A new museum designed by Studio Libeskind will honor the Kurdish people, the largest ethnic minority group in Iraq, and their heritage. This week, the plans were unveiled for The Kurdistan Museum, a 150,000-sf facility in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
Located at the base of the ancient Citadel mound, the museum will have permanent and temporary exhibition space, a lecture theater, a community center, and landscaped outdoor areas. It will also have a digital archive of Kurdish historical assets.
“The museum aims to convey the spirit of the Kurdish people, their rich culture and the future of Kurdistan,” architect Daniel Libeskind said in a statement. “The design had to navigate between two extreme emotions: sadness and tragedy, through the weight of history, and of joy and hope, as the nation looks to the future.”
Symbolism is woven into the museum’s layout. The building has four sections that represent each of the Kurdish regions of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. They are then split by two angular intersections, which Studio Libeskind says represents the past and future of Kurdistan.
Anfal (left) and Liberty Lines. Anfal rendering: Studio Libeskind. Liberty rendering: Crystal. Click image to enlarge.
The Anfal Line is heavy and dark, which brings to mind the genocide under Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. The Liberty Line is sanguine, with a lattice with greenery and an eternal flame. A courtyard for picnics and performances is situated in between the Anfal and Liberty Lines.
The firm says that the museum is just a plan for now. Not only does the Kurdistan government need to secure funding, but “the Kurds in Iraq are currently engaged in fighting the Islamic State (ISIS),” Studio Libeskind said in a statement. “The construction of the museum will begin once the region is stabilized and the threat posed by ISIS is minimized.”
Dezeen points out that plans for the museum have been in the works since 2010.
Related Stories
| Apr 11, 2013
American Folk Art Museum, opened in 2001, to be demolished
Just 12 years old, the museum designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien will be taken down to make way for MoMA expansion.
| Apr 5, 2013
Snøhetta design creates groundbreaking high-tech library for NCSU
The new Hunt Library at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, incorporates advanced building features, including a five-story robotic bookBot automatic retrieval system that holds 2 million volumes in reduced space.
| Apr 2, 2013
6 lobby design tips
If you do hotels, schools, student unions, office buildings, performing arts centers, transportation facilities, or any structure with a lobby, here are six principles from healthcare lobby design that make for happier users—and more satisfied owners.
| Mar 29, 2013
PBS broadcast to highlight '10 Buildings That Changed America'
WTTW Chicago, in partnership with the Society of Architectural Historians, has produced "10 Builidngs That Changed America," a TV show set to air May 12 on PBS.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.
| Mar 22, 2013
8 cool cultural projects in the works
A soaring opera center in Hong Kong and a multi-tower music center in Calgary are among the latest cultural projects.
| Mar 15, 2013
7 most endangered buildings in Chicago
The Chicago Preservation Society released its annual list of the buildings at high risk for demolition.
| Feb 25, 2013
10 U.S. cities with the best urban forests
Charlotte, Denver, and Milwaukee are among 10 U.S. cities ranked recently by the conservation organization American Forests for having quality urban forest programs.
| Feb 22, 2013
Detroit project would bring 'fairytale forest' to riverfront
A proposal by atelierWHY to create a heavily wooded park on the downtown riverfront has taken first place in the juried Detroit By Design competition.