(BDT_19_065) Gohar Khatoon Girls’ School

Description

Located in the center of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth largest city, the Gohar Khatoon Girls’ School is a 2,000 m² complex, providing for kindergarten through to grade 12 (end of secondary school) classes and serving, in three daily shifts, at least 3,000 students a day. The facility, which was realized by aid organization Sahar and supported by the Janet W. Ketcham Foundation, is run by the Balkh Ministry of Education, and has been integrated into the national education system. This school stands as an example of the education of women and girls as an increasingly important part of Afghanistan’s development.

Designed in conjunction by Robert Hull of US-based practice Miller Hull Partnership and the University of Washington, Department of Architecture, the new building replaces and expands the capacity of a previous school that was in an extreme state of disrepair. Hull had spent time in Afghanistan in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s and did the design work pro bono.

The main building is a two-story concrete frame structure with brick infill. Inside are double-height glazed “sunspaces” by the stairwell to the south that warm up in the winter, while its steel-framed doors are left open in the summer to allow a breeze. Several one-story volumes with additional classrooms surround this building. The scheme is reminiscent of a series of pavilions in a walled garden, taking place as a collection of internal and external volumes arranged within a defined perimeter, and providing a valuable green space within its urban setting. The arrangement and the building forms provide a varied built landscape, with separate volumes articulated through material differences and stepped back circulation spaces. Through this arrangement, courtyards and interstitial spaces of varying size and character are created. They encourage informal socializing and provide culturally appropriate spaces for activities such as sport.

Community involvement and investment in the new school was a key part of the design and construction process, fostering a sense of ownership from various parties. Communication was sought by the design team with students, staff, and religious authorities, serving as a two-way process that allowed for the parties to become informed about and participate in the design and construction process, and that also accommodated feedback and compromise.

Further, there was intentional and significant use of locally sourced products and skills. This is present in the use of locally produced bricks, tiles, and pavers, and windows handmade by local artisans. Further, six local, emerging, female artists were invited to install large murals in the school’s central staircases. While having the potential to be more expensive, time-consuming, and difficult, these decisions represent the school as an investment for and by the local community and root the school within in its local context.

The scheme uses low-tech strategies, specific to its location and climate, to deal with and benefit from environmental factors such as solar gain and natural ventilation. This passive approach also gives the scheme some of its character. One example of this is the school’s thick masonry walls, which provide high thermal mass for absorbing and shielding from the heat. These create deep window reveals, which are painted a different color in each block, giving character and connection to the inside spaces. The use of external materials within parts of the internal spaces also ensures that the specific, contextual nature of the scheme remains apparent throughout.