Third Place, Residential Buildings: Barbod Fruit House, Gorgan
Barbod's Fruit House in Gorgan won Third Place in the Residential Buildings category at the 8th Memar Award (2008). Designed by Zav Co. — Mohammadreza Ghoudsi and Parsa Ardem — for client Ahmad Aliabadi, the house occupies a 180-square-meter plot in Gorgan's Afsaran neighborhood. Named after the client's son Barbod, who loves fruit, the house incorporates a fruit garden within its compact courtyard.
The architecture draws deeply from Gorgan's vernacular building traditions while maintaining a thoroughly contemporary sensibility. The thatched reed roof — assembled from locally sourced bundled reeds — references the traditional roofing of northern Iran. Local materials including river stones, reclaimed wood from fruit crates and honey boxes, and layered stone from the surrounding hills create a rich material palette rooted in place.
Jury Commentary
"This project is better than what the photographs show. The proportions are appropriate and the elements are well-composed." — Vicente Guallart
"This is definitely an interesting project. From the perspective of variety and richness, it has succeeded." — Farokh Ghahremanpour
Client: Ahmad Aliabadi · Site area: 180 m² · Built area: 120 m² · Completion: 2008
