KSR Architect's proposal provides a cultural campus for the community, and a framework for flexible growth at the crossroad of civilisation in Afghanistan.

It represents the country’s rich heritage and enriches community life through the sharing and development of new ideas, drawing on the local vernacular to provide gathering spaces, workshops and studios, classrooms, exhibitions spaces, a performance hall, a research centre and a library, as well as terraced landscaping and gardens.

VISION

It is of the utmost importance that the future of Bamiyan and its legacy, as a crossroads of different civilisations, is survived not only through the preservation of its history and heritage, but the education and growth of its community and future generations. The significance of this location transcends any predetermined architectural icon. The Bamiyan Cultural Centre will not be an iconic building, but rather an iconic place: As a community campus it represents the importance of Bamiyan’s cultural identity, history, and future.
The design will provide a destination and more importantly the infrastructure for flexible growth with facilities and spaces to enrich community life, education and historic preservation. Putting image aside, the Centre’s architecture is framework for growth as were the Buddha cliffs for the caves.

A CULTURAL CAMPUS

The Buddha Niches and Caves are of a monumental scale and form and one that should not have to compete with a single architectural object of a large shape and ego. The Bamiyan Cultural Centre breaks down the grand object and the architecture of pedestal buildings into a more human - vernacular scale while creating a positive visual reference on the cultural landscape. As a collection of smaller buildings scattered together over an ordered ‘crossroad’ grid, the design is like a city or campus connected both visually, emotionally, and historically to the world heritage property. The lowrise campus focuses not only on the internal spaces but the spaces between the buildings, the intersections where classmates, tourists, researches, musicians and locals cross paths and engage. As a cultural Campus of community facilities, event spaces, exhibition rooms and performance spaces, the Bamiyan Centre becomes an incubator of art, history, literature, and heritage. An organic destination of niches and spaces to interact, exchange and communicate: A
theatre of Knowledge.

A COMMUNITY LANDMARK AND FRAMEWORK

The Museum, research, and exhibition facilities are fundamental to the correct preservation and documentation of the National heritage and history, but equally the investment in community infrastructure, education, civic spaces, arts and culture, is fundamental to the growth and success of future generations. So the Bamiyan Cultural Centre needs to be able to physically and architecturally grow and expand in all three of these of these areas without compromising the ‘image’ and look of the Centre. By providing a campus model as a framework for growth, smaller scale and manageable size buildings for construction are clustered over an ordered grid. The framework concept and image of the Bamiyan Centre is only strengthened when is grows in size and investment. If the Museum grows so will the admin and storage need to grow relatively, and when necessary the community facilities may need to expand to include more class rooms, prayers rooms, or workshops. As the Campus grows along the ‘crossroad’ grid so does that the value of the Bamiyan Culture Centre as a true international and national destination and as place that recognises the social, cultural and economic benefits of the world heritage site and Bamiyan Village.

INNOVATION

The Centre will incorporate environmentally conscious design principles through the use of passive design and construction techniques as well as systems such as solar power through non reflective solar panels and organic waste management systems for restrooms. Local construction techniques are used in the design together with new innovations to accommodate and educate local contractors. Community tradesmen, artisans and craftsmen will be encouraged to participate in the creation of ornamental floor and wall treatments, screens and breeze blocks that are all essential to the design language.