National Museum of Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan, 2012
At the centre of the design for the new National Museum of Afghanistan is a glowing crystalline glass box surrounded by delicate timber latticework screens, cradling a grove of Afghan pines like a precious hidden treasure at the heart of the building. The galleries that surround it and the treasures they contain are like a great star-shaped fortification on the axis of the site, composed from a traditional Islamic pattern and constructed using traditional Afghan materials and craftsmanship. Understood as a contemporary ‘caravanserai for culture’, the design offers a sense of protection to visitors and objects alike. Galleries pin-wheel from the central court, which acts as an axis-mundi. Shortlisted competition entry.
Competition Entry
Study of Fortification for the Porta al Prato of Ognissanti, Michelangelo, 1528-9
Bird's Eye View of the Taj Mahal, Agra, between 1790 and 1810
Babur Supervising the Laying Out of the Garden of Fidelity, ca. 1590
Glazed Turquoise Tile Pattern
Sketch
Study of Fortification for the Porta al Prato of Ognissanti, Michelangelo, 1528-9
Bird's Eye View of the Taj Mahal, Agra, between 1790 and 1810
Babur Supervising the Laying Out of the Garden of Fidelity, ca. 1590
Glazed Turquoise Tile Pattern
Sketch
Study of Fortification for the Porta al Prato of Ognissanti, Michelangelo, 1528-9
Bird's Eye View of the Taj Mahal, Agra, between 1790 and 1810
Babur Supervising the Laying Out of the Garden of Fidelity, ca. 1590
Glazed Turquoise Tile Pattern
Sketch