BAMIYAN CULTRUAL VILLAGE

International Competition Entry

Client:  Afghanistan Government, UNESCO
Program:  Museum and Research Facilities
Team:  MMK+ 
Location:  City of Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Proposal for Cultural Center in World Heritage Site in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. This project is executed by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and UNESCO with the financial assistance of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This proposal envisions a ‘village’ that promotes culture, art, education, and research, with a sense of community, rather than providing a single building with complex functions enclosed within an envelope. As one of key concepts of the proposal, the ‘village’ is a cluster of small buildings with its own dedicated functions, having spatial interrelationship with each other, allowing flexibilities on the use of different spaces. The village-like arrangement not only provides in-between open spaces which promotes active indoor- outdoor cultural activities, but also requires relatively simple construction and future expansion considering locally available resources and techniques. The big roof on the building cluster is another important feature of the project, where is accessible by public and provides an incredible panoramic view toward the Buddha Cliff. Functionally, the roof provides covered area for the outdoor spaces below, and the openings of the roof allow natural light into the building skylight, but also natural ventilation from the space below. It also creates a harmonious landscape with Buddha Cliff.