The UNESCO-initiated competition pursued the goal of converting this place into a social accumulator accessible to every inhabitant of the Bamiyan valley, attractor for long awaited tourists and a venue for major events. We tried to solve this task with minimal resources and maximum artistic approach. Our design proposal for the building seeks to be understandable for its immediate users, the local people in the first place.

We also tried to make it rational and contemporary, as well as in keeping with the traditionally-rooted idea of space. Our proposal rests on three authentic local typologies: a qala, a madrasah and a palace gallery, facing the garden.

The suggested cultural center provides a variety of spaces that can accommodate numerous functions. As far as the technology issue is concerned, the building itself is a combination of contemporary multifunctional spaces and vernacular construction techniques: fired bricks are used for the exterior cladding in order to withstand wind erosion, whereas the interior features traditional raw bricks.