Persica Residential Building, Tehran

Tehran is a city being swallowed by the reckless volume of its construction — an extremely dense city plagued by every manner of pollution, where elements such as gardens and open urban spaces are vanishing.

Buildings are erected one after another in every conceivable form, and for all the green space the city loses, it gains little quality from these constructions. The question arises: can a building, through its design strategies, play an effective and redemptive role in this environment? Is it possible, in a meaningful and emphatic contrast with the polluted city, to make a living space green, vibrant, and full of energy?

"Persica" might be considered an answer to this question. A project with a long story — it was originally intended to assume a classical appearance, like many buildings in northern Tehran, but midway through, after the structural design and skeleton were already built, it changed course, and our office took over the design. On this new path, too, there were numerous challenges. Adding green platforms to the facade — platforms suitable for planting and growth, with sufficient depth and thickness — was somewhat problematic given that the building's skeleton was under construction at the time our design began. Incorporating these platforms, both structurally and from the municipality's perspective, presented difficulties. But through persistence and numerous carefully conducted meetings, they were realized faithfully and precisely.

Among the other important and impactful elements of this project was the presence of a large drainage channel immediately beside the building. Through a critical strategic decision, it was incorporated into the design and construction plan. In most cases, access routes to these channels are sealed off and the spaces within them are left abandoned. But during the design process, this channel was also transformed into a beautiful communal space — usable and simultaneously prepared for emergencies.