Kenarab residential building

The Kenarab Residential Building in Tehran addressed both external and internal design challenges. The external challenge was placing a ten-storey building alongside a five-storey neighbour. To harmonize this juxtaposition, large voids were carved in the western and northern facades, lightening the volume as much as possible, while a material strategy made the building's ascent appear stepped rather than abrupt. On the main facade, these voids became relatively large green spaces that separate the homes from the busy main street and lend a verdant character to the elevation. The internal challenge was creating open spaces with six-metre ceiling heights for every unit without making the apartments duplex and without creating unwanted sightlines — spaces that would transition from peripheral to become the main living area, the entrance to the home, and a small private courtyard. The front yard of the building was given over to the city as open green space without any fencing. These were the technical challenges, but the larger question the project poses is fundamental: how does one design a home? Kenarab won First Place in the Apartment Buildings category at the 19th Memar Award (2019).