[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: SHABOFFICE
Area: 798 m²
Year: 2017
Photographs:Parham Taghioff, Ava Dehghani, Mahrad Reyhani, Hossein Marjovi
Manufacturers: Avandad, Miniatour, Venus glass

[GOL]KHANEH is located on the outskirts of the city of Karaj, about 60km west of Tehran. It is designed and built as a vacation home for a family of 6.

Two adjacent but separate plots – each about 5000 square meters – form the site for this project. Plot A was thick with old fruit trees while Plot B, adjacent to a noisy street with a chaotic line of low-rise residential buildings, was dry and barely had any trees because of a previous fire. Therefore, Plot B was chosen as the building site and creating a buffer to maximize privacy and limit views and noise transfer from the neighbouring street to the site quickly became a priority in design.

[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE - Stairs, Windows, Handrail — © Parham Taghioff

Massing of this project is a direct response to site conditions as it aims to form a long and linear volume - similar to a thick wall - and act as a barrier against the noise and chaos of the adjacent street and to block views into the site. The volume is further deformed to embrace the swimming pool and create a private pocket around it. Insertion of the driveway and the swimming pool affect the volume on the ground level and result in shaded areas for drop-off and outdoor sitting.

[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE - Image 16 of 38 — © Parham Taghioff

The resulting dynamic and modern form is wrapped with a brick skin - a long-standing element in Iranian architecture. Bricks are from Heydari Kiln - traditional full bricks each made by hand. The brick layering technique is “Kaleh-rasteh”, one full brick followed by a half brick. Three simple variations on this technique create the opportunity to have different textures on the façade to register level 0 and level 1 as two separate layers and have porosity at windows and balcony balustrades.

[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE - Brick — © Parham Taghioff

A line of full-height windows on the ground floor opens the façade to focus all views on the swimming pool and on Level 1 a long shaded terrace connecting the bedrooms overlooks the pool and the rest of the site. Back of the building remains closed and solid.

[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE - Windows, Facade, Courtyard — © Parham Taghioff

Structural system is concrete slab and columns with columns pushed to the sides and following the direction and form of the building.

[GOL]KHANEH House / SHABOFFICE - Brick, Facade — © Parham Taghioff

Landscape design remains integral to the project. Path lines are following building lines and material palette is cast-concrete and gravel. Plants are chosen from a wild and grass-type palette to create a natural and accidental feel.