Design Proposal

Designing a multistorey building for
commercial (retail), office and
residential use in Teheran means
designing for special climate conditions,
special urban context, special cultural
influences and requirements, special
users, special people.

Designing in Teheran means thus
creating very sensitive a thing called the
third skin of human being - architecture.

Idea and Concept - the Skin

Persian and Islamic Art, Architecture and Culture in
general are traditionally rich in all kinds of floral and
abstract ornamentation and patterning.
Carpets, fabrics, tiles, glassware, commodity items,
furnitures, as well as buildings as a whole are
overcast with fascinating and playful arabesques.
One of those great ancient yet modern pattern is the
eye of the peacock’s feather.
The idea is to unroll and unfold this 3-dimensional
pattern onto a flat surface in order to create a
manageable virtual skin that can be wrapped and
spanned around the building core, thus functioning
as shade mechanism while allowing unique views
from the inside through the perforations, becoming
literally the eyes of the building.
The radially oriented eyes change constantly their
shape, getting larger in relation as the distance from
the imagined center increases. Starting south, where
the eyes are small and narrow, the facade opens
towards north, allowing great panoramic views on
the al-Borz Mountain range, which is reaching
heights up to 4000m above sea level.

Idea and Concept - the Building Core

The building core is based on the traditional islamic
caravanserai architecture.
The caravanserai is entered via a huge gate and
doorway. (Ancient traffic and storage space is to be
shifted underground.)
The groundfloor is the main commercial and hence
public space of the caravanserai. Here trade and
business rules.
The floor above is reserved for more quiet activities
related to flourishing business: contracts are
negotiated, disputes are settled. Still this is public
space. Nowadays known as an office.
Under the roof, where the quarrel of the streets faints
and an atmosphere of ease and inner equilibrium is
maintained, the living and housing space is located.