Granada Institute

// Bachelor Thesis; Prof. Peter Cheret - The function of the building is to host up to eight young scholars researching about the three Abrahamic religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It also provides on the ground floor a public space which can be occasionally closed up with curtains and used for private events. For centuries, people of all three religions lived together in this neighborhood. The ground floor is public, given to the neighborhood as a place to exchange and discuss, in order to better understand each other. The scholars live in identical rooms that share communal spaces: two big terraces, a kitchen, a library and a living room. The building is located on a hill with a view on the Alhambra, over the city center of Granada and the Sierra Nevada. To cope with the hot climate, the building offers complex, yet, low tech solutions for winter and summer. In summer the building shades the public space while allowing cross ventilation in all areas while in winter the green house effect is used by closing the terraces with a glass wall. The circle shape of the building unites the people inside while protecting them from the outside by allowing unrestricted speech and exchange of thoughts. It is a landmark for the neighborhood to spark interest and participation in the dialogue about religion, a particularly important topic for our society at the moment.