The Grapevine project, designed by architects Mohamad Reyhani, Alireza Modarresi, and Ali Sovizi with Design Associates Hamideh Sarafian, Matineh Rezaie, Faezeh Samadi, Sara Vahidian, Maryam Nikmehr, Elham Mahdian, Bahar Hajizadeh, Reza Rohi, and Sina Eftekhar, responds to limited daylight, restricted airflow, and dense urban conditions in Mashhad through a contextually driven, low-tech sustainability strategy.
The design draws on the climatic logic of traditional Iranian courtyard houses and reinterprets it vertically.
Climatic strategies shaped by light and airflow
A longitudinal central void structures the environmental system, drawing daylight into the depth of the plan while allowing continuous vertical air movement.
The existing plane tree becomes an integral climatic element, providing shade and evapotranspiration that help moderate terrace temperatures and support natural airflow across levels. A recessed terrace on the fifth floor captures this cooled air and channels it indoors, supporting cross-ventilation on a compact site.
Angled brick louvers maintain privacy while allowing windows to remain ventilated, adjusting daylight and airflow to seasonal and daily shifts. At roof level, a pergola paired with planted surfaces reduces heat absorption, strengthens the stack effect, and creates shaded, semi-open platforms that temper the top-floor microclimate.
Context and complexity
The project responds not only to environmental conditions but also to a layered programmatic brief. The client, a jeweler, valued craft, precision, and a sense of familiarity rooted in Mashhad’s historic Majd district.
The 250-square-meter site sits in a neighborhood once known for its gardens and older summer houses but now marked by rental-oriented development and minimal new investment. The client’s plan to occupy one unit while reserving others for rental and future use introduced a dual programmatic approach that required both personal identity and long-term market adaptability.
Design concept and architectural expression
The design reinterprets the spatial qualities of traditional courtyard houses, not through replication but through the evocation of shared memory—light, shadow, privacy, and layered depth.
A conceptual “frame” organizes the project, acting as both a spatial structure and a visual identity. Through its detailed articulation, this frame distinguishes the building within a neighborhood of mixed architectural conditions. White brick, chosen for its climatic performance and acoustic qualities, shapes both the exterior and interior thresholds.
Because of the alley’s narrow width, interaction with the street happens mainly through elevated terraces, which act as controlled openings for daylight and ventilation. Adjustable leaf-like shells on the facade refine privacy, regulate sunlight, and create visual depth, orienting views east and west for morning and evening light.
Typical floors and program distribution
On the first through fourth floors, each 160-square-meter rental unit is designed for flexibility, allowing residents to adapt spaces for living, dining, working, reading, or leisure. The terrace acts as both a source of daylight and an environmental buffer, visually and thermally linking interior spaces while offering a soft separation between the kitchen and dining areas.
The client’s residence
The client’s residence occupies two floors and balances past architectural experience with contemporary needs. The first floor is dedicated to living and guest reception, with a south-facing garden forming a green curtain that maximizes transparency and filters daylight.
The second floor contains private rooms, a more intimate living area, and an open courtyard. This living area connects visually to the courtyard and, through it, to the reception space below—recalling the layered transitions of traditional porches. An internal stair leads to the roof, completing the residence with a space for informal family time.
Spatial experience
The project aims to introduce a sense of discovery through the calibrated play of light and material depth. Cut brick pieces, arranged at varying angles, create shifting patterns that change with each moment of sunlight. This transforms the facade into a dynamic surface where brightness, shadow, and partial illumination produce an experience that evolves throughout the day. The brick frame clarifies the building’s vertical continuity, while the stair and courtyard extend the spatial sequence into multiple layers. Navigating the project becomes a dialogue between material texture, filtered light, and the subtle contrasts of color and shadow.
Material strategy
Durable, thermally stable materials form the foundation of the building’s embodied-carbon approach. AAC block, fired brick, and stone were selected for their longevity and minimal maintenance requirements, reducing the need for future material-intensive interventions.
Custom brick modules provide micro-shading, glare reduction, and visual texture while maintaining strong ties to local craft traditions. The use of vegetation and recessed volumes act as passive thermal buffers.
Energy and performance
The building’s energy performance relies on passive environmental control as opposed to mechanical systems. Natural ventilation, vegetation-assisted cooling, controlled daylighting, and minimal glazing optimize indoor comfort across extreme seasonal temperatures.
This layered configuration significantly reduces cooling demand in a climate where airflow is often restricted by neighboring structures. As a result, the project achieves long-term energy efficiency while maintaining user comfort throughout the year.
Circular thinking
Service and maintenance emissions are reduced through the use of robust materials together with a limited mechanical system footprint. Brick and stone surfaces require minimal upkeep, thermally stable AAC block resists cracking and weathering, and modular façade components can be selectively repaired without major disruption.
Adaptability is integrated into the plan as a means of reducing future material waste. On the typical floors, a flexible central bay can shift between workspace, dining, or living functions without requiring structural changes.
Terraces and roof areas remain accessible for inspection and maintenance. Brick modules, operable façade shells, thermowood elements, and standardized aluminum-and-glass window systems further enable localized repair, reducing the need for replacement.
In the duplex unit, intermediate platforms and landings accommodate shifting patterns of family use—gathering, working, children’s play—allowing the architecture to evolve with its occupants.
