex social systems, cities have often displayed a high degree of resilience in exactly the sense described above. Many cities have existed for centuries, despite having been constantly exposed to dramatic disturbances like war and natural hazards, or transformations instigated by social or technological development. Thus they have proven their ability to adapt and survive. It is quite easy to see how fundamental ideas from resilience thinking, like diversity, self-organisation and knowledge, have been decisive in these processes. • The city as a social system is tightly linked to the spatial structure of the city, making it a social-spatial system and setting it apart from social systems in general. This means that it is a system that has assumed an explicit spatial structure for its existence. • the spatial system is a means for the social system, i.e. it provides a structure for social processes • Here we may speak of urban design as an intervention with different kinds of self-organising social systems with the aim to achieve certain targets • New urban services through synergy effects and linkages
• One important aspect has been to step away from urban design where sustainability is limited to “green” applications, or seen as an addition through technological systems, and instead embrace performative urban design a series of overlapping systems and conditions generating different services • Urban design should not only talking about sustainability but actually doing the job • • • • • •
Objectives Exchange of knowledge Publicity Recreation. Place-based learning Adaptability
• Within this urban design study we will try to reach and Influence different selforganizing systems in the campus, for example where people move and spend time, by shaping and structuring urban space through building and landscape design, both affecting the urban form. In summary, you could say that urban design try to guide selforganizing urban systems by shaping and structuring urban space through urban form • Initiate critical institutional and spatial components in sustainable urban design
• Green arteries • Green arteries are the spaces managing the flows between separated environments where differences can evolve. • Green arteries also include spaces that connect research labs or departments, or the universities to the rest of the society • It is thus very important to establish green arteries on different scales, accessible and easy to use for many different individuals • It is very important to tailor the details of the design of these spaces to the different levels and the different meetings taking place. • We must conceive green arteries that stimulate different meetings depending on their location within a research environment, a department, a university, a mosque or a city. • different social contexts and conditions
• Urban form is not something that exists in isolation and is not the only instrument affecting the selforganizing systems of the campus. • The urban form exists within a framework of rules and regulations dealing with how land may be used and where development is one use among many
• a number of green arteries should be planned and established at Afghan University Campus on different scales to serve different purposes. • Active ground in this context means division of land or buildings into several parts and thus promotion of the development of differences • Performative buildings offer an opportunity for strengthening both the development of differences in knowledge profiles of for example research labs and make sure they have specific spatial facilities needed to develop their uniqueness. • Property rights, social networks and local culture
• Local culture • Local culture is about establishing norms and practices that support social networks between the groups interacting with the area’s social and ecological systems • To achieve this we suggest a long-term strategy for developing a “culture of collaboration” • inclusive forum where issues are discussed and decisions reached • A scale crossing actor could be supported, in the form of the Islamic center, which over time could connect all these meetings and groups
• Different property managers • Outside academia as conference centers or religion centers • We suggest that Afghan University Campus, as the primary manager of the academic environments and their service facilities within the area, delegates responsibility and assign property rights to assisting managers, both for academic activities and their facilities, and for service activities like apartments , agriculture and commerce.
• Exchange of knowledge • create a knowledge environment of highest international standards • conditions promoting meetings and encounters where the exchange can take place must be created • true challenge for urban design is, however, to create conditions for informal meetings • Space should be seen as a system of flows were meetings take place at strategic nodes • To create informal meeting places is less about designing specific urban spaces and more about their location in the larger system • create conditions for meetings at all these levels
• Conclusions • Not a final proposal but a proposal for continuous development • Divide the campus in many parts with several units of management involved • Mental distances as short as possible to attract people • Create sight lines, pedestrian passages • Divide the property and designate the parts to the different spatial components • Green arteries • Active grounds • Performative buildings • Active grounds divide the properties into number of units is which different parts are assigned different rights • Performative buildings
• • • • •
Public activities Shops Restaurants Visitor centre Gardens
• Urban Synthesis • All in all, this leads to a diverse blend of functions, actors and activities In the area. We will find research of highest International standards, allotment gardeners cultivating the land, students milling around in the streets and parklands, people out on their Friday walks and visitors to the Afghan University Campus. We will also find a plethora of plants, animals and biotopes. The diversity of environments and actors will be a fertile soil for many different meetings and developments. This is, as explained earlier, one of the central tenets of the resilience theory. • • • • •
Interact within a greater context to test effectiveness Interact with near cities Interact with near roadways Not to interrupt natural continuation Become a new central node
• • • •
Design the active ground Give clear separate spaces to different users Boundaries between management Multifunctionality of spatial components
• Buildings should not only act as an element to only house a function • • • •
A facade should advertise the building It should let light in Serve as a wind brake Provide habitat for birds or other animals
• Boundaries should not be simple fences separating the land. • a number of performative borders offering additional functions to just separating different units. Examples include ditches (which take care of run-off water, help irrigation and facilitate animal movements) and gabion walls (which combine aesthetics, offer somewhere to sit down, and wintering possibilities for amphibians provided that they reach below the frost line).
• Designing green arteries • Academic road • Motor trafficking • Facades design guidelines • Central urban passage • Open to emergency vehicles • Natural passages for animals and plantation • Public transport • Strategy of performative buildings • Strategies based on local conditions should be mandatory. Information on local climate, wind, sun exposure and temperatures for the valley is fundamental for the design of buildings and outdoors environments. • deliberate placement, form and orientation of buildings • respect to local climate • conditions for favorable microclimate • attractive public spaces.
Institutional compositions • Generality is central for reducing the amount of waste products. In the fast changing academic world new demands and needs will arise. The architecture must be designed for long-term usability and to be able to accommodate changing needs with minimal environmental impact. • • • •
In spatial dimensions: Number of floors Installations Framework of flexible and adaptive use
• When finally in use the new development will consist of zero energy buildings, changing the relation to energy use during the construction phase • Choice of materials is essential for reducing the total energy used • The green building components suggested (roofs, walls and yards) have performative qualities in addition to functions as bird habitats etc.
• Resilience through place specific social ecological design is founded on the ability to learn from constantly changing circumstances and, based on the new knowledge, make new decisions, either to resist or embrace change or to direct change more actively • who should learn, how they should learn and who should make the decisions • more learning and decision making should be devolved to the local level • rules and norms for monitoring, learning and decision making within and in relation to the area • based in the Afghan University Resilient Campus we argue that these principles could be used as starting points for discussing and designing institutions and physical forms Resilience is not just a matter of ecological or physical design. It is also shaped and changed by social institutions • • • • • • •
management arise through a shared site, shared social networks and shared practice strive to support local knowledge link local knowledge to groups working on higher level contribution of political, economical and ecological context. Building social relations Groups should learn to understand and trust each other Meetings to establish the above
• Spatial form and institutions for promoting a continuous process of meetings should be visible and understood as part of a tradition of public participation, • Central Mosque and Islamic center to play this essential role for maintain the cooperation between the different levels of users of the campus and also to achieve connect with the higher level of sociopolitical interaction • To ensure collaboration all the way from planning to management Afghan University Campus should be established through dialogue. It should be an arena for collaboration and interactions between different interests and thus enriching the development of the project in a process based urban development.
URBAN FORM AND THE ISLAMIC CENTER
• "As far as architecture is concerned, it is the haven where man's spirit, soul and body find refuge and shelter ...(From an urban management manual by lbn Abdon, an Andalusian; judge from the 12th century)
• Consider the climate; if it permits the sanctuary to have an open court it will serve as a supplementary prayer area. By the same token the court can be open to the sky and it will also function as a normal extension for the sanctuary area and informal gathering.
• "Tradition" means the chain of revealed truth, wisdom and knowledge, which is transmitted and renewed generation by generation, thus linking various successive layers of temporal existence to the primordial reality which originated them.
• Smart design and site planning
• Compared with other religious traditions, the distinctive feature of Islam is that it has given birth to a comprehensive and integrated cultural system by totally embedding the religious practice in the daily life of the individual and the society. While Islam did not prescribe formal architectural concepts, it molded the whole way of life by providing a matrix of behavioral archetypes which, by necessity, generated correlated physical patterns. • The structuring laws of both the house and the city were thus based on progressive differentiation of "interior" niches from "exterior" spaces, the notion of "interior" and "exterior" being relative values within a large spatial spectrum which ranged from the small private room to the complete urban structure. The resulting cellular structure of the house and the city was predicated on the "wholeness" of each self-contained unit, regardless of its relative position in the urban system. The outcome was the typical multi-focal pattern defined by the countless "centres" of individual buildings rather than by a rational grid of streets and squares. Yet the morphological homogeneity of that pattern allowed the multiple individual forms to merge into a lively and highly differentiated architectural unity. • The mosques where this civic congregation takes place are designated as "Friday Mosques" and usually offer not only the largest prayer halls but also rely on historical tradition established by their founders. In addition, they often serve as centres of a Qur'anic university. • The Islamic Center • The Islamic Center serves as the primary cultural hub and generator of community identity and solidarity within the University Campus. • Outline of a preliminary program for a Islamic Centre: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Imam's office and conference room Library Day-care facilities Kitchen and dining area Conference room Teaching/lecture halls Ablution area/toilets Janitor's storeroom Recreation/multipurpose Auditoriun\lbanquet General storage Child care/playroom Entry lobby/shoes/storage bins Classroon\typical Bookstore Security/audio-visual room Mechanical equipment Teachers' lounge
• • • • •
Create opportunities for mixed land uses Take advantage of compact building design Create design opportunities and choices for the larger community Create walkable opportunities for social spaces for gathering Make design decisions that are predictable, fair, and cost-effective
Site design • It is preferable that the urban mosque facility should be sited near retail facilities, public transportation, civic and education institutions and housing. • Where possible the mosque facility should be placed on an elevated site. The site should always be selected with future expansion in mind. • The architect should orient the building so that the main entrance is visible from the main streetscape, pedestrian path ways, and parking areas. The main entrance should be rapidly identifiable and the main prayer hall should be the focal point of the facility. • The four primary components of the mosque site plan are administrative facilities, educational facilities, social facilities, and the main prayer hall or musalla which may be organized into one individual building or several adjacent parts. Site amenities • Provide separate parking areas from adjacent streets to avoid congestion during periods of peak use. • Parking screens should be well matched with the architectural character of the site. Landscape design schemes should preserve and enhance the existing attributes of the site, improve the environmental features and improve visual quality. • Design parking areas to be cost-effective; in high traffic areas where land is limited, more than one level of parking is recommended. • Pedestrian circulation paths are to be convenient, safe and separated from vehicular circulation; • Provide adequate reception areas at building entrances that allow for a transition to the various facilities and the main prayer hall to introduce hun1m1 scale and unity. • Provide shade structures for people to sit in waiting areas outside of the mosque next to pedestrian flow to allow for both congregation and circulation. • Consider outdoor spaces as a transition into the facility and additional activity areas to tone down architectural elements, frame visual zones, and to articulate open space. • Because seasonal variations occur in summer and winter, site planning for the optimum orientation requires careful design and methods of cooling, heating, and thermal comfort. These climatic parameters affect the design objectives of the mosque program bearing in mind the condition of environmental impact. • Maintaining positive environmental biodiversity (vegetation, soil, air, and water). • Maintaining the use of renewable resources (such as water and solar energy). • Maintaining maximum of passive thermal comfort and the minimum use of energy consumption.
• Design requirements for the University Islamic Center • Audibility
Lecture, Khutbah, recitation of the Qur'an by the Imam
• Circulation
Information, materiality, parking, pedestrians, and vehicles
• Comfort
Physical, psychological
• Economy
Elegant means. efficiency
• Environment
Adaptability, expansion, multi-use
• Image
Identity, symbolism (minaret and dome), ordering
• Interaction
Congregants, public, social, religious,educational, cultural
• Orientation
Mihrab, ordering sequence, plan recognition
• Ambience
Emotional repose, spiritual repose, solitude, spirit of place
• Safety
Security, unauthorized entry/access, perceptual
• Site
Climate, solar, wind, precipitation, vegetation, topography
• Traffic
Vehicles, service, pedestrian. Handicap access, wayfinding
• Context
Demographic, historical, ethnic, political, social, cultural
• Esthetics
Composition, patina, materiality, scale, form, delight
URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL VERNACULAR REFERENCES
Vernacular Architectural idioms of the area • Traditional House in Kabul, Afghanistan • CLIMATIC RESPONSE
Village in the Shamali Plain, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
• Traditional houses has been made with mud which is a good insulation material. • All the windows are facing south side to gain the maximum amount of sunlight during the winters. • The flat roof gives an opportunity for the family to make dry fruits and dry vegetables, and for the males of this house to sleep in summers. • Clustered buildings of this residential area are sharing walls to reduce exposure to cold winds.
Fortified farms in the Shamali Plain, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Farm in the Shamali Plain, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Farm in the Shamali Plain, KabulProvince, Afghanistan
Farm in the Shamali Plain, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Maidan Shahr, Afghanistan. Urban fabric
Orchard in Ghorband valley, Hindu Kush massif, Parwan province, Afghanistan Farm in the Shamali Plain, KabulProvince, Afghanistan
URBAN DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION & MASTERPLAN DESIGN APPROACH
AFGHANISTAN CAMPUS
=
+ LOCAL AGRICULTURE
EDUCATION
EXISTING BUILDING TYPE
50m Occupation 50% = 1250m2/level Occupation 100% = 2500m2/level
50m EXISTING FARMS
PROPOSED BUILDING TYPES
ISLAMIC CENTRE
TYPE 0.1 - B (SANCTUARY, LOBBY, RES ROOMS, PURIFICATION ROOMS, KITCHEN, WORKROOM, CLASSROOMS ,OFFICE AND LIBRARY)
TERRACED PLANTATION
TYPE 0.2 - B (LOCAL AGRICULTURE = CAMPUS LANDSCAPE)
SPORT OUTSIDE
TYPE 0.3 - B (LOCAL AGRICULTURE = CAMPUS LANDSCAPE)
PARKING COURYARD TYPE 1.1 - G
HOUSING
TYPE 1.2 - G+1 (FAMILIES + STUDENTS + STAFF)
FACULTY
TYPE 1.3 - B+G+1 (AUDITORIUM + LECTURE ROOMS + OFFICES)
SPORT COVERED TYPE 1.3 - G
ADMINISTRATION TYPE 2.1 - B+G+2
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
TYPE 2.2 - B+G+2
LIBRARY
TYPE 2.1 - B+G+2
KA B HIG UL-G HW HAZ NI AY
EXISTING PATH WATER STREAM
EXISTING PATH
EXISTING PATH WATER STREAMS
EXISTING FARMS
EXISTING FARM
EXISTING FARMS
TERRACED PLANTATIONS TERRACED PLANTATIONS
HOUSING WATER STREAM
WATER STREAM
GREEN ARTERIE
FACULTIES
ISLAMIC CENTRE
BUILDING TYPES
FACILITIES EXISTING FARMS PARKING
ISLAMIC CENTRE
PARKING GREEN ARTERIE
TERRACED PLANTATION SPORT OUTSIDE
HOUSING
PARKING COURYARD
HOUSING
FACULTY
PARKING
EXISTING FARMS
COVERED SPORT
TERRACED PLANTATIONS
FACILITIES
TERRACED PLANTATIONS
KAB U HIGH L-GHAZ NI WAY
WATER STREAM
N M
SITE PLAN FASE 1 SCALE 1/5000 TOTAL BUILT 22.367 CAMPUS 25%
GREEN ARTERIES + ISLAMIC CENTRE
ISLAMIC CENTRE FACULTIES AND FACILITIES HOUSING PARKING
ISLAMIC CENTRE FASE 1 FASE 2 FASE 3
MAIN ROADS MAIN WALKING PATHS HIGHWAY
GREEN ARTERIE HIGHWAY
REFERENCE: FORTIFIED FARM (SHAMALI PLAIN, KABUL PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN)
REFERENCE: FARM (SHAMALI PLAIN, KABUL PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN)
UNDERGROUND SANCTUARY
2 LANE ROAD EXISTING TERRACED PLANTATION
MINARET
PERIMETER WALL
WALKING ALLEY
WALKING ALLEY
COURTYARD
SUNKEN COURTYARD (OUTDOOR PRAYING AND MEETING AREA PROTECTED FROM THE WIND)
REFERENCE: TRADITIONAL HOUSING CLUSTER AND COURTYARDS (KABUL, AFGHANISTAN)
EXISTING STREAMS
GREEN ARTERIE (EXISTING STREAM+BRIDGE)
TERRACED PLANTATION EXISTING TREES TERRACED SPORT AREA
PERIMETER WALL 2 LANE ROAD
KABUL-GHAZNI HIGHWAY
CONCEPT SECTION 1 EXISTING FARM
PARKING COURYARD
TYPE 1 - G
TYPE 1.1 - G
ADMINISTRATION TYPE 2.1 - B+G+2
CLUB + SHOPS
TYPE 1.2 - G+1 (FAMILIES + STUDENTS + STAFF)
ISLAMIC CENTRE
TYPE 0 - B (SANCTUARY, LOBBY, RESTROOMS, PURIFICATION ROOMS, KITCHEN, WORKROOM, CLASSROOMS ,OFFICE AND LIBRARY)
ISLAMIC CENTRE AFGHANISTAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 0m
25m
50m
100m
FACULTY
TYPE 1.3 - B+G+1 (AUDITORIUM+LECTURE ROOMS+OFFICES)
PARKING COURYARD TYPE 1.1 - G
WATER POND
PRODUCTIVE TERRACED AGRICULTURE (CAMPUS LANDSCAPE + LOCAL ECONOMY ACTIVATION)
REFERENCE: FORTIFIED FARM (SHAMALI PLAIN, KABUL PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN) ISLAMIC CENTRE MINARET (CAMPUS ICON + TERRITORIAL LANDMARK)
PERIMETER WALL EXISTING TERRACED PLANTATION
GREEN ARTERIE
NEW TERRACED PLANTATION
2 LANE ROAD
SOUTH ORIENTATION
TERRACED PLANTATION WALKING ALLEY COURTYARD
WALKING PATH
1 LANE ROAD + WALKING PATH + BICYCLE PATH
MINARET TERRACED PLANTATION
COURTYARD
TERRACED PLANTATION (FUTURE EXPANSION)
WALKING ALLEY WALKING PATH + BICYCLE PATH GREEN ARTERIE
1 LANE ROAD + WALKING PATH + BICYCLE PATH
SOUTH ORIENTATION
PERIMETER WALL
EXISTING PATH
2 LANE EXISTING ROAD PLANTATION
CONCEPT SECTION 2 FACULTY
TYPE 1.3 - B+G+1 (AUDITORIUM + LECTURE ROOMS + OFFICES)
PARKING COURYARD TYPE 1.1 - G
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL TYPE 2.2 - B+G+2
ISLAMIC CENTRE
TYPE 0 - B (SANCTUARY, LOBBY, RESTROOMS, PURIFICATION ROOMS, KITCHEN, WORKROOM, CLASSROOMS ,OFFICE AND LIBRARY)
ISLAMIC CENTRE AFGHANISTAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS 0m
25m
50m
100m
HOUSING
TYPE 1.2 - G+1 (FAMILIES + STUDENTS + STAFF)
PARKING COURYARD TYPE 1.1 - G
SOUTH ORIENTATION HOUSE
COURTYARD
STORAGE
EXISTING FARMS SECTION TYPE 2.1 - G
Strategy of performative buildings • Strategies based on local conditions should be mandatory. Information on local climate, wind, sun exposure and temperatures for the valley is fundamental for the design of buildings and outdoors environments. • deliberate placement, form and orientation of buildings • respect to local climate • conditions for favorable microclimate • attractive public spaces.
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING SECTION TYPE 2.1 - B+G+2
WINTER
SUMMER
CLUB
SHOP
CAFE
CLUB + SHOPS SECTION TYPE 1.2 - G+1
TERRACED PLANTATION
GREEN ARTERIES SECTION
TERRACED SPORT AREA
GREEN ARTERIE (EXISTING STREAM+BRIDGE)
Designing green arteries • Academic road • Motor trafficking • Facades design guidelines • Central urban passage • Open to emergency vehicles • Natural passages for animals and plantation • Public transport
COURTYARD
Strategies based on local conditions should be mandatory. • Information on local climate, wind, sun exposure and temperatures for the valley is fundamental for the design of buildings and outdoors environments. • Deliberate placement, form and orientation of buildings • Respect to local climate • Conditions for favorable microclimate • Attractive public spaces.
OFFICE LECTURE ROOM AUDITORIUM
FACULTY SECTION
TYPE 1.3 - B+G+1 (AUDITORIUM+LECTURE ROOMS+OFFICES)
TREES ACOUSTIC BARRIER COURTYARD PARKING
Boundaries should not be simple fences separating the land. • A number of performative borders offering additional functions to just separating different units. Examples include ditches (which take care of run-off water, help irrigation and facilitate animal movements) and gabion walls (which combine aesthetics, offer somewhere to sit down, and wintering possibilities for amphibians provided that they reach below the frost line).
STONTE/VEGETAL PERIMETER WALL 2 LANE ROAD
KABUL-GHAZNI HIGHWAY
SITE PERIMETER SECTION
MINARET
SKYLIGHT
PUBLIC SQUARE
ABLUTION
ISLAMIC CENTRE SECTION
MOSQUE
TYPE 0 - B (SANCTUARY, LOBBY, RESTROOMS, PURIFICATION ROOMS, KITCHEN, WORKROOM, CLASSROOMS ,OFFICE AND LIBRARY)
• Spatial form and institutions for promoting a continuous process of meetings should be visible and understood as part of a tradition of public participation, • Central Mosque and Islamic center to play this essential role for maintain the cooperation between the different levels of users of the campus and also to achieve connect with the higher level of socio-political interaction • To ensure collaboration all the way from planning to management Afghan University Campus should be established through dialogue. It should be an arena for collaboration and interactions between different interests and thus enriching the development of the project in a process based urban development.
Local culture • Local culture is about establishing norms and practices that support social networks between the groups interacting with the area’s social and ecological systems • To achieve this we suggest a long-term strategy for developing a “culture of collaboration” • inclusive forum where issues are discussed and decisions reached • A scale crossing actor could be supported, in the form of the Islamic center, which over time could connect all these meetings and groups
COURTYARD COURTYARD PARKING
STUDIO TERRACED HOUSE
APARTMENT
VILLA
HOUSING SECTION
TYPE 1.2 - G+1 (FAMILIES + STUDENTS + STAFF)
PARKING COURTYARD
WALKING PATH
1 LANE ROAD
PLANTATION
PARKING COURYARD SECTION TYPE 1.1 - G
Exchange of knowledge • Create a knowledge environment of highest international standards • Conditions promoting meetings and encounters where the exchange can take place must be created • True challenge for urban design is, however, to create conditions for informal meetings • Space should be seen as a system of flows were meetings take place at strategic nodes • To create informal meeting places is less about designing specific urban spaces and more about their location in the larger system create conditions for meetings at all these levels
MINARET
TERRACED PLANTATION COURTYARD READING ROOM
ISLAMIC CENTRE SECTION
WATER POND
OFFICE
TYPE 0 - B (SANCTUARY, LOBBY, RESTROOMS, PURIFICATION ROOMS, KITCHEN, WORKROOM, CLASSROOMS ,OFFICE AND LIBRARY)
MOSQUE
GREEN ARTERIE
STORAGE
EXISTING STREAM + BRIDGE
BEDROOM WALKING ALLEY
COURTYARD
Different social contexts and conditions • A number of green arteries should be planned and established at Afghan University Campus on different scales to serve different purposes. • Active ground in this context means division of land or buildings into several parts and thus promotion of the development of differences • Performative buildings offer an opportunity for strengthening both the development of differences in knowledge profiles of for example research labs and make sure they have specific spatial facilities needed to develop their uniqueness.
BEDROOM
COURTYARD
PARKING COURTYARD
PROCEDURE ROOM
AMBULANCE PARKING
ADMIN
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SECTION TYPE 2.2 - B+G+2
COURTYARD GREEN ARTERIE
EXISTING STREAM + BRIDGE
2 LANE ROAD
LECTURE ROOM AUDITORIUM
FACULTY SECTION
TYPE 1.3 - B+G+1 (AUDITORIUM+LECTURE ROOMS+OFFICES)
WALKING PATH
OFFICE
PARKING COURTYARD