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Architects: Padiav Parth Architects
- Area: 1450 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
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Lead Architects: Bahram Shokouhian, Amir Fazeli
Text description provided by the architects. The Zafar Residential Project began when investors approached our office for a design tailored to the middle class with appropriate spatial quality. Various diagrammatic options for space layout were considered. Ultimately, a diagram that met parking requirements was selected.
During the design process, to enhance the spatial quality of the entrance lobby, we relocated the staircase box, allowing the ground floor entrance to be completely independent from the parking area, and giving the lobby an independent and transparent identity from the outside. Efforts were made to minimize the number of parking levels. Through further analysis and appropriate design measures, we reduced the parking levels from two to one basement level. This not only reduced costs and optimized the use of underground space but also provided more space for residential units.
Two types of apartments were designed: one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, with areas of 70 and 105 square meters, respectively. This design considered the features and needs of Tehran's middle-class citizens, ensuring each residential unit could best meet the residents' needs.
For the facade design, various options were considered, and the following criteria helped select the final design: breaking the rhythm of the windows, combining transparent and solid surfaces into a homogeneous texture, considering the facade as a volumetric structure rather than an external skin, extending the facade volume into the spaces by continuing the brick wall inside and transforming structural elements of the facade into a unified and homogeneous surface or volume.
Since brick in Iranian culture symbolizes residence and authenticity, we decided to use brick as the dominant covering material, combined with other materials. To transform the structural elements of the facade into volumes, we designed the parapets to extend in three dimensions and blend with metal surfaces into a homogeneous texture. The gray metal body, in conjunction with the adjacent brick, created an interesting combination of materials and colors. Another facade element is the covering body of the expansion joint, designed to act as a volumetric structure in conjunction with other facade elements, rather than merely a covering skin.
As mentioned, to ensure the facade is not just an outer skin, many brick bodies extend into the building, forming the walls of living rooms or bedrooms. The module on which the spaces and facade are based is determined by the dimensions of bricks and half-bricks. By incorporating closets in the facade fronts, we maximized space efficiency, creating a modular and textured facade. Additionally, considering the lightness and heaviness of the volumes of the buildings on either side, the facade texture composition was completed to contribute to the visual balance of the urban facade and soften the skyline.
