Minoudar House, Homa Harandi, Mehdi Harandi

Project Name: Minoudar House
Office Name: Harandi & Harandi Architects
Firm Location: Tehran-Milan
Project Location: Yazd, Iran
Program / Use / Building Function: Boutique Hotel / Lead Architects: Mehdi Harandi and Homa Harandi / Completion Year: 2021 / Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 145m2 / Photographer: deed studio / Photographer’s Website: www.deedstudio.com / Photographer’s Email: info@deedstudio.com
Contact Email: info@harandi.studio
Office Website: www.harandi.studio
Email: Mehdi@harandi.studio / Homa@harandi.studio
Instagram: harandi.architects

Harandi&Harandi Architects have conducted an elegant construction project in the city of Yazd, a World Heritage Site on the border of Iran’s central desert.
This house is estimated to be about 400 years old. In 1956, it was initially bought by a dentist who used it as his dentistry for 30 years. It was decided that the house was to be reconstructed as boutique hotel. Originally a part of a bigger house that no longer exists, when acquiesced to the architects the project site was completely separated from its mother construction. It was also intruded by the adjoined building built by materials incompatible with the old structure. Some chambers inside the house were covered and filled out with soil and many original arcs and niches were transforme As the locality of this house, the city of Yazd faces its own challenges. Home to a great portion of Iran’s cultural heritage the western trends and the inexpert decisions of the officials has already changed the face of the city. Climate change is also a great threat to the living conditions of Yazd. In these conditions the goal of Harandi architects was to return the house to what it originally was and reconstruct it in a way that would preserve its heritage, make it sustainable and produce a pleasant space for the guests who visit Yazd. Through the reconstruction interventions were limited to minimum, reversible procedures and materials compatible with the original construction were utilized, the spaces, materials and what was left of the past were distinguished from the new and exact imitation of the past was avoided. during the reconstruction, rooms covered with soil and arches and niches hidden under plaster were discovered and thus the real age of the house was revealed. Contradicting the pattern of Yazd houses that have equal number of entries on each side, when the reconstructions began the house had two entries on one end and three on the other, thus another covered entry was also revealed. One of the few interventions that makes this project unique is the spiral staircase that was installed to give access to the roof and the basement. These added stairs are made of metal to distinguish it from the original construction. One aspect that has been considered in the reconstruction is the comfort of the disabled guests. For their comfort a ramp has been provided to give direct access from the street to the room on the ground floor. The room has also been modified to accommodate wheelchairs.
The cozy courtyard has a small pool and fountain that cools the hot desert weather, while the colorful glasses bring shade to the sunny rooms that boast modern facilities in an ancient building. Minoudar Boutique Hotel is a cozy, small place that can host tourists with the highest expectations.