Bamiyan Visitors Centre

The Bamiyan Cultural centre is conceived as a continuum of local human expression and its transformations over time. It asserts its faith in nature, draws inspiration from history and reconnects the local culture to the international world view. The site commands an expansive view of the Buddha caves and Niches - an overpowering human narrative of human spirit and nature. The design revolves around the spirit of making connections. The overall form has emerged from the context - a setting that has a rich character to learn from and harness the potential of traditional wisdom. The alignment complements the layout of the UNESCO structure, partly embedded and stepping-down, it establishes a dialogue with and across the terrain. Manifestations of cultural aspirations take the shape of elongated domes over the main public spaces. The lobby is a void that mirror the niches opposite and anchors the entrance in absence. The centre is locked in a tense negotiation of the inside and the outside. At places it confronts, at others it recedes leaving behind the majestic natural landscape. Through it all, the centre hopes to encourage in visitors to reach and sustain higher planes of thought, to search for a deeper sense of inner understanding by confronting one of the world’s most phenomenal historic landscapes.

Location: Chowni Hills, Bamiyan
Client: Bamiyan Cultural Centre
Year: 2016 (competition)