Trying to preserve a heritage site. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos
08/05/2022.
[Bamyan] Afghanistan
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
The architects of M2R Arquitectos studio designed a cultural centre in the city of Bamyan (Bamiyan), Afghanistan as a result of winning the first prize in the international competition promoted by UNESCO together with the South Korean government. The prize was chosen from 1070 entries from 117 countries.
It is a project whose aim was to preserve the pre-existing heritage of the area while promoting the development of the local culture. The city of Bamyan is considered the political and cultural centre of the Hazara ethnic group.
It is a project whose aim was to preserve the pre-existing heritage of the area while promoting the development of the local culture. The city of Bamyan is considered the political and cultural centre of the Hazara ethnic group.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi.
Location plan. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Site plan. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Ground floor plan. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Section AA. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Section BB. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Bamyan Buddhas. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.Model. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Model. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
Model. Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos.
The building of M2R Arquitectos is defined as a space that has been "found" or "discovered" in the place, this concept is based on intervening in the place in such a way that the impact on it is the minimum possible. The aim of the building is to give itself completely to the landscape and to pay homage to local building techniques.
Access to the site begins in a public garden, open to the entire population. The approach strategy was to position the cultural centre on a lower level, free of obstacles, in order to give the panoramic views of the Bamiyan Valley and the Buda Cliffs all the presence they deserve. The aim is to establish a building that generates a social meeting place, thus becoming a building object.
Its programme is divided into three volumes: the Cultural Building, the Education Building (which contains the semi-public activities) and the Administration Building (private activities).
The composition of its interior spaces is free of any ornamentation, and they stand out for their simplicity, which encourages a contemplative attitude towards the space. Thanks to a system of skylights, light beams trace lines that follow the path of the sun during the day. The vaults of the exhibition halls emphasise the historical symbolism of the building, as they are aligned with the axis of the Western Buddha, projecting the perspective toward it.
Access to the site begins in a public garden, open to the entire population. The approach strategy was to position the cultural centre on a lower level, free of obstacles, in order to give the panoramic views of the Bamiyan Valley and the Buda Cliffs all the presence they deserve. The aim is to establish a building that generates a social meeting place, thus becoming a building object.
Its programme is divided into three volumes: the Cultural Building, the Education Building (which contains the semi-public activities) and the Administration Building (private activities).
The composition of its interior spaces is free of any ornamentation, and they stand out for their simplicity, which encourages a contemplative attitude towards the space. Thanks to a system of skylights, light beams trace lines that follow the path of the sun during the day. The vaults of the exhibition halls emphasise the historical symbolism of the building, as they are aligned with the axis of the Western Buddha, projecting the perspective toward it.
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi
Bamyan Cultural Center by M2R Arquitectos. Photograph by Amin Asifi
Description of project by M2R Arquitectos
Context
Located on the ancient silk road, Bamyan is a small town in the central region of Afghanistan. It is the capital of the homonymous province and the cultural and political centre of the Hazára ethnic group.
In March 2001, the world watched as the Taliban destroyed two colossal Buddha statues that towered over Afghanistan's Bamyan Valley. The statues, carved approximately 1500 years ago, were considered the largest standing Buddha sculptures in the world and were an integral part of both Buddhism and local culture.
In November of 2014, UNESCO with the economic support of the government of South Korea convened an international competition to build a cultural centre in order to safeguard the existing heritage and promote the social and cultural development of the region. Among 1070 proposals from 117 countries this project received the first prize.
The Eternal Presence of Absence
The Bamiyan Cultural Center seeks to create a new vital centre for communicating and sharing ideas. Therefore, our proposal tries to create not an object-building but rather a meeting place; a system of spaces where the impressive landscape of the Buddha Cliffs intertwines with the rich cultural activities that the centre will foster. The Bamiyan Cultural Center is not ‘built’ but rather ‘discovered’ by carving it out of the ground. This primordial architectural strategy creates a minimal negative impact building that fully integrates into the landscapes, takes advantage of the thermal inertia and insulation of the ground and acknowledges the local building traditions.
A new park: The Buddha Gardens
When the visitor arrives at the new Cultural Center site, rather than finding a building over the landscape, she will first encounter a garden, a park open to all of Bamiyan city population. The Cultural Center, located below the access level, leaves the panoramic view of the Bamiyan Valley and the Buddha Cliffs completely unobstructed. The rooftops of the centre create a series of viewing platforms where the visitors and the local habitants can meet, contemplate the landscape and peek into the activities of the Cultural Center.
The Cultural Center
A soft ramp, aligned with the Western Giant Buddha Statue Niche will guide the visitor down to a plaza that serves as a vital core for the Cultural Center. This plaza will be an open space for cultural activities.
These interstitial spaces are formed by the three buildings in which the program is divided. While the public activities of the centre are hosted in the Performance and Exhibition Building, the Research and Education Building hosts the semi-public activities of the program and the Administrative Building hosts the private activities. This division of the program into several buildings allows each to work independently and reduces the cost of maintenance and heating.
Silence and the experience of time
The interior spaces of the centre completely devoid of detail or ornament, by their sheer austerity, favour a contemplative and reflexive attitude. The skylights of the cultural centre create lines of light that move following the path of the sun through the sky making visible the passage of time.
The vaulted spaces of the exhibition area are oriented in line with the axis of the Western Buddha Niche and frame the views towards it giving a dramatic historic backdrop to the contemporary cultural manifestations. This makes visible the contrast and continuity between the afghan past and present.
More information
Architects
Design team
Manuel Martínez, Franco Morero, Nahuel Recabarren.
Collaborators
Construction technique.- Alberto Baulina.
Engineer.- FS Group Engineering.
Acustic.- Arau Acústica.
Thermomechanics, fluid dynamics, electricity.- IS Group.
Engineer.- FS Group Engineering.
Acustic.- Arau Acústica.
Thermomechanics, fluid dynamics, electricity.- IS Group.
Client
UNESCO.
Area
2,450 sqm.
Dates
2021.
Location
Bamyan (Bamiyan), Afghanistan.
Photography
Amin Asifi.
Manuel Martínez, Franco Morero, Nahuel Recabarren. M2R Arquitectos
M2R Arquitectos is an architectural studio founded in 2015 by Manuel Martínez, Franco Morero and Nahuel Recabarren based in Córdoba, Argentina.
In 2015, UNESCO and UIA (International Union of Architects) launched the International Competition for the design of the Bamyan Cultural Centre in Afghanistan. Among 1070 proposals from 177 countries the project "The Eternal Presence of Absence" was selected. In response to this commission Nahuel, Manuel and Franco co-founded M2R Arquitectos in Pamplona, Spain, an office that since then is dedicated to the participation in competitions and the development of projects of various scales and programmes in Argentina and abroad.
Currently, they are a team of 9 professionals located in Argentina and Spain. Their work covers the integral construction process from the design stages to the construction.
They are motivated by an understanding of the dynamics of the built environment and by the desire to create exceptional spaces for living. We conceive of architecture as the task of promoting, through physical devices, ecological and social processes that improve people's lives. They are interested in particular situations in which our interventions can have a significant effect on the environment and the communities in which they are inserted.
M2R Arquitectos' projects have been published in different national and international media. Recently, the studio has been invited to speak at the next World Congress of Architects organised by UIA in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2020 they had the honourable mention in the Urban Development of "Piazza Transalpina / TRG Evrope, Nova Gorica, Slovenia / Gorizia, Italy" and won the second prize in "Restarting Community Spaces: Urban Regeneration of Segrate City Center, Milan, Italy". In 2019 they won the fourth prize in the International Competition New School Pizzigoni, Milan, Italy. In 2018 they were finalists in the "Tooley Street Triangle, London Bridge" and won an honourable mention in the Nave Creativa Competition, Mendoza, Argentina.
In 2016 they won an honourable mention in the competition "Public Transport Stop at the territory of Tsvetnoy Gorod residential complex", St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2015 they won first prize in the International Competition Bamiyan Cultural Centre, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and in 2013 they won third prize in the Centro de Interpretación Reserva Vaquerías, Córdoba, Argentina. In 2011 they won the second prize for the Centro Recreativo Parque Síquiman, Córdoba, Argentina.
Manuel Martínez, graduated as an architect in 2008 from the National University of Córdoba. Between 2010 and 2014 he collaborated in the AFT Arquitectos studio in the same city. In 2011 he studied a postgraduate course in Architecture and Technology at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. In 2015 he entered the Master in Architectural Design at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He graduated in 2016.
Franco Morero, architect graduated in 2008 from the National University of Cordoba. In 2011 he completed a postgraduate course in Architecture and Technology at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. In 2014, in partnership with Florencia Monti Bruno, he opened his office in the city of San Francisco. That same year he began a Master in Architectural Design at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He graduated in 2016. Since 2020 he has been a member of the Competition Jury of the Association of Architects of the Province of Cordoba.
Nahuel Recabarren, he is an architect graduated in 2011 from the National University of Cordoba and Master in Cognitive Sciences and Humanities graduated in 2015 from the University of the Basque Country, Spain. He is Assistant Professor by competition in the Chair of Architecture 6 "A" (Thesis of degree) of the Faculty of Architecture and Design since 2016, and Hired Professor in the Architectural Criticism II Module, of the Master of Architectural Design of the same faculty since 2017. He has presented several articles and papers in congresses, international workshops and publications both in Architecture and Philosophy.
In 2015, UNESCO and UIA (International Union of Architects) launched the International Competition for the design of the Bamyan Cultural Centre in Afghanistan. Among 1070 proposals from 177 countries the project "The Eternal Presence of Absence" was selected. In response to this commission Nahuel, Manuel and Franco co-founded M2R Arquitectos in Pamplona, Spain, an office that since then is dedicated to the participation in competitions and the development of projects of various scales and programmes in Argentina and abroad.
Currently, they are a team of 9 professionals located in Argentina and Spain. Their work covers the integral construction process from the design stages to the construction.
They are motivated by an understanding of the dynamics of the built environment and by the desire to create exceptional spaces for living. We conceive of architecture as the task of promoting, through physical devices, ecological and social processes that improve people's lives. They are interested in particular situations in which our interventions can have a significant effect on the environment and the communities in which they are inserted.
M2R Arquitectos' projects have been published in different national and international media. Recently, the studio has been invited to speak at the next World Congress of Architects organised by UIA in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2020 they had the honourable mention in the Urban Development of "Piazza Transalpina / TRG Evrope, Nova Gorica, Slovenia / Gorizia, Italy" and won the second prize in "Restarting Community Spaces: Urban Regeneration of Segrate City Center, Milan, Italy". In 2019 they won the fourth prize in the International Competition New School Pizzigoni, Milan, Italy. In 2018 they were finalists in the "Tooley Street Triangle, London Bridge" and won an honourable mention in the Nave Creativa Competition, Mendoza, Argentina.
In 2016 they won an honourable mention in the competition "Public Transport Stop at the territory of Tsvetnoy Gorod residential complex", St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2015 they won first prize in the International Competition Bamiyan Cultural Centre, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and in 2013 they won third prize in the Centro de Interpretación Reserva Vaquerías, Córdoba, Argentina. In 2011 they won the second prize for the Centro Recreativo Parque Síquiman, Córdoba, Argentina.
Manuel Martínez, graduated as an architect in 2008 from the National University of Córdoba. Between 2010 and 2014 he collaborated in the AFT Arquitectos studio in the same city. In 2011 he studied a postgraduate course in Architecture and Technology at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. In 2015 he entered the Master in Architectural Design at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He graduated in 2016.
Franco Morero, architect graduated in 2008 from the National University of Cordoba. In 2011 he completed a postgraduate course in Architecture and Technology at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. In 2014, in partnership with Florencia Monti Bruno, he opened his office in the city of San Francisco. That same year he began a Master in Architectural Design at the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He graduated in 2016. Since 2020 he has been a member of the Competition Jury of the Association of Architects of the Province of Cordoba.
Nahuel Recabarren, he is an architect graduated in 2011 from the National University of Cordoba and Master in Cognitive Sciences and Humanities graduated in 2015 from the University of the Basque Country, Spain. He is Assistant Professor by competition in the Chair of Architecture 6 "A" (Thesis of degree) of the Faculty of Architecture and Design since 2016, and Hired Professor in the Architectural Criticism II Module, of the Master of Architectural Design of the same faculty since 2017. He has presented several articles and papers in congresses, international workshops and publications both in Architecture and Philosophy.
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