UNESCO, together with the Government of Afghanistan, announce the launching of a single phase,
open, international project competition for the design of the Bamiyan Cultural Centre in Afghanistan. The centre will be built near the Cultural Landscape and Archaelogical Remains of Bamiyan, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage property. The winning project should represent the first stage in the realisation of an iconic edifice worthy of this unique site and its priceless heritage. The UIA has endorsed this competition, which it has found to be in conformity with the UNESCO-UIA regulations concerning international competitions in architecture and town-planning.
OBJECTIVES
The competition seeks to reinforce culture and history as the base of Afghan unity, while celebrating the cultural sensitivities of the diverse ethnic groups. The Bamiyan Cultural Centre is intended to be a place of reconciliation, of peace building and of economic development in Afghanistan. The Centre will be a space for exchanges of ideas and knowledge and a dynamic gathering place for communities to honour past traditions and to plan for the future. The Centre will be no more than 2 200 M2 on a 26 000 M2 site and must include spaces for exhibitions, live theatrical and musical events, research and classrooms.
PRINCIPAL DATES OF THE COMPETITION • Deadline for project submission online: 22 January 2015 • Jury Meeting: 25-31 January 2015
THE JURY Zahara Bereshna, Architect, Afghanistan Young Joon Kim, Architect, Korea Robert Knox, Curator, Canada/United Kingdom Elizabeth O’Donnell, Architect, USA, Acting Dean of The Cooper Union Ajmal Maiwandi, Architect, CEO of the Agha Khan Trust for Culture, Afghanistan Jukka Jokilehto , Special Advisor to the Director-General of ICCROM, Member of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Cameron Sinclair, architect, Executive Director, Jolie-Pitt Foundation, co-founder of Architecture for Humanity
AWARDS The winning entry will be given 25,000 USD and 4 runner-ups 8,000 USD
ELIGIBILITY The competition open to registered architects and to multidisciplinary teams led by an architect. There is no entry fee. The language of the competition is English.
INFORMATION Secretariat for the Competition UNESCO Office House 647, Jami Watt, PD-10, Shahr-e-Naw Kabul, Afghanistan http://bamiyanculturalcentre.org Contact: bc.centre@unesco.org