Ayenevarzan is a house intended not merely for weekend retreats but as a permanent home for a young couple whose cultural, social, and artistic background differs markedly from the context and fabric of the project site.
At the outset, this cultural disparity -- within the social and physical fabric and the client's wishes -- steered the initial design approach toward an introverted scheme, a stance that stood in tension with the building's potential to maximise natural light, to embrace views of the green expanse overlooking the Alborz Mountains, to transition from house to courtyard, and indeed to engage with all those qualities that draw us from big cities to surrounding villages today.
A different set of needs had to be met: a house on the outermost ring of the village's permitted construction zone, which required heightened security and building control for its inhabitants.
Given the plot's dimensions, the interior spaces were organised into three distinct functional layers. Two axes on either side provided setbacks for the skylights, windows, and circulation spaces, enabling the project to simultaneously minimise visibility from outside to inside while maximising the potential for views, scenery, and light from inside to outside. These two axes serve a role beyond merely providing light and views. The transparency between the three layers on the horizontal plane is a function that these axes perform in conjunction with the three functional and service layers.
On every floor, in addition to visual connections both horizontal and vertical, it is possible to pass through these two axes and move from one functional layer to another. This possibility is realised through different means on different floors: on the ground floor, glass openings in the interior partition allow passage between the reception and dining layer and the kitchen; on the first floor, bridges from the terrace lead to the library and living space, and from the living space to the bedroom and stairs.
The terraces are conceived with two approaches, on two floors, facing different directions. The top-floor terrace is a space enclosed on three sides, with minimal overlooking of neighbours and maximum views toward the Absard plain; at the top of the entrance stairway, it provides a gathering and entertainment area. By contrast, the first-floor terrace is positioned at the end of the passage through the living room and library -- a covered space beneath the western cantilever, extending the library's function while maintaining visual contact with the other floors.
Ayenevarzan House is an experiment in perceiving exterior spaces within the interior of the home, in achieving maximum views and scenery through an introverted approach, and in providing controllability of the building across its different layers, in pursuit of greater tranquillity and security within the home.