Isfahan H to V House / CAAT Studio

Isfahan H to V House / CAAT Studio

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Text description provided by the architects. The H to V House is located in a high-density urban block in the city of Isfahan-Iran. The project‘s design corresponds to how traditional spatial relationships in a conventional Isfahan House can be transformed into a modern house within an urban block, whilst maintaining the same traditional circulation concerns and essence of space. Isfahan is considered one of the world heritage cities, which houses some of the best Iranian architectural and urban space monuments. The people of this city have coexisted with multi-cultural and religious diversities for many centuries, and because of numerous cultural and religious influences, they have built a very complex and specific behavioral pattern.

This project created an opportunity for us to attentively study the behavior and the social relations of an Isfahani family, in its authentic traditional form. This enabled us to design a house that best suited its urban context and maintained a key spatial circulation within the house which is imposed as a reflection of their cultural behavior. The project is located on a plot of land with an area of 300 m² in a dense context, intended for middle-class families. The land is neighbored from three sides and the municipality dictates that the maximum land occupancy is 60%, the building should be situated to the North of the plot, and that the choice of material, and color, … are according to their restrictions

CAAT studio found the answer to the project in redefining the traditional Isfahani houses in a modern context. Typical former houses built in Isfahan consist of two parts, The “Andaruni”(Private Zone) and the “Biruni”(Guest Zone) which are interconnected by a service corridor. The “Andaruni” located at the back of the house, is considered the family’s private region with bedrooms and a small family yard. This segment of the house is very simple, and it’s exempt from extravagant decorations. On the other hand, the “Biruni” is a large reception room that is intended for guests and events, it is located in front of the house which usually overlooks the front yard, and is intentionally very rich in decorations and delicate architectural details.

In this project, due to the restrictions imposed by the plot size and the permit restrictions, we turned the typical horizontal plan diagram of traditional Isfahani houses with “Andaruni and Biruni space” into a vertical composition, thus consequently naming the project H to V house. The Andaruni space is set out on two floors in a very simple manner and has a private courtyard connecting them at the back similar to a traditional Isfahani House. The “Biruni Space” on the other hand is designed in a sophisticated formal manner overlooking the front courtyard, joining the two spaces is a double-height vertical corridor that embraces the service area of a traditional home. To conclude this project has brought together a” Home” where its occupants can still experience a modern living space that is still in line with the textural identity and heritage. 

Along with the idea of ​​​​the project, variety in the choice of material color can be seen in both Guest and Private zones. (white brick in vertical rows, gray brick in horizontal rows). In the Guest zone, the white brick shell covers the inside and outside of the project with a plastic shape, so that the structure and material have been merged, and the private zone, has formed as a gray brick box.