Gohar Khatoon Girls’ School

Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Completed 2014. School.

The Gohar Khatoon girls’ school is in the center of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fourth largest city. It 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 in extreme 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 a day. Mazar-i-Sharif is home to several universities, and Gohar Khatoon, 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 role of community in designing the school, were among the main reasons that led to the founding of Studio Chahar.

Credits

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

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; Sayed Ali Mortazavy, Hussain Ahmady, Farkhonda Rajaby, Airokhsh Faiz Qaisary

Engineers: Structural and civil: Solaiman Salahi, Herat. 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

Awards: AIA National Award of Honor, 2018; AIA Northwest and Pacific Regional Award of Honor, 2017