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
| Nov 10, 2010
$700 million plan to restore the National Mall
The National Mall—known as America’s front yard—is being targeted for a massive rehab and restoration that could cost as much as $700 million (it’s estimated that the Mall has $400 million in deferred maintenance alone). A few of the proposed projects: refurbishing the Grant Memorial, replacing the Capitol Reflecting Pool with a smaller pool or fountain, reconstructing the Constitution Gardens lake and constructing a multipurpose visitor center, and replacing the Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument with a new multipurpose facility.
| Nov 9, 2010
Designing a library? Don’t focus on books
How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.
| Nov 3, 2010
Park’s green education center a lesson in sustainability
The new Cantigny Outdoor Education Center, located within the 500-acre Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., earned LEED Silver. Designed by DLA Architects, the 3,100-sf multipurpose center will serve patrons of the park’s golf courses, museums, and display garden, one of the largest such gardens in the Midwest.
| Nov 3, 2010
Sailing center sets course for energy efficiency, sustainability
The Milwaukee (Wis.) Community Sailing Center’s new facility on Lake Michigan counts a geothermal heating and cooling system among its sustainable features. The facility was designed for the nonprofit instructional sailing organization with energy efficiency and low operating costs in mind.
| Nov 3, 2010
New church in Connecticut will serve a growing congregation
Tocci Building Companies will start digging next June for the Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Conn. Designed by Wiles Architects, the 103,000-sf multiuse facility will feature a 900-person worship center with tiered stadium seating, a children’s worship center, a chapel, an auditorium, a gymnasium, educational space, administrative offices, commercial kitchen, and a welcome center with library and lounge.
| Nov 2, 2010
Cypress Siding Helps Nature Center Look its Part
The Trinity River Audubon Center, which sits within a 6,000-acre forest just outside Dallas, utilizes sustainable materials that help the $12.5 million nature center fit its wooded setting and put it on a path to earning LEED Gold.
| Oct 13, 2010
Editorial
The AEC industry shares a widespread obsession with the new. New is fresh. New is youthful. New is cool. But “old” or “slightly used” can be financially profitable and professionally rewarding, too.
| Oct 13, 2010
Biloxi’s convention center bigger, better after Katrina
The Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi is once again open for business following a renovation and expansion necessitated by Hurricane Katrina.
| Oct 13, 2010
Tower commemorates Lewis & Clark’s historic expedition
The $4.8 million Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower in Hartford, Ill., commemorates explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at the point where their trek to the Pacific Ocean began—the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.