The Maria Grazia Cutuli School, Afghanistan

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How would an architect approach designing for a school in a war zone? This problem was faced Mario Catuli when setting up a school in memory of sister, Sicilian journalist Maria Grazia Cutuli who was killed while reporting in Afghanistan. In the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains, an area once dominated by the Taliban, the Maria Grazia Cutuli School (see fig.1) stands as a symbol of local defiance. Presenting a message of hope, for the country’s future generation. With an emphasis on safety, it is apparent that the main priority in the school’s design is to create a protective environment, which provides stability in Afghanistan’s social and political unrest. Inside its protective walls of reinforced concrete and solid brickwork, the layout of the building’s simple, functional classrooms surrounding the central library are a constant reminder of its emphasis on being a place of learning.

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The overall layout of the school compound is in line with traditional settlements of the area, consisting of eight separate buildings set behind walls. Thought architecturally it doesn’t look out of place with its surrounding environment, the use of three shades of vivid blue and its red window frames, are a bold element (see fig.2). With its use of strong colour and the nature of which it was created (in memory of a foreign national) this project had the risk of being alienated within its surroundings. In the sensitive environment of a nation trying to rebuild itself after decades of unrest, it was important that Mario Catuli turned to the local surroundings and Afghan history for inspiration. Taking references from the surrounding architecture, his design team were able to create a building that fits into the landscape and looks as if it has been there for ‘generations’. Though their use of bright colours might seem unusual and out of place, it in fact provides an unmistakable landmark on the barren landscape, and has cultural roots in ‘local tiles, lapis lazuli, and of the gowns and burkas worn by local men and women’.

Similar to the Los Cachimanes Primary school, the school’s unique appearance creates a sense of individualism and self-identity. In particular, it provides a sense of identity to a group (women and children) which was often overlooked in Afghanistan society and signals a change towards a newer, more democratic Afghanistan. Traditional methods of building also provided a solution to the problem of the extreme climate of this region. Both this example and Los Cachimanes Primary school in Spain are both set in arid and hostile landscapes, and their culture has had some visible effect on their overall design. The Maria Grazia Cutuli School has a more reserved approach too its design, which is most likely due to the reserved culture of the Afghan people.  In further similarity with the school in Spain, both schools are an example of creating design on a limited budge.