A House Facing Derak, Elnaz Amini Khanimani, Esmail Ashena, Saeed Sharifi

Project Name: A house facing the Derak
Function: Residential
Office: Studio Had
Lead Architects: Elnaz Amini Khanimani, Esmail Ashena, Saeed Sharifi
Interior Design: Elnaz Amini
Client: Amir Moradi, Saman Moradi
Executive Engineer: Esmail Ashena
Lighting: Amin Mousavi
Mechanical Installations Engineer: Mehdi Karami
Mechanical Structure: Split and Package
Structural Engineer: Ali Abedi
Structure: Concrete
Location: Shiraz, Farhang shahr St.
Total Land Area: 470 m2
Area of Construction: 1500 m2
Date: 2020/11/03 to 2024/03/12
Photographer: saman bagheri.
Email: hadarchistudio@gmail.com
Instagram: had.arcstudio

This project is a residential apartment in the northwest of Shiraz, with a site that is completely overlooking the Derak Mountains, which has been the primary focus in its design. The building is formed by the overlapping of four cubes, each with its own distinct identity thanks to separate materials. Each of these boxes contains private and public spaces for the units. Just like in the homes from the Zandieh period (representing the traditional Shirazi house), where the guest room had a close connection with the lush garden, this project also aimed to create interactive terraces and establish a flexible connection with the mountain landscape thereafter. To achieve this, a network of transparent and movable modules was placed in front of the terraces. This setup allows for a constant presence of the mountainous scenery in all states: open, semi-open, and completely closed.
To maintain privacy in the part of the main room designated for the bed, a brick lattice screen has been designed that, while preserving an appropriate visual connection with the outside, also ensures the necessary confidentiality.
Another noteworthy aspect is the placement of the skylight in a location that facilitates a good connection with the green backyard. This curved light well extends down to the basement, where the sauna, jacuzzi, and gym are located. This feature allows air to circulate through the building thanks to this vertical corridor. Continuing from the building, it reaches the site boundary, and instead of a wall, there are two cut-out boxes, each serving a distinct purpose, creating a connection between the alley and the yard.