At first glance, we were confronted with a ruin — as if an earthquake had struck, leaving only the roof, a few perimeter walls, and the basement. We faced two serious challenges: first, should we accept the project given its critical condition and disordered state? It was clear to us that none of the stages — from survey to design to drawing production — would follow a conventional process. From that point, we entered the second challenge: what could we actually do with this project?
In facing this challenge, rather than erasing the problem — which would have meant declining the work — we chose to attempt to solve it. In fact, we looked at this issue in broader dimensions targeting the architectural community, and understood that conventional and academic architecture has no suitable answer for these situations — the architect must enter the arena and strive to find an architectural response to these conditions.
Since the perimeter walls had to be preserved, we made them the basis of the design, using them as load-bearing elements in the scheme. We then defined a decisive axis within the building to create a connection with the garden, and by placing a pool and living area in this space, along with creating a new roof using wooden beams salvaged from the previous building, we brought this axis to life and made it functional. Using this axis, we designed the interior spaces, and given the need for additional area and the existing height capacity, we created a bedroom, a terrace, a library, and a small kitchen on the upper floor.
Since we paid special attention to the perimeter walls in the design, it was difficult for us to dedicate one of these walls to a kitchen. We therefore pursued the idea of an independent kitchen and arrived at a space that was completely self-contained. Through its placement, we defined the entrance space and achieved the necessary functional relationship with the living hall. In the design, considering the building's age, we revived the basement in its original form and endeavored to use the building's own old materials in this section as well. In this process, an independent suite took shape, and by creating a green space and water feature at its entrance, we eliminated its formerly closed and storage-like character.
Since our condition for accepting this project was to address the gap between architecture and reality, the architect's responsibility in the current situation became far more pronounced for us than in our other projects, and we learned that our architecture needs, above all, small but responsible works — and avoidance of issues rooted in imported architecture.