Afghanistan Cultural Center Bamyan. Buddha Clift UNESCO

1 Bamiyan community, culture and energy
The ‘Bamiyan Breathing Domes’ project is a new cultural scene for encourage the creation, the learning and the sharing of the Afghanistan culture and for the Afghanistan culture. The proposal is looking to the future of the citizens and inspired by the historical heritage. The ‘Bamiyan Breathing Domes’ project gather to be the new Epicenter of Bamiyan Community, it has the aim to become the new Icon of Historical heritage and culture, and it is designed with a self sufficient system supported the natural energy and the social energy:
The Dome as Epicenter of Bamiyan Community
The dome is the appropriate space to integrate the community. The different main dome spaces are envisioned as a small epicenters for Exhibition, Training, Research and Education. The aggregations of domes design creates a new cultural community that embrace and save the culture. Nowadays Bamiyan Bazaar is the hub of the social city, ‘Bamiyan Breathing Domes’ will become the hub of the culture city.
The Dome as Icon of Historical heritage and culture
The domes are highlighted element in the history, therefore the design of ‘Bamiyan Breathing Domes’ are inspired by the historical patterns of the art works and the surface is reproducing these historical patterns. These patterns come from the Afghanistan culture, such as paintings, sculptures, caves designs, embroidery designs… and they will become the new identity of the building and of the Afghanistan culture. The Afghanistan patterns become in holes in the domes surface, that beyond the identity concept, they will also allow to illuminate the interiors, regulate the temperature, ventilation and conduction, and reinforce the directions of the views of the priceless UNESCO historical heritage to the Buddha Clift.
The Dome as a natural energy producer
The Domes have a natural shape perfectly appropriate to optimize the climate condition. And the elliptical domes designed are able to have an energy self sufficient system to allow a low cost of maintenance and creating a comfortable atmosphere. The elliptical sphere is creating a convection movement of the warm air that allows the indoor spaces to regulate the appropriate temperature. The domes has some holes in their surfaces that are coming from the Afghanistan patterns, this holes are oriented in the sun directions in order to collect better the natural light. Their pattern design of the holes are more dense and open to the north side of the domes in order to collect light but not temperature and to improve the fantastic views of Budda Clift, and in the south side the pattern design of the holes are less dense and finished with the cell panels that will collect the sun. The relation with the ground level has a clear possibility to include geothermal system in the future, that will be optimize with the domes shape and humidity regulation.
2 Building location increasing new possibilities
The main surface of the building is located in the lower area of the plot at 2545 m above sea level, in the middle of the plot with a open ‘L’ shape, this location strategy within the plot has 3 main purposes: first of all it will concentrated the Budda Clift views in a more focus area, creating a bigger dialogue between the interior and the exterior heritage of the UNESCO; secondly it will create a more controlled area of the useful space, giving the possibility to attached controlled programmes around the building such as patios, terraces, parkings, gardens, small fountains … or even grow extensions of the building in the future; thirdly it is the climatic purpose, due to the position will protect the building from the main direction of the strong winds and furthermore it will collect the biggest amount of sun in the back wall and in the sun cells.
3. One single Level that creates tridimensional spaces
The main surface of the building is organized in one single floor leaded by the technical platform, in order to have a clear organization and use. The technical platform that is extended to the upper side of the plot. The building has 2 main access with the purpose of qualifying the user’s needs: the upper access from the 2555.5m level, will be for the users of the learning and research programmes, and the access from the 2545 m level, will be for the exhibitions and performances access. Anyway both access flow into the same common space indoor the building, that we named ‘sharing corridor’. Once you are located in the indoor of this ‘sharing corridor’ you can access to the qualified domes, that contain the specific programmes.
The domes are in the same single level, and the access is from the technical platform. The biggest domes are the exhibition and performance domes, these have a double level and underground level to included the required programmes such as storage, second use furniture, and facilities. The domes are using their natural curved silhouette in section, to optimize more tridimensional interior designs, such as grades for classrooms, double level elements, spiral ramps, circle lamps or flexible furniture. The domes create an optimum and flexible space, going beyond the magical experience by the reproduction of the Afghanistan patterns.
4 Efficiency Technical tactic construction + Local Materials = increase local economy
First of all, the building has a platform of energy, that supports and provides each domes with the energy equipment, that means that the constructions of the domes will be lead by this height in term of constructions and elements synchronization, therefore it will be more easy and fast to produce. Furthermore the Domes are designed with a technical tactic to be easily built: Each dome will be constructed by sectors, therefore constructions system will be more efficiency. It is designed a formwork of a sector of the dome, the sector has the proportion of 1/8 of the plan diameter. With the construction of one unique formwork of 1/8 sector, we can create the 8 sectors of the Complete Structure. The main material of use of these domes will be concrete for the dome ribs, and reinforced clay for the rest of the structure and the formworks. So it will be a easy technique that can be developed by Bamiyan local workers or workers from close towns.