"Whoever sitteth on this carpet and willeth in thought to be taken up and set down upon other site will, in the twinkling of an eye, be borne thither, be that place near hand o distant many a day's journey and difficult to reach.” Richard Burton The Thousand Nights and a Night Vol. 13, 1885
Our proposal for a new Cultural Center in Bamiyan, Afghanistan can be summarized as a building that responds to its surroundings by means of a simple structural gesture: a roof.
• A roof that blends and emerges from the landscape, and fuses inconspicuously with the hilltop.
• A roof that opens towards the west, while welcoming visitors from the east to participate in the cultural activities and exchanges within.
• A roof that synchronizes under its shade an ambitious program, with the unique cultural, historical, and natural sensitivities of a highly prized site, and patrimony to the world.
• A roof that is based on a simple but expressive structural solution, constructed out of locally available materials and human resources.
Team Members: Efrain E. Velez, Juan J. Nuñez, Robert Bodiš
