Housing in Afghanistan

[sigue2000]

It looks as though I might be designing some housing for a project in a northeastern region of Afghanistan.
I was wondering if anyone had references to modern architectures in arabic regions.

[Hotrats]

Who is the housing aimed at?? Income, comunnity etc. You could have a look at Peter Barbers house in Saudi Arabia. - It is on the wealthy end of the scale though.

http://www.peterbarberarchitects.com/my_Projects_VAintro.htm

[sigue2000]

Who is the housing aimed at?? Income, comunnity etc.

Middle to Upperish-class buyers as far as know now.

I just found the following link (http://archnet.org/library/images/sites.tcl?key=af&collection_id=22&select=country)

[sigue2000]

Peter Barbers house in Saudi Arabia

Nice house! Thanks for the link.

[mseif_99]

i was just going to mension Archnet.org when i recognised that you found he site.....excellent site.....but Afghans are not arabs....different culture and heritage totally different from the Arabian Peninsula region and North Africa arab countries too...

[jparchitectus]

EGYPT FLAG! :eek: Cool

Welcome to the forums MSEIF, and thanks for the clarification.

[sigue2000]

i was just going to mension Archnet.org when i recognised that you found he site.....excellent site.....but Afghans are not arabs....different culture and heritage totally different from the Arabian Peninsula region and North Africa arab countries too...

Is the architecture not similar (due to climate, traditional techniques and materials)? And if not, where do they differ?
Thanks in advance.

[SWANK-E]

Afgahn culture is one of the nomadic Central Asians, the old Silk Road between China and Persia.

[mseif_99]

EGYPT FLAG! :eek: Cool

Welcome to the forums MSEIF, and thanks for the clarification.

Thanks JP....a warm welcome indeed :) ....

Is the architecture not similar (due to climate, traditional techniques and materials)?

yes they are sure different...the problem is that resources on middle asian domestic architecture are too too scarce...the difference however is obvious regarding islamic architecture ( ie ; mosques...etc )...we have a book at work thats about mosques in the islamic world...i can scan a few ones to demonstrate the likeness and differences between middle-asia & arab architecture if you like...just give me a note...k?

[WilsonMetry]

sigue2000,

Congratulations, sounds like a rare opportunity.

I love the simplicity of the climate that generates such elegant and strong forms.

And they are perfect for the push/pull tool. :D

[sigue2000]

yes they are sure different...the difference however is obvious regarding islamic architecture ( ie ; mosques...etc )...we have a book at work thats about mosques in the islamic world...i can scan a few ones to demonstrate the likeness and differences between middle-asia & arab architecture if you like...just give me a note...k?

Thanks for all your efforts,
it's much appreciated mseif.
I will try to get hold of the pictures that were shown to me of the region Khost where the houses are to be built. In the meantime some images that i found on the net.

[sigue2000]

The courtyard house is the common typology. The idea that was developed by the architects responsible for the masterplans is to create a large interior park/courtyard by adding houses to form a closed ring.

[sigue2000]

Street situation. This differs a little to the pictures that we shown to me by the client, but it gives a rough idea.

[manc]

may i suggest hooking up with a local architect,.....i'm sure you'll do your research, but there is a lot of construction going on in the middle east with no understanding of context or vernacular........this creates massive amount of resentment.....

I'm not suggesting to replicate what has gone before, just acknowledge it and and perhaps subvert it.

I have a few Afgan architect mates, i'll ask them for some info and post on here.

[jcruiz]

The courtyard house is the common typology. The idea that was developed by the architects responsible for the masterplans is to create a large interior park/courtyard by adding houses to form a closed ring.
The inner patio or couurt yard , is a great contribution of the arab culture Very appropriate for the zones of warm climate. This cultural apport have passed to Spain after arab conquest on XI century , and then to all hispanic Americas, even south of the USA. This type of space is even used in the "hispanic "contemporary architecture ( see the work of Mexican architect Legorreta and others)

[arv]

The courtyard house is the common typology. The idea that was developed by the architects responsible for the masterplans is to create a large interior park/courtyard by adding houses to form a closed ring.
Interesting subject . A few thoughts that come to my mind, the very first few on this forum.
If the photograph is representative of the master plan, something is wrong with the scale of the courtyard. In a region where the diurnal and seasonal range of the temperature is very high, which is to my knowledge is quite dry , one would look at courtyards with very different proportions . The courtyards need to be deeper than wide .
Also the premise of having a number of houses around a shared courtyard seems a bit odd in a very orthodox islamic community . On the other hand the pashtuns ( pathans ) are a tribal community and it is quite likely that houses around a courtyard would be shared by the extended family .

[arv]

Street situation. This differs a little to the pictures that we shown to me by the client, but it gives a rough idea.
I was going to suggest that you try and search for something in northwest Pakistan , the similarity in housing typology should run through , infact even as far as Punjab in India . But I see that you have a photogrph of Quetta already .
Don't be quided too much by the courtyards in the aerial photograph, very often these are lesser by design intent than the outcome of parcellation . Usually these houses start as a room surrounded by high walls with all openings facing inwards to keep the interior away from prying eyes and gradually they get infilled .

[gilesygiles]

Book of above title has many interesting examples of dry climate architecture. Good reference point.

[sigue2000]

Also the premise of having a number of houses around a shared courtyard seems a bit odd in a very orthodox islamic community.
The inner courtyard would be the public area for women and children. Safe but in my western understanding of course also 'locked in'. :confused:

[arv]

Found some photos which wil probably give you a feel for the region . I am not sure if I am allowed hotlinking and in any case it should be interesting to just browse thru the collection.
http://www.pbase.com/mspjeff/image/41277172

As for the issue of women being 'locked in' , there are some cultural values so strongly hard coded into us that it can take a lifetime to understand and unravel .

[SWANK-E]

The inner courtyard would be the public area for women and children. Safe but in my western understanding of course also 'locked in'. :confused:

Chinese architecture is also very much about the courtyard, in fact, courtyards within courtyards, walls and walls and wall and more walls.

The emphasis of the wall is not (like in Western thinking) about the perimeter or boundary, but rather it is there to reinforce the importance of the centre.

[arv]

According to a study I read ages back, I believe in Ekistics, there are something like three basic housing typologies .One of them is with a courtyard . So it is a theme that crosses cultural , climatic and geographical zones . What is important to note how the context manifests itself in the details . For instance in the link that I posted earlier the public face of the wall is absolutely blank , all the openings other than the entrance door face inwards. In some other parts of the world one can have a courtyard dwelling and yet the street facade can be extemely punctuated with openings . In some parts of the world it is common to have the front part of the building occupied by men and the rear by the women and the kids . So the front of the house has a public face with the courtyard and the rear hidden away from prying eyes . In places like north India , Pakistan the house doent have this front to the public domain , the bazaar ( market ) is the public sphere which is very male dominated .

[arv]

While you are researching into housing types etc in Afghanistan , I would like to suggest a book , just to get in tune with the place , Khaled Hosseini's 'The kite runner ' , one of the finest books I have read this year . It has nothing to do with architecture , a work of fiction but paints a very precise picture about the country .Happy reading

[koos]

Look at the "Aga Kahn Awards", I think it is done every year.'

[Archjake]

...The emphasis of the wall is not (like in Western thinking) about the perimeter or boundary, but rather it is there to reinforce the importance of the centre.


Can you elaborate more on this subject, or show an example(s) of the wall being the center?

[mseif_99]

Can you elaborate more on this subject, or show an example(s) of the wall being the center?

the wall isnt the center..its meant that there is a central space where all spaces surround..its a traditional urban design of the old islamic societies,where the mosque was the center of the coummunity context,which then is being surrounded by the market,and then all enveloped by the residential buildings...Planning of old islamic cairo is a very good example of this,those who love cairo have to read this book..
http://www.amazon.ca/Islamic-Architecture-Cairo-Doris-Behrens-Abouseif/dp/9774242033

although not available at amazon,if anyone is interested i can arrange to send it from here on demand.

[cyberarchi]

good luck with your project.
i strongly suggest you to read more and more on islamic architecture. mseif_99 is right. its not about walls, its about seperation of inside / outside.
with emphasis on housing, you should know that a muslim woman wears hijab (scarf/veil/...) in public in order to avoid seen by strange men. in house planing, you should always consider these limitations as those walls plays like that scarf. always consider the seperation between public(street/stranger) and private(house/reletives).
as far as i know, traditionally, architecture of those regions are very similar to those in rural areas of iran. so if you dont find sources on your subject check iranian/persian architecture.
also see these : Islamic architecture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_architecture) and Persian architecture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_architecture)

[SWANK-E]

Can you elaborate more on this subject, or show an example(s) of the wall being the center?

i said it's there to REINFORCE the IMPORTANCE to the centre, not BEING the centre.