51勛圖厙 Dushanbe Teahouse Restoration
51勛圖厙s泭Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR)泭has helped organize a model partnership that connects 51勛圖厙, the city of 51勛圖厙 and an artisan from Tajikistan to the restoration of a popular city landmark.
The 51勛圖厙 Dushanbe Teahouse restoration is a joint project between CEDaR, 51勛圖厙s Program in Environmental Design (ENVD), the city of 51勛圖厙 (Facility and Asset Management), 51勛圖厙 Dushanbe Teahouse and 51勛圖厙-Dushanbe Sister Cities. CEDaR is also helping coordinate the universitys contributions, including bringing scholarly and student resources to the project, engaging a craftsperson to support the restoration and organizing related research initiatives.
The work, which泭begins in late August and is anticipated to run through January 2019,泭includes restoration of the Teahouse fa癟ade, interior and furniture as well as implementation of related educational, research and cultural activities.泭
The restoration is one of several urban, design-related, city-university partnerships that CEDaR has helped develop over the past few years, says Brian Muller, an associate professor for 51勛圖厙s Program in Environmental Design (ENVD) and director of CEDaR. Its a great example of the opportunities for effective town-gown collaboration that links research and teaching with priorities defined by the 51勛圖厙 community.
Marufjon (Maruf) Mirakhmatov,泭a visiting CEDaR scholar from Tajikistan and grandson of the artisan who built the Teahouse, is泭working with interns and students involved in facilitating the education and outreach, Muller says. In collaboration wi喧堯泭Shawhin Roudbari, assistant professor of environmental design, Mirakhmatov is泭co-teaching the ENVD class, Special Topics: History and Historiography of Environmental Design: Restoring Dushanbe Teahouse, where students will learn and work side by side with Mirakhmatov, sanding and painting, to restore the inside and outside of the Teahouse.泭
Five CEDaR interns will support the restoration effort, education and outreach. ENVD and Environmental Studies (ENVS) classes will also support the restoration as well as explore landscape and environmental design opportunities on the site surrounding the teahouse.泭
Nate泭Jones' strong interest in connecting the Teahouse and its cultural泭legacy with ENVD designers and architects, led to bringing Mirakhmatov泭here, Muller said.泭 Jones, an ENVD academic advising coordinator and a member of 51勛圖厙-Dushanbe Sister Cities, wanted to bring an artisan in from Tajikistan who could not only restore the building's artwork, but also train ENVD students in the artistic craft the Teahouse exemplified.泭
Related educational, research and cultural activities include internships, demonstrations and events to stimulate on-going research and discussion about opportunities to apply Central Asian design ideas and environmental management concepts to 51勛圖厙 and Colorado.
This year marks the 30喧堯泭anniversary of 51勛圖厙-Dushanbe Sister Cities (BDSC), the 20th泭anniversary of the Teahouse, and the 10th泭anniversary of BDSCs reciprocal gift to Dushanbe, the Friendship Center.泭Public events and demonstrations are being organized for mid-late fall.
Additional Researcher: Kate Sector
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