Karaj, Iran
Proposé
Designed collaboratively by Seyed Hadi Mirmiran and Bahram Shirdel, the Karaj Public Library is considered one of Mirmiran's most heroic projects, representing the culmination of his evolving design taste. The architects buried the floors partly into the ground in order to remain faithful to the prearranged concepts and the proportions of the outer elevation. The project is a striking glass and concrete composition that pushes the boundaries of form and concept, though the decision to submerge floors below grade raises questions about the relationship between conceptual ambition and spatial experience.