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Architects: Persian Garden Studio
- Area: 900 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Deed Studio, blupix
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Lead Architects: Mahsa Majidi
Text description provided by the architects. Kaarestan Event Space, located in Tehran's historic and cultural district, is an 80-year-old historic building that was left abandoned after the death of its owners Alireza Afzalipour, a philanthropist, and his wife Fekhere Saba a famous opera singer. The building originally consisted of three residential floors in the main northern building, a one-story southern structure, and a courtyard in between the two. The building was purchased by a well-known startup company, as part of their social responsibility plan, to be reused as a private event space and provide a place for young talents to gather, perform and create art.
The project's unique geographical location in Tehran's cultural zone led the design approach towards focusing on creating a connection between this project as an urban node to the existing revitalization plan in the area by inviting the public to celebrate the art of performance also experience a sense of community and belonging for local performers and artists. To open the building to the neighborhood, the starting point of the spatial experience, the southern building was designed as a café with transparent openings, creating a visual connection between the main building and the street.
During the process of reinforcement, the main building was strengthened by methods such as the implementation of 13-meter-deep piles, a strip foundation, shotcrete walls, and metal mesh floors. Keeping the original shape of rooms and spaces on each floor and redesigning them to create shared meeting rooms, presentation areas, focus rooms, game rooms, and shared office booths. The courtyard was excavated creating a basement level to be used as a performance area and music room. The existing pond was then redesigned as a glass pond, emphasizing the visual connection between different layers of the project.
The design process was then completed by researching historic, cultural buildings in Iran, the most iconic example of which is Ali Qapu, an imperial palace in Isfahan, built in the 1500s. This world heritage site is located in Naqsh-e Jahan Square and was once the residence of emperors, and the terrace on the top floor with a cantilevered ceiling was a base of observation, as the rulers watched army maneuvers, polo games, and events happening in the main square.
Inspired by this historic concept, the rooftop level is a significant completion point for the visitor's experience. The metal roof extension was added as a cantilevered structure to the existing roof with a transparent gap. The opening of the cantilever on the south side frames a sky view, while the volume protects this historic building in reality and metaphoric terms. This concept of creating openings and framing views is repeated on the ground floor with the glass pond and then on the rooftop.
At the rooftop level, visitors will experience a unique view of the neighborhood, Vahdat city hall, and many other historic buildings. The roof facilitates a point of connection to the city, a gathering place that looks over the neighborhood and where it is possible to create human connections away from crowded city life and restrictions in today's Tehran.
