metal envelope clads 'ghaneei house' mimicking ancient persian houses

polsheer architects have renovated their old family house creating some additional spaces inside the existing building which is located in isfahan, iran. as the children of the family grew up and more space was needed, they decided to form two extra rooms on the top floor, the north side of the present structure. furthermore, another requirement was to generate an indirect connection to the grandfather’s dwelling, which is the adjacent building. all images courtesy of farshid nasrabadi

taking its cue from the typical persian buildings, a porch (balcony) was built on top of the two new rooms, providing an integrated space that shelters the entire family together. furthermore, polsheer architects created a path on the east side of the building to connect ‘ghaneei house’ driveway to the father’s house garage. finally, a staircase with three stairs way was built to connect the east parts of the dwelling to the west, providing a circulation circle in both horizontal and vertical directions.

the aluminum covering of the main box resembles a contemporary form of ancient persian houses’ light and view control system (orosi); in which inhabitants have full control and a complete view of the outside. due to the colored window glasses, there is no observation possibility from outside but an opaque and non-transparent view, fulfilling the requirements of security and privacy.

the circulation system is a new and up-to-date form of the old persian houses systems, which provides a horizontal transition into three vertical levels. meanwhile, the old berry tree in the middle of the yard attracts passers-by interest creating shadows on the intricate aluminum facade of the building.

project info:

name: ghaneei house
architects: polsheer architects

lead architects: mohamadreza ghaneei, ashkan ghaneei

location: isfahan, iran

area: 580 sqm

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edited by: christina petridou | designboom