MIA, Reza Eslami

Project Name: MIA
Function: Private Villa (Residential Home)
Design: Reza Eslami Architecture Studio (R.E.S)
Principal Architect: Reza Eslami
Design Team: Mehrasa Rahimi, Mina Jafarian, Niloofar Vahedian, Naghmeh Janalipour, Maryam Taher, Yasaman Asadi
Presentation: Zahra Alavi Moghadam, Naghmeh Janalipour
Structural Designer: Maryam Ebrahimi
Construction Executives: Mohammad Eslami, the late Siamak Kakavand
Lighting Design: Hamed Moslemi
Interior Decoration Execution: Roya Brand and Tarsim Interior Decoration Group
Electrical and Lighting Contractor: Aveis Alizadeh
Facade Brick Supplier: San Asa Brick Factory (Shahab Gardan)
Photography: Niousha Naser Shirzadi
Design Year: 2023
Construction Start and Completion: 2024.
Email: rezaeslamistudio@gmail.com
Instagram: rezaeslami.studio

MIA
A collection of diverse experiences of living within a limited space.
Today, the small plot sizes, close proximity of buildings, and overwhelming overlooking issues in northern cities – despite the humid climate – compel us to design inward-looking homes.
MIA is located in a crowded and less desirable part of the city, designed to provide a peaceful life for a family of three.
Deliberately turning its back on the city, it embraces its residents from within, encouraging them to look up toward the sky in search of light.
The small plot, approximately 200 square meters, combined with the lack of direct street-facing light due to parking requirements on the ground floor, the heavy traffic, and privacy concerns, led us to incorporate a tall atrium at the heart of the project.
Positioned on the north side of the plan, the atrium allows sunlight to penetrate and dance across the walls throughout the day, offering a mesmerizing play of light and shadow at different hours.
Small, cozy courtyards on various levels are easily accessible, minimizing the sense of the building’s limited size and making it hardly noticeable that the house lacks direct street-facing windows.
MIA playfully pulls its residents around, engaging them to experience different aspects of life in every corner according to their moods and moments.
In the end, MIA is not only a delightful and engaging home for its residents but also presents a beautiful, mysterious, and thought-provoking image to the neighborhood’s passersby – whether walking or driving – inspiring those considering building a home in the area.
The existence of such buildings in neighborhoods lacking architectural quality will have a long-term positive impact on the future of construction and will enhance land value in the area.
For its residents, MIA means privacy, peace, and a different experience of living – and for us, it is a beloved creation born out of love.