Sahra Residential Building

The Sahra Residential Building is an apartment complex in the Khaju Square district of Kerman that received 1st Place in the Apartment Buildings category at the 23rd Memar Award with 10 points. Designed by Mahmood Ebrahimi and Ali Bahmanyar of MA Office, the building comprises 2,000 m² of built area on a 475 m² site.

The culture, history, and way of life in the Khaju Square neighborhood, combined with the need for open spaces in each unit to minimize the sense of enclosure and apartment living, heightened the design sensitivity of this building. To this end, large terraces were envisioned on the southern side of the building, facing the finest view in the area. These terraces, while admitting natural light, also provide an acceptable degree of privacy for the spaces adjoining them.

Latticed screens were installed on the outer edge of the terraces so that under varying weather, light, and other conditions, by adjusting the degree to which this skin opens, the light, temperature, and privacy of the terraces can be regulated. This skin is made of reed, which — besides its visual beauty from both inside and outside the building — serves as a suitable alternative to thermo-wood and similar materials that are incompatible with the region's climate. The facade body is constructed of locally produced Kerman brick, reinforcing the project's deep connection to its regional context.