Mun House, Elnaz Rahimi

Project Name: Mun house
Function: Residentional
Office: Elnaz Rahimi
Lead Architect: Elnaz Rahimi
Location: West Azerbaijan Provience, Shahindej
Total Land Area: 3700m2
Area of Construction: 140m2
Date: Fall, 2021
Email: elnazrahimi2017@gmail.com
Instagram: @elnazrahimi.arc

The subject of this project was the design of a house for a family of four, in the middle of an orchard in the cold region of Azerbaijan. The client needed a two-bedroom house in their limited area. Due to the location of the project in a 3700-meter orchard with the only access from an eight-meter alley in the northwest, in addition to the neighborhoods in the south of the site, and the orchard in the north and east, it was decided to design a building adjacent to the eight-meter alley. This way, both pedestrian and cars access were provided with minimal changes in the orchard. For the next stage, due to the northeast-southwest orientation of the land and alley, choosing a suitable orientation for the building was challenging. In this climate (cold and mountainous) adequate sunlight and protection from adverse winds play an important role in providing environmental comfort for residents. Moreover, a direct connection to the alley and the street for a house that can have a view of the orchard and be away from the outside noises is not pleasant. Therefore, the proposed solution was a 45-degree rotation of the building. By creating a communication joint, the greater distance connection between the alley, the orchard, and the building with is created, by which we enter a small courtyard through porches and openings, and then we reach the main entrance of the house. Hence, the view of the house will be to the orchard with a filter between the building and the alley. Also the direction of all the openings, doors, and windows will be to the north and south. The public and private spaces were defined into two separate sections, both of which are related to the kitchen as the focal point. In addition, the kitchen provides access to the backyard, which leads to an open living area and a half-covered barbecue in the middle of the orchard. The porch is also designed on the north side connected to the living and dining area, which frames the orchard in its wooden frame. The east and west sides were designed to be as closed as possible. The roof of the house is built flat, based on the construction techniques of the mountainous climate. For this introverted design local materials with dark color and traditional elements of the region such as wooden beams, ponds and benches were used to create a relaxing environment.