An Intimate Apartment In Lavasan | Atizist Consulting Engineers

This apartment belongs to family and friends, each floor belongs to one family. The partners all have a hand on culture and thought; From studies in the field of philosophy to working in art auctions in Iran and the region; Therefore, a logical dialogue based on adherence to the cultural principles of Iranian architecture and turning it into a family house (a modern interpretation of Iranian architecture) was the client's request. In addition, the location of this apartment in the vicinity of the small tomb of the abandoned farm and the importance of the place of Abbas Kiarostami (who rests here) for the client put the project in a special situation. The project site had a ten-meter-high trench wall from the end of the land, which necessitated the creation of a backyard in that part for natural light; Therefore, the project was involved in several aspects of forces and potentials that should have been taken into consideration during the design, which are mentioned below:

In creating the atmosphere of Iranian architectural spaces, the designer has paid attention to the centrality of enclosed open spaces in Iranian architecture. The yard in the native architecture is the place of communication and common events of the residents of the same house, which in this project, by creating terraces with different depths, the terraces have different voids in relation to each other, which connects these four units together (continuity at the same time independent being) and has led to the occurrence of narratives of a traditional life in a modern building. In addition to these family terraces, the project also has private terraces.

The atmosphere of the project is produced by the powerful presence of material components (materials). The intensification of the experience of materialism leads to the strengthening of the feeling of reality and physicality in the space. Traditional brick and wood are the dominant materials in this project. Images arising from matter leave deeper and more profound experiences than images based on mere formalism. Materials evoke imagination and feelings from unconscious perception, and in this project, materials have a strong presence and interact with their residents.

The idea of ​​an Iranian courtyard is manifested through the use of a pond and fountain and turquoise tiles in the main lobby of the building. The lobby has different spatial elements that, apart from the water feature and its components, have different heights between 3 meters and ten meters, which are illuminated through the ceiling; It is as if we have entered the courtyard of a traditional house, where each family member watches the presence of others from their special locations; And the staircase also provides a free view of the landscape of Lavasan region for those who pass by it.

The project has effective discourses of space and place and has not targeted Lavasan landscape simply because of its location at a suitable height. This building involves the sensory characteristics of the audience. The environmental perception of its spaces transforms the resulting images on the retina into a physical implication in the space we are in and enhances our atmospheric sense. Purely visual architecture has the property of separation and control, while architecture based on touch is connecting and unifying, and tactile sensitivity is achieved through materiality, proximity, recognition and intimacy. Factors that promote the identity of being at home.

The backyard wall of this building is the closest wall to Abbas Kiarostami's tomb. Reflecting on Kiarostami's photos, we see another narrative of the wall in his works; Narrating the role of nature on it. A mixture of time, light, paint on the face of the wall. From his point of view, the wall is a curtain on which nature paints transient scenes. For us architects, the wall is a text that we have written on nature as a context. Therefore, in this project, this wall has become a green wall.