Downwind Residential Apartment
Location: Niavaran cultural center, Tehran, Iran
Date: 2021
Designer: Amirhossein Ashari
Design Team: Sara Nazemi, Roodabeh Lotfpour
Execution: Zahra Rahimi, Asma sirjani asl, Sara Nazemi, Shiva Nazarboland, Roodabeh Lotfpour, Ehsan Saadat, Gholamali Hamidi, Zahra Jafari, Moein Nikouei, Nazanin Soleimani
Coordinator: Asma Sirjani asl
Thanks to: Omid Bazmandegan, Raha Cheraghzadeh, Habib Ghorbani, Rost Furniture
Mirror manifests honesty, transparency, and clarity in the Iranian culture. As one of the traditional architectural techniques, mirror fabrication has deep cultural roots and influenced by spiritual and religious beliefs.
Authentic artists consolidated small and large mirror pieces to creative decorative and geometric designs. The fragmented mirror pieces reflected the surrounding environment in a regular geometric composition revealing an abstract presentation of the environment composition.
With the presence of light, color, texture, and fluid reflections provides the visitor with a unique experience to depart from reality and picture himself in imagination. This departure depicts a transition into a world of world of deep contemplation.
This project aims to create such an inspirational space on a smaller scale to encourage imagination. The visitor, in this case, becomes an unavoidable and complementary component of the design elements, imposing a sense of belonging.
The conical shape of the cooling tower, a primary product of the factory, was chosen as the foundational form. This conical design plays a crucial role in unifying the identity both inside and outside. Its slope resonates with adjacent buildings and the surrounding context.
By repetitively adjusting the conical volumes—shifting them forwards, backwards, and in various directions—natural light penetrates from multiple angles, offering enhanced views and crafting a dynamic skyline. On the lower floors, these conical modules are interconnected, ensuring smoother access between them.
Based on the required space, the conical shape, featuring a longitudinal slope, was designed as multi-story. This led to a significant height discrepancy, particularly at the cone’s apex, when compared to the surrounding project area. To mitigate this, sections of the structure, including parking, facilities, and services, were relocated to the basement. To ensure natural light for these spaces and delineate a well-defined open space for the office, sunken gardens were incorporated around the structure to generate various spatial quality . Additionally, vegetation was strategically placed to separate the office space from nearby buildings.
In this project, a paramount consideration was the design of office spaces tailored to employee comfort and satisfaction, cultivating a sense of belonging.
This approach not only enhances individual productivity but also bolsters the factory’s overall output. Recognizing that employees dedicate significant hours within these spaces, and acknowledging the profound influence of the physical environment on performance, it’s vital to address elements that enhance overall well-being and satisfaction.
The design accommodates diverse functional needs. It delineates zones specifically for concentration, collaboration, interaction, and learning. Given the crucial nature of boundaries between these zones, our design strategy integrates a mix of open, closed, and transitional spaces. Each area’s configuration and dimensions were crafted based on its intended function. Emphasis was also placed on ergonomic considerations, safety, health, and thermal comfort, with solutions integrated to cater to each aspect.