urban design & architecture

This project is our response to an international design competition for the revitalization of the central Asian city of Samarkand, located in Uzbekistan. This ideas competition for a 65-acre site within the historic core of the city called for a variety of educational, touristic, exhibition and recreational facilities. The focus of  the urban design proposals was to be a cultural center celebrating Ulugh Beg, the 15th century ruler of Samarkand and an important astronomer, scholar and patron of the arts. 

Samarkand is an historic city, some 2,500 years old and located on the ancient trading routes between Europe and Asia. It is a city with many histories and a rich past. Our proposal seeks to build upon the logic of this city, which we have found to be routed in the rich space of the Bazaar. Our design seeks to synthesize the site and program into three new “bazaars”; The “Global Bazaar of Ulugh Beg” dedicated to scientific research; the “21st Century Bazaar” dedicated to the trade of information and technology; and the “Tourist Bazaar” dedicated to Samarkand’s history, people and traditions.