Residential · 2019

Saeed's Home

A detached house that stays part of the apartment city around it.

Location: Amol, Iran
Principal architect: Navid Emami
Project manager: Saeid Souri
Design team: Mohammad Gholami | Niloufar Noushirvani | Roozbeh Kakoo | Atefeh Nemati | Iman Ghodrati | Mehrnesa Khani | Mostafa Mokhtari
Visualisation and presentation: Mohammad Gholami
Structure: Mohammad Panahi
Construction and supervision: Razan Architects | Meysam Manavi
Client: Private

Built area: 870sqm
Design year: 2019
Status: Built

01Question

Question statement

How can one house keep the privacy and richness of a detached home, and still belong to the apartment city around it?

A simple, context-sensitive form and accessible materials avoid visual dominance on the street. Inside, a four-storey void under a glass roof organises the relationship between public and private life.

02Strategy

Two boxes,one void.

Main mass
The volume sits among apartment blocks and takes its measure from them.
Bifurcation
The mass splits in two, opening an intermediate void.
Reduction
Mass is reduced to match the neighbours, forming the entrance and a courtyard on the top floor.
Two spatial boxes
The two volumes hold the rooms of the house.
Expansion of the void
The gaps between rooms widen into one space that connects the whole house.
Functional openings
Openings are placed to organise views, privacy and light within the boxes.
Bridges and stairs
Bridges and intermediate stairs connect the rooms and vary how each space is perceived.