In 2021, I completed my MS in architecture and energy at the University of Tehran, preceded by a Bachelor’s in architecture engineering from the University of Guilan. My lifelong affinity for the arts, with music holding a special place, has honed my ability to discern rhythm across life’s myriad dimensions. The exploration of harmony and the deconstruction of its constituents have empowered me to conceive and actualize imaginative concepts. These faculties of analysis, synthesis, and ingenuity stand as pivotal cornerstones inherent to the truest expression of architecture.
A Villa for Everything
Specifications:
- Purpose: Residential, House
- Location: Khayyam township, Gorgan. Iran.
- Year: 2023
- Civil Engineer: Dr. Meysam Mogheysi
- Area: 484.56
This project finds itself in a neighborhood which is considered as low status. There is almost a considerable distance between this spot and the city center rendering the site as not so profitable for the building contractors. This is the main reason why we suggested the owner of the property build a decent villa for himself instead of an apartment to sell.
Process:
Locating the Mass:
Since the geometry of the property is rather narrow and becomes even narrower at one end, it was decided to be located at the wider side. This is while some building regulations forbid such a positioning, but we managed to convince the authorities that architecture of the house would best work in this way.
Planning the Spaces:
- Basement
When planning the spaces, the client mentioned that he wanted the house to look like a house and not an apartment! This imposed a limitation to the number of floors which led us to seriously consider having a basement. While the first option that comes to mind might be placing the parking in the basement, we ended up saving the long ramp’s area by locating the parking space on the ground floor and turning the basement into a very desirable space to work and workout! In order for the basement to have good natural light and view, a change of height was made in the yard which improved its design by adding some dynamism and increasing curiosity to look down.
- Ground Floor
The client wished to throw parties at his place which required a united big living space integrated to the yard so that it could accommodate a relatively large number of people. That is where the idea of the sloped roof was formed. The bigger the space, the higher the ceiling. To reach a decent height for the vast living area, a void was provided which also allowed a nicely formed sloped roof visible from the inside. This also meant more natural light could enter this space from two different levels.
Another important desire of the client was to have a completely separated entrance area with enough space to leave shoes and other items of clothing when entering the house. This comes from the Iranian culture of cleanness and the habit of taking shoes off before going inside. This space is reachable both from the garage and the street.
- First Floor
The first floor consists of 3 bedrooms one of which is the master one with its own walking closet and bathroom. We also managed to add a storage for the house. The client wanted the laundry to be located in an open space rather than an enclosed one which is why it is put in the spacious balcony of the master bedroom. The bedroom corridor opens to the beautiful view of a sloped roof and a big terrace, reached through two luminous passageways around the void. These passageways and the void together, connect the yard, the ground floor, and the first floor quite smoothly.
- The Roof
Although a part of the roof is sloped, the other side is flat which can contribute to both mechanical and recreational areas. The roof is simply designed to be used in special occasions such a barbeque party for example.
- The Yard
The client wanted his villa to have an outdoor pool. So, the yard has been mostly allocated to a pool in addition to a sitting area. As it was mentioned before, the yard has been split into two levels for the sake of the basement. The lower level is reachable both from inside and the yard. The access from the yard facilitates business meetings, for, no one has to invade the privacy of the house in order to get to the office.
Renovation of an old apartment
Specifications:
- Purpose: to renovate and refurbish an apartment to sell at a higher price
- Location: Edalat 84, Gorgan, Iran
- Year: 2022
- Area: 120
The apartment was on the fourth floor of a 12-year-old building. The client needed the apartment to look more modern and functional so that it could be sold at a higher price.
Main flaws:
- The false ceiling design had reduced the overall height of the living space to a great extent, making it look smaller than it actually was.
- The kitchen was raised up about 20cm due to plumbing consideration. This change of height did not look good, nor did it function properly.
- Another problem with the kitchen was that it had a separate space for cooking which had occupied 2 big windows for that small space only. Leaving the rest of the kitchen without light.
- There was an old fireplace which needed to be either removed or renovated to fit the place.
- The floor and kitchen tiles as well as the cabinets needed to be changed.
Changes Made:
- The walls of the separate cooking part were removed so that a luminous space could be used as the dining area.
- The false ceiling was removed and a mere minimal one was designed to allow some hidden lighting.
- The kitchen floor was flattened and united with the living space allowing a nice island to separate them.
- Changing the old MDF cabinets with glossy white ones, the inside structure remained to reduce expenses.
- Flooring material chosen for the space was something more reflective and lighter to make the area look bigger.
- The fireplace was kept but covered with thermo wood to give it a more pleasing look.
Lavasan Energy Efficient Villa
Specifications:
- Purpose: Residential House
- Location: Lavasan, Tehran
- Year: 2020
- Client: University Project
This project was a practice of energy efficiency in a residential building. The site was located in Lavasan which has a cold semi-arid climate. This area is also known for its luxurious villas and houses. Challenges of the project included thinking up passive strategies to save energy, and the topography of the land which included a 23% slope.
To acquire a clear understanding of the climate, including wind direction and speeds, highest and lowest temperatures and the desired comfort area, Climate Consultant was used.
Regarding the geometry, this building has been simplified as much as possible to reduce energy loss through walls. The fewer the walls exposed to outdoor spaces, the less the energy loss.
Planning
This villa is consisted of two floors with 4 bedrooms, one of which is for the guests.
Ground Floor Plan
The ground floor is allocated to the parking, living room, kitchen, and the guest room.
The entrance of the house has especially been paid attention to. Since the approach of this design was to save as much energy as possible, it is best to reduce the spaces which need heating. By separating the entrance and creating a so-called buffer zone the heat escape through multiple opening of the door would reduce. Areas which do not necessarily need heating, such as the staircase and the toilet have also been positioned in the buffer zone to avoid extra energy loss.
Another important thing to avoid heat loss is to reduce the number of windows. So, not only have unnecessary windows been eliminated but also on those sides, using the topography of the site, the walls have been covered in soil which has the capacity to maintain a certain temperature. this helps delaying the heat scape through these walls. This is effective especially because looking at the wind pattern, these are the most exposed walls to wind during winter.
Another feature contributing to passive heating in this floor is a conservatory on the south of the building. This glass conservatory gets heated up by the sun and can transfer this heat to the living areas. Glasses are openable, so, in summer this conservatory can easily be turned into a pleasant balcony.
First Floor
In this floor I have tried to put the wardrobes and the bathrooms and ducts on the northside to prevent heat loss from cold northern walls and block the winter winds, and to put the bedrooms and the windows on the south side to benefit from the warmth of the sun during the day.
Proper insulation has also been used in the walls’ detailing.
Another system used to heat the upper floor is OM solar system. operates on the principle of taking solar-heated air collected under the surface of a building’s roof and channeling this hot air, via an
interior vertical duct, down beneath the ground floor to a heat-storing concrete slab. This concrete slab warms the ground floor and releases hot air through floor vents for distribution throughout the building’s interior spaces. Auxiliary devices come into operation for hot water supply and for backup heating on overcast or very cold days.
The roof is sloped to absorb sun’s heat and also repel rain easier. Solar panels have been installed on the roof to provide electricity.
- Site
The slope helps with using the water most efficiently. By adding a water input at one end and a discharge at the other end at each level, water can flow to irrigate more areas.
- Simulation
In order to choose the best type of window and the placement of insulation for the walls, different alternatives were simulated by Energy Plus. Turned out the best window would be simple double-glazed window, and it would be best for this climate if the insulation layer was installed on the exterior. The only problem with exterior insulation is that it tales longer to warm up the house, but since this project was for permanent use, this did not seem to arise any problems.
Energy Efficient Primary School
Specifications:
- Purpose: Educational
- Location: Tabriz, Iran
- Year: 2021
- Client: University Project
This project is in Tabriz with a very cold and arid climate.
In order for this project to have both architectural values and efficiency I thought of a keyword to place my focus on. This keyword for a primary school was “yard”. I believe the most important element for children between the ages of 7 to 12 is where they can play while enjoying the sunlight. Thus, the main aim of this project turned into it a yard that could be used even in the coldest of weathers.
Firs, the idea was designing multiple small yards, this would have been easier to control the conditions in terms of heating. But then taking into account the matter of controlling the kids, it was decided to go on with a single controlled yard + an outdoor uncontrolled yard.
The form of the project was a combination of energy considerations and the essence of the project. The soft curvy lines imply motion and dynamism for the little ones, and through energy simulation with Energy Plus, these curves seemed to help reducing the energy consumption compared to the cubic forms.
The mentioned yard works like a conservatory. It gets warm when the sun shines at can leep the warmth for some time.
The natural light of the classrooms were also simulated with Dialux.
Eye Scream
Specifications:
- Purpose: commercial, Interior Design
- Location: Tehran, Iran
- Year: 2020
- Client: University Project
Planning and Material
In this project, we were the ones who had to decide what would be best for the assigned store.
Looking at the floor plan, the smallness made me want to design something small. The geometry of the project had a division of 3 parts which made me decide to sell 3 different things in that little store: ice cream, drinks, and sweets.
To visually divide these three parts, 3 colors were chosen and the different possible organizations of them were tried which can be seen in the diagrams. Playing with these parcels, three main conditions could be defined for their positioning: working as a façade, covering the whole interior, or a partition in the middle.
Polycarbonate sheets were selected as the main material for a number of reasons. first, they are flexible in case of geometry, second, they come in different colors, and third, they have some transparency which lets the colors and these separate parts to merge and unite.
Furnitures were also altered with this material to suit the store.
Naming and Logo Design
As the ice cream part is located in the center of the project, it is the main product sold in this store. That is why the naming is related to ice cream. It is named eye scream because it has the same pronunciation, it implies how eye-catching ice cream is, and it has also reference to the famous song “I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream”
The logo is also the word eye scream with “e” being in the shape of eyes and “Y” in the shape of an ice cream bowl.
Mr. Kaviani’s Apartment
Specifications:
- Purpose: residential
- Location: Gorgan, Iran
- Client: Mr. Kaviani
- Year: 2023
- Civil Engineer: Meysam Mogheysi
This project is located in one of the best districts of Gorgan. The client wanted a residential building with 6 floors, and 2 apartments in each floor. Considering the jungle view from the 6th floor, we suggested the last floor to have only one apartment with the yard in front of it.
Planning:
Ground Floor
The parking space is in basement. On the ground floor plan there is a great lobby and entrance which eventually lead to gym and a little pool and sauna. The janitor’s place is also located in the lobby, but the entrances have been separated with the help of a buffer zone when entring the building.
The Flats
The client wanted one of the four bedrooms to be for the guests and he insisted its separation from the zone of the other bedrooms so that the guest could come and go without intruding the privacy of others. Thus, when entering the flats, you can choose whether to proceed to go to the living room, the bedrooms, or the guest room.
6th Floor
This flat is smaller and has 2 bedrooms, but instead it has the whole roof in front of it. This outdoor area has been designed in a way that can be used in all seasons. To add variety, different sitting spots have been designed with lush green spaces to please the eyes. A combination of wood and cement gives the roof garden a modern look. It is also quite well appointed for the sake of barbeque spot and the outdoor fireplace.
Saadat Apartment
Specifications:
- Purpose: Residential
- Location: Gorgan, Iran
- Year: 2023
- Client: Mr. Namaei
- Civil Engineer: Meysam Mogheysi
This residential building is located in one of the best districts of the city. it is a 2-flat 5-tstorey building.
Planning
Basement:
The client wanted the place to have both a pool and a gym. Although at first it seemed like the ground floor would have been the best place to locate the pool, analyzing the costs of stopping the leaks and the executive difficulties, we decided to move it to the basement. Considering the fact that the basement should have accommodated 20 cars too, it was a bit of a challenge to place the pool there as well. Plus, the pool’s entrance should have been separated from the parking or else it would have been unusable. Finally, with the help of a two-door elevator, we added a zone in front of it, so that the occupants could choose whether they want to go to the parking or to the pool.
Ground Floor:
Lobby, Janitor’s place, storage, conference hall, and a spacious gym are located in this level.
The Flats:
There are two mirrored flats consisting of 3 bedrooms and a big living room and kitchen. The only requirement of the client was that the two flats’ entrances bee hidden from each other. This was due to the Iranians’ culture of removing the shoes and leaving them at the doorstep. This should create a bad view which is why they are hidden in a corner. Additionally, there has been a space assigned for a cupboard for shoes.
82 Apartment
Specifications:
- Purpose: residential
- Location: Gorgan, Iran
- Year: 2023
- Client: Mr. Ahadi
- Civil Engineer: Meysam Mogheysi
This project was a bit challenging due to its narrow proportion and also the limited access points. What made it even harder was that it had to have 5 floors which meant we needed at least 5 parking spaces in the basement.
Planning
Basement:
By placing the staircase and the elevator appropriately, we managed to fit 5 parking spaces in the basement. But this only worked because the client said 2 floors of this place were supposed to be for himself, so it was okay it one of these car parks was a little difficult.
Ground Floor:
This floor consists of a small lobby, the janitor’s place, and a pool.
The Flats:
Because of the staircase and elevator’s position in the middle, it was a bit tricky to define the different spaces of the house properly, but finally a 3-bedroom flat was designed conveniently.
Sustainable Towers
Specifications:
- Purpose: Residential/ Master Thesis Project
- Location: Tehran, Iran
- Year: 2022
This project was a sustainable residential complex in Valiasr street in Tehran. There were supposed to be 2 towers in a site with 10000 square meters of area.
Site analysis:
In this stage with the help of Climate Consultant, the dominant wind direction, both in summer and winter, was detected.
Positioning of the Mass:
When buildings become higher than a certain amount, their shadows both on the site and the neighboring buildings becomes important, so, different alternatives were tried to reach the best place to locate the buildings.
Wind Analysis:
One of the concepts of the project was to have green space in all floors which meant having a lot of terraces. So with CFD Autodesk, two alternatives were simulated and turned out that terraces helped reducing the wind effect on the facades.
Energy Analysis:
Adding conservatories, insulation, an Low-E windows showed to save energy by almost 30%. This was simulated by Open Studio and Energy Plus.