Lolagar is no ordinary alley. The Lolagar complex represents the earliest period of outward-facing construction in Tehran -- though not entirely so. It is an alley under private ownership, with doors at both ends and a filtering layer between it and the main street. This alley and its six houses are undoubtedly the first typology of apartment-building in modern Tehran. Each unit has its own separate entrance. The basement unit opens onto the courtyard, while the ground-floor unit and the first stairway each have their own doors to the alley.
The original experience of discovering the building was through the rear courtyard and parking area: after parking, one would enter the courtyard from the eastern path and discover the complex. We continued this experience of spatial discovery and alley exploration. Lolagar draws guests into the project and releases them. A glass door in the space that now serves as a gallery has an inviting quality and stands open to everyone. It draws guests inside, and meanwhile new cross-sections have been created that further aid the discovery of space. The collapsed ceiling of the cistern and the removal of an opening to the former parking area reveal a beautiful section of the project that draws visitors to its heart.
Architecture and entrepreneurship: when such interventions take shape within a fabric, they educate the fabric's residents about the value of what they possess and the space in which they live. We must remember that we are newcomers to this urban fabric, while they are its longstanding proprietors. Rising property values should not encourage them to leave the neighbourhood. Involving local residents in new trades and sharing benefits with them, or drawing on their existing trades and products, helps them remain within the fabric.
Tehran and earthquakes: the hotel function required serious seismic reinforcement against earthquake forces and vertical loads. The entire load-bearing structure was modelled. Four shear walls were designed, and beneath each wall at the basement level, two shafts were excavated to a depth of nine metres. A mesh of annular rebar was woven and placed in the shafts. Portions of this reinforcement, upon reaching floor level, were engaged between beams and welded angles. With the pouring of continuous concrete, a unified concrete network effectively enveloped the building.
The Hanna restaurant, outside the old building, is composed of three simple white cubes placed humbly beneath the ground floor. One of these cubes defines the green space in front of the restaurant and the entrance, while the other two, attached to the old building, define the restaurant's dining space.