On the occasion of the conversion for the new Center for World Heritage of the UNESCO, a new entrance situation had to be suggested for an existing building in the administrative district of Manama. The formerly slanted facade was dismantled and the structure extended and rebuilt into its former materiality of a simple, right-angled floor plan. The newly added facade on the one hand forms a canopy and ramp for the entrance. On the other hand it represents the central theme of “intangible heritage” by translating traditional local music into the rhythm of the vertical elements of the facade. During day time they create a play of light and shadow on the facade, while at night a light installation transforms the hollow space into a body of light, capable to react with some 140 integrated dimmable LED – lights to sound and other realtime information.

Client : Arab Regional Center for World Heritage, competition 2012, 1. prize (with Sonia Ashour and Daniel Kobel)
Location : Manama, Bahrain
Project team : Daniel Kobel (AGID), Sonia Ashour (AGID), Jan Henrik Hansen, Armin Seltz, Vadim Unger, Rasmus Palmqvist
Status : completed 2012