The Kurdish city of Kamyaran - which sits on the transit borders of Kurdistan and Iran - is a developing city that experienced a devastating earthquake a few years ago. The city is located in a district deprived of modern facilities, and the majority of the residents' income is acquired from the transit of products across the common border with Iraq and Turkey. Project developers in the area are faced with several challenges, one of which is the amount of projects needed to ameliorate the city's status.
Instead of designing two different projects on two separate sites, CAAT Studio proposed the Kamyaran City-School, a new concept which merges an elementary school and public space into one large facility that aims to improve the social and cultural life of its residents.
In the first half of the day, the project serves as a school, with a courtyard and playground for students, separated from the city by a threshold. In the second half of the day, the courtyard serves as a space for meetings of local entrepreneurs, a space for ceremonies, or a public park open to all residents.
CAAT Studio have developed the project's layout in a way that as people move from the end of the project to the adjacent wall, the uses turn from educational to the public. The theoretical and practical classrooms are located at the end of the site. The central part includes a lab, workshops, libraries, and a computer site. Towards the entrance, public spaces such as the amphitheater and gym are located.
The proposal is expected to reduce the costs and land use, as well as transform the project from a temporary function, which is active only half a day, to a vibrant and dynamic urban space.
