The client had intended to sell the house and land of this project, purchase an apartment in Tehran, and migrate to the capital with his family. Alongside the concern of migration, the idea of staying and building an enduring home took shape — at a time when the family's young son and teenage daughter were growing up. A home where the family could experience a different way of living, one that beyond a sense of security and tranquility, would be a place for experiencing presence and creating memories. This house had to become a reason to stay, and despite the shortcomings of a small, peripheral city, it had to possess qualities that would make living there preferable to leaving.
What increasingly drew us during the design process of this building was the client's serenity and deep understanding of life, and the alignment of his wishes with his way of living: simplicity at the height of dignity. The client's mental calm on one hand, and the simplicity and gentle rhythm of Pishva's urban context on the other, led us to a revelation in the creation of space. In this mental-spatial revelation, the client attuned himself to this living environment, and we rediscovered ourselves through this building.
In a context and fabric where the absence of ordering regulations had caused chaos in the urban edge, we resolved to create a desirable visual weight without adding to this disorder. On the other hand, the client's desire for respect toward neighbors and preservation of his home's privacy steered the building's formation toward creating a simple, introverted volume. Thus, direct views outward were minimized to a single window, and by donating part of the land and the entry courtyard's vista to the alley, the greatest respect and attention were bestowed upon neighborliness.
In this project, beyond the main facades, we treated not only the temporary side facade but also the abandoned northern facade of the southern neighbor equally. All facades were covered with white cement, and due to financial considerations, the final coating color was deferred to the future.
The gap between the created volume and the eastern wall, which we call "the alley of this house," in addition to correcting the land's irregularity in the plans, made it possible for even spaces such as bathrooms and utilities to enjoy maximum natural light and views of the entry trees through full-height windows, without neighbors' oversight.
The ground-level courtyard, with its water pool and lawn, has become a secluded and calming viewpoint. The rooftop space, benefiting from the privacy created by tall parapet walls, transforms into the house's functional courtyard; for this reason, the elevator extends to the roof and the rooftop access staircase gains special importance at the center of the interior space. The central skylight, besides providing light and fresh air to the young child's room, alongside the rooftop stair skylight, has enhanced both the quality and quantity of natural light in the common spaces — such that at different hours of the day, one witnesses the emergence of diverse light and shadow patterns throughout the house.
Pishva House has gone beyond responding to the client's wishes; with its dignified simplicity, it has become a turning point for a context and a means of bestowing value upon it.