Rehabilitation of a Historic Residential Quarter

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Four house owners simultaneously contacted the architect with the common purpose of reconstructing their houses and redesigning them as guest houses. Before construction commenced, all the houses were in very poor condition, and the basis of renovation work was a hidden reinforced concrete framing and solid floor panel combined with traditional wooden beams. Setting up closed yards using traditional building materials (limestone, small-sized burnt bricks, wood, and texture stucco) has created comfortable eco-surroundings for living in the conditions of a harsh climate. The issue of rehabilitation of residential quarters of the mediaeval Bukhara had never been addressed and these rehabilitations combine as an urban planning return to traditional Central Asian typologies.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture