Pishva House

Pishva House was born from a client who had intended to sell his family home and migrate to Tehran, but instead chose to stay and build an enduring home — a place where the family could experience presence and create memories during their children's formative years. This house had to become a reason to stay, possessing qualities that would make living in a small peripheral city preferable to leaving. What drew the architects during the design process was the client's serenity and deep understanding of life: simplicity at the height of dignity. In a context where the absence of ordering regulations had caused urban chaos, the architects resolved to create desirable visual weight without adding to disorder. The client's desire for respect toward neighbors steered the building toward a simple, introverted volume with direct views minimized to a single window. Part of the land and the entry courtyard vista were donated to the alley as a gesture of neighborliness. A gap between the volume and the eastern wall — the house's own alley — corrected the land's irregularity while allowing even bathrooms to enjoy full-height windows with views of entry trees. The ground-level courtyard with its water pool and lawn became a secluded viewpoint. The rooftop, benefiting from tall parapet walls, transforms into the house's functional courtyard, with a central skylight enhancing natural light and creating diverse light-and-shadow patterns throughout the day. Pishva House won First Place in the Individual Dwellings category at the 20th Memar Award (2020).