studio chahar
Located in the center Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth largest city, the Gohar Khatoon girls’ school opened on June 2nd, 2015. The school was commissioned by the Balkh Province Ministry of Education with a U.S. based non-profit organization, and has been integrated into the national education system. The new building replaces an older school that was in an extreme state of disrepair and expands the capacity of a historically significant urban school. The 2,000 m2 complex provides for kindergarten through grade twelve classes, serving at least 3,000 students or more a day. Mazar-i-Sharif is home to several universities, and Gohar Khatoon–acting as a gateway to higher education–is positioned to become a key institution for educating several thousand women and girls in an important urban center.
Yasaman Esmaili’s involvement in this project and the collaborative nature and the role of community in designing Gohar Khatoon girls’ school, were some of the main reasons that led to initiation of studio chahar.
Collaborators Credit:
Architecture: Robert Hull, FAIA in collaboration with the University of Washington, Department of Architecture,
Project Architect: Elizabeth Golden, AIA
Design Team: Yasaman Esmaili, Christopher Garland, David Miller, FAIA
Photographs: © Nic Lehoux, Sahar/Farkhonda Rajaby
Clients : Sahar/Janet W. Ketcham Foundation and Balkh Province Ministry of Education
University of Washington Studio Participants
Bryan Brooks, Marcus Crider, Grace Crofoot, Sarah Eddy, Yasaman Esmaili, Christopher Garland, Mariam Kamara, Michelle Kang, Kevin Lang, Carolyn LeCompte, Benjamin Maestas, Jaclyn Merlet, Holly Schwarz, Mazohra Thami, Andrew Thies, Mackenzie Waller, Patricia Wilhelm
General Contractor: Jason Simmons (Afghanistan American Friendship Foundation), Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Sayed Ali Mortazavy, Hussain Ahmady, Farkhonda Rajaby, Airokhsh Faiz Qaisary
Engineers: Structural and Civil: Solaiman Salahi, Herat, Afghanistan
Environmental: Allan Montpellier, PAE Engineering, Seattle
Consultants: Jason Simmons, Afghanistan American Friendship Foundation, Michael Gilbride, University of Washington Integrated Design Lab, Mariam Kamara, University of Washington, Jack Hunter, Argent Fabrication, Seattle