Open Heart Housing Complex
Kabul, Afghanistan

Better housing, better communities, better communities, brighter future.

Twenty four years of foreign and civil wars and destruction left Afghanistan crippled, millions were crushed to death and millions were crushed psychologically, or sought refuse to foreign countries and became immigrants. Families turned to parasites and infrastructure of the country perished.

Open Heart Housing Complex

Afghanistan became the battlefield in the hands of fundamentalists and lawless criminals. Warlords and drug lords became landlords and landlords became lords.

To me Afghanistan is the first and the real ground zero, where destruction and killings started decades ago. It became worse and worse until the second ground zero was excavated in New York City.

I believe that we can change and renew the direction of our world's order by putting a little thought and respect to the cultures and civilizations of each other with a better understanding.

Architecture can play an important role on this sensitive issue, which we are facing around the globe.

Homelessness has become very rampant around the globe, especially in war-torn countries such as Afghanistan. Unemployment is reaching to its highest peak.

Multiple Views

Poverty is helping create diseases, and diseases, in turn, help impoverish the people even more, and yet, both cause terrorism, where people from all walks of life, all genders, young and old, from all areas of the world are becoming killing devices, such as homicide and suicide bombers, whereas they could rather join educational centers and become someone to help alleviate global problems.

Open Heart Housing Complex, or as I call it, the Living Heart is one such project to better the lives of tens and even hundreds of thousands of destitute people.

There are two specific reasons that I chose to design the housing project to form a heart shape residential complex.

One: heart is the most important organ of our body, and a reason for life, such that from its first beat until the last beat, life is sustained.

We can't change the shape and form of a heart, but we can change the soul of it by giving it a sense of giving in order to radiate love, not hate; respect instead of disrespect, and to care and share rather than to tear and fear, for a bigger, stronger and better body of communities.

Two: Open Heart Housing Complex was designed to invite families of all ethnic backgrounds with love to live and share the standard of a safer housing system for a better, welcoming and brighter future with feeling of an open heart. It was designed in order to forget the past decades of wars and killings of one another over ethnical differences and become equal members of the same humane community.

It's important to shape and symbolize the future outlook of architecture for construction in a caring way. By using educational graphics and standard designs to communicate the diversity of cultural backgrounds and build more sensitive and safer projects to help connect civilizations for a better and safer peaceful world.

As we are spending billions and trillions in housings and all other kinds of developments, such as residential, commercial or educational projects around the world, we must also send messages by designing the projects more symbolically caring structures and architectures. As people get to move in to these kinds of symbolic structures, they, automatically, will adopt the mentality for respecting the meaning of the message the structures convey to them and the generations ahead will be directed and guided towards a better and safer world.

Open Heart Housing Complex is one of such symbolic designs, which can measure as a plus for better housing; not just by its design, but also by its practicality. The heart shaped complex rises virtually from a heart shaped site were each complex room 96 units, from studio to three bedroom apartments, each apartment has been planned and designed thoughtfully for its size and price, with an open flexible design of European and American standards.

The master plan is designed from the magnificent mosaic designs of Islamic architecture, where a group of four hearts pointing in one intersection, shaping as a flower and the design repeats itself for a much larger and even a massive housing project like a giant city.

Each heart is designed to allow and invite its tenants and guests from the bottom of the heart (traffic by foot), and from the open heart upper opening (traffic by cars and foot).

For the future safer environments and better design on the complex, the garage for parking spaces are on the lower level of the structure, where only the tenants can have parking spaces, and by accessing them trough a subway type entrance/exit to the heart garden, leads tenants to their apartments.

It is important for the tenants to raise children, and socialize at the same time in an environment that is safe and pleasant, so the heart garden plays its importance and beauty. The heart shaped garden in the complex is designed to be active for those who like to socialize and play or jog for a better heart. It is three playgrounds and spaces to communicate for three levels of aged tenants, children, adults and the elderly. The square platform, where benches and an even cross over green planter is designed, marks the space for a better balanced and peaceful square to meet, communicate and socialize. Under the square platform is a giant party/meeting space for those who like to celebrate events and have educational meetings used by the tenants of the complex.

The heart shaped garden is designed with a proper landscaping and walkways for a clean and healthy environment. The drive around the heart garden is used for emergencies, drop offs, and visiting guests only. Of course, every car entering the complex will be monitored and screened by the security booth in the rear entry of the complex for a safer complex.

I suggest every complex to be solar energy efficient for better and cleaner environment and to save cost on tenants' energy bill. The roofing is considered a space for the solar panels.

Tenants who use the public transportation and their income cannot afford cars and other private transportations, are welcomed from the bottom of the heart (entrance), which is designed and monitored 24/7 by security cameras and other security devices. Also structure's glass overhang canopy and waterfall pool, which is for the memory of those Afghans who lost their lives in decades of wars, make the area more respectful and sized for its use.

Every intersection has four bus stops, directing busses to four directions for its two-way direction and round trip public transportation. A possible under ground public transportation system is being thought of as well.

At its magnificent mosaic pattern, the city of flower heart complexes will provide proper shopping centers and educational, governmental and religious buildings.

We must remember that Afghanistan will grow and is going to be very important nation for the region and the world, a good proper and successful planning is in need for the future of the country. Proper housing with a balanced, environmentally friendly living system, roadways is what the Open Heart Housing Complex is offering.

Proper roadways, sewer systems and energy efficient solar system, which makes this heart complex a very independent, healthy heart, where the future children of this magnificent complex will learn a better way of living, will act responsibly for a better Afghanistan and the world.

I'm proud to announce and introduce the Open Heart Housing Complex as a new way of living, and to be the creator, designer and the architect of this East meets West architecture through a housing community in which we can send and receive positive messages, for a more cooperative and peaceful world.

Please support us financially and morally through these wonderful and much needed projects and thoughts in order to reconstruct and bring hopes to the lives of millions who suffered by bloody wars and poverty in Afghanistan and in any other underdeveloped nation.

Your donations and support will make a huge difference in the life of a little boy, or a girl who could live in a better housing a meaningful life, get an education and receive assistance by our organization and our projects to build an even better future for themselves and others.

With love and peace we can open any closed door and heart.

Thank you,

— Reyaz Nadi