Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the architect of the Alisher Navoi International Center for Scientific Research, which will combine the Navoi State Literary Museum, auditorium, international research center and school.
The center’s arched façade and interior decoration are made from bricks produced in local kilns in Tashkent and reflect the rich geometry of traditional Uzbek architecture, celebrating the intricacies of Uzbek literature and music. I will.
The center’s architecture, defined by passive design principles, provides optimal conditions for visitors, staff and students with minimal energy consumption.
The new Tashkent Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Center will incorporate the Navoi State Literary Museum and a 400-seat auditorium for performances, events and conferences. The design also includes an international research center and a boarding school for 200 students specializing in Uzbek language, literature and music.
Based in the new cultural district of New Tashkent (a 25,000 hectare masterplan designed by Cross Works to accommodate the city’s population growth), the Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Center celebrates the traditions of Uzbek literature and Shashmakom music. I am. The Shashmakom classical music tradition, which combines vocal and instrumental music, melodies and rhythmic idioms and poetry, is an integral part of Uzbek culture, and Tashkent is known as a center of excellence.
Named after Alisher Navoi, a 15th-century poet, writer, linguist, and politician whose works had a profound impact on Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage, the 23,000-square-meter International Research Center fosters dialogue between literary figures. It is designed with various interconnected spaces to facilitate. Education, research, and performing arts.
The center’s arched façade and interior decoration are made from bricks produced in local kilns in Tashkent and reflect the curvilinear geometry of Uzbekistan’s acclaimed traditional architecture. Courtyards, another defining feature of the area’s traditional heritage, were incorporated within the new center to provide natural light and ventilation, as well as create a variety of outdoor gathering spaces and areas for private meditation. It is.
Located in Tashkent’s Mediterranean climate influenced by the continent of Central Asia, the center’s design is defined by passive architectural principles that provide optimal conditions for visitors, staff and students while minimizing energy consumption It has been.
Inspired by wind power towers in Central Asia and the Middle East that keep internal temperatures cool, the shape and composition of the arch supporting the center is designed as a hollow structure with openings that draw in wind and channel cooling ventilation into the building. Masu. During the hottest months, this system is supported by fans and misters to cool the air before circulating it through the structure.
In windless weather conditions, these hollow arched structures create a pressure gradient that extracts hot air upwards, creating a thermal chimney that allows warm air to escape through openings at the top of each arch.
These cooling principles are reinforced by the day/night cycle, trapping cold air underneath while extracting warm air. Combined with the high thermal mass of the central structure, optimum comfort conditions can be maintained with minimal energy consumption. A courtyard and skylights bring natural light into the heart of the center, while a deep roof overhang provides the façade with effective solar shading in the summer and allows sunlight to enter the building and warm its interior in the winter.
The centerpiece of the institute, the Navoi State Literary Museum, will offer a comprehensive program of research, archives and exhibitions, including restoration workshops and an archive that will house a collection of 3,500 historical books and manuscripts. With 13 permanent exhibition halls surrounding a central courtyard, the museum showcases centuries of Uzbekistan’s literary history and contemporary works by some of the country’s most famous writers.
Drawing inspiration from the dynamic performances of shashmakom music and creating a gathering environment for the city’s artists and the wider community, the center’s outdoor spaces feature an outdoor amphitheater and gardens with shaded pavilions for impromptu performances. It defines a series of beautiful terraces.
Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Center is a creative center that celebrates Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage, showcases its diversity and depth, combines traditional and contemporary artistic venues, and hosts educational and research programs. We aim to be a central location.
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Press release and visuals ©Zaha Hadid Architects
