Tohid Residential Building

Parham Taghioff

• Architects

The residential fabric of Tehran is mostly a dense accumulation of clung buildings. The predefined master plan of Tehran dictates regulations which limits buildings to have openings only on two sides and to implement a central light well to compensate the lack of proper sunlight penetration.

photo_credit Parham Taghioff — Parham Taghioff

In such an urban fabric, connection of people with nature gradually degrades to a minimum level. Therefore, the amount of greenspace decreases in the residential neighborhoods. Air pollution is one of the main consequences of this situation.

Now the question is, how could architecture help in addressing these issues? How could building facades act more than a visual object? On a bigger scale, how could individual buildings join together to overcome the battle between nature and the industrial world.

Greenspaces in the courtyards and on the building facades and roofs could be effective in improving the quality of life both on the building scale and on the urban scale.

The current “infill” residential typology requires major reconsiderations to improve the living environment of the inhabitants. In this project, the flower boxes on the façade not only organize the interior spaces based on a modular grid, but also transform the façade into a vertical garden. Another green and sustainable addition to the building was the green roof which was formed in modules of edible gardens to be used by the residents. The voids at the underground levels allow sunlight penetration, boosting the atmosphere of these otherwise low quality spaces.

The use of different materials was minimized in order to create a homogenous and harmonized mass in the urban scenery. Therefore, the entire building façade was covered by traditional brick with green-blue glazed bricks on the flower boxes to put more emphasize on this vertical landscape. Mechanical equipment were placed in the space under the flowerboxes, making the best of this otherwise useless space.

Stair cases are usually not popular and are less used in residential buildings. In this project the stair case has been prioritized and brought to the front façade, making it pleasant to use as an everyday exercise.