Rong Cultural Center

The island is economically stressed, and the red soil carried away from it has long been seen by locals as a plunder of their resources. An earlier attempt by the client to build there ended with residents burning part of the work, so a participatory process followed, with workshops that shaped a broad plan for tourism infrastructure run by and for the community.

The Iranian design team studied the island’s forms and materials and adapted the super-adobe sandbag technique of an earlier Iranian architect, combined with a steel structure covered in cement. The first building is a cultural centre with tourist information, a café and an event office.

The centre is an urban space people can walk on, its domes and terraces following the island’s geology while giving it an iconic presence. It accepts local reality and invites participation, is recyclable, and was built quickly and simply so it can be repeated.