Villa Mayan, Afshin Khosravian

Project Name: Villa Mayan, Iran Building of the Year, 2021, Honorable Mention / Function: Residential / Design Office: Afshin Khosravian & Associates / Architect: Afshin Khosravian / Design Colleagues: Ali Javid, Fahimeh Karimi / Interior Designer: Mahsa Sedaghat /Computer and Graphics: Ali Javid, Fatemeh Karimi, Somayeh Asadi / Supervision: Vajiheh Hosseini Abrishami / Structure: Hooman Movahed Avval / Mechanical Installation: Mehdi Pezeshkirad / Employer: Architect’s Family / Type of Structure: Steel Structure, Chromite Beams / Type of Installation: Cooling System (Water Cooler), Heating System (Underfloor Heating System) / Land Area: 265 square meters / Built-Up Area: 242 square meters / Date of Construction Commencement and Completion: 2018-2019 Project Address: Corner of 1st Golestan St., Mayan Sofla, Mayan Village, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran / Project Photographer: Nimkat Studio
Website: www.afshin-khosravian.com
Email: faratarh.arc@gmail.com
Instagram: @afshin.khosravian

Villa Mayan is located on the outer side of the third summer tourist village of Mashhad with a history of 1800 years. A land with area of 265 square meters with a width of 9 meters in a rocky land with a steep slope, which is characterized by a pristine landscape and its connection with the ground. The most important axis of thought for the design team was the harmonious relationship between volume and context so that the least change in the historical-natural form of the background takes place. In this regard, the study and complete identification of native patterns from the morphology of the texture of the historic village to the ecology of the natural environment helped to form the design. In the theoretical field of the project, we intended to find a new model to prevent the penetration of urban architectural patterns (especially of the undesirable type) to the villages. Trying to challenge the culture of excellence in architecture and provide an example of cheap and easy material that speaks of different qualities was one of our other intentions in design. Due to the limited area, severe topography and summer climate of the region, design in cutting was used as a process to form the relationship between context and volume and solve its problems. Placing only two volumes (entrance-parking volume and residential volume) on two levels and establishing a relationship between them through green space and roof garden gave a suitable response to the program, landscape and open area of the project. Porches play a key role in reducing the mass of the volume to strengthen the relationship with the ground by providing adequate visibility and light. The extension of the green courtyard forms a relatively deep porch that defines the covered living space as well as the relative lateral privacy of the pool. Also, the yard of the first floor, has been covered with the opening and closing structure of a native plant called Judas-tree (Arghavan) (handicrafts of Torqabeh region of Mashhad) to provide proper privacy. It is worth mentioning that the shadow caused by the roofed living space and the pool water, which is located in the direction of the region’s breeze (from the valley), creates a chimney phenomenon, which has a great effect on reducing energy consumption during summer by opening the roof floor window in such a manner that energy consumption in the summer on the ground floor reaches zero. Based on the pattern of construction and natural-historical materials of the background, the building is covered with natural cob with a little iron soil and brick and the floor is in harmony with the background and adds a sense of area, smell, special intimacy with simple wooden and native details. The details of the wall sconces and lighting decorations are all done with local details and handicrafts of the area. Our design plan includes attempting to use simple details and native materials or to optimize the use of new materials used in the village with special intimacy and refinement. For example, sanitary services are made of cheap and quality cement, which creates a pleasant smell.