Shali Shop

Winner of the 3rd Place at the 7th Memar Architecture Award (2007), Shali Shop is a conversion of an old automobile workshop into a modern shopping center in Amol, Mazandaran Province. Designed by Arsh Design Group (Pantea Eslami, Rambod Ilkhani, and Alireza Sherafati), the project was completed between 2005 and 2006 with a total area of 2,500 square meters.

The design transforms a utilitarian industrial structure into a vibrant commercial space through a bold architectural intervention. The most striking feature is the continuous red-clad facade composed of horizontal aluminum panels with rhythmic perforations that create a play of light and shadow. The perforated panels serve as both an architectural screen and a commercial signage surface, giving the building a strong identity visible from the main road. The entrance is marked by a dramatic recessed opening bathed in warm red light, creating an inviting threshold between the commercial street and the interior shopping space.

The floor plan organizes the program around a main entrance and exit, shopping center zones, a coffee shop, administrative area, and supporting spaces with a separate personnel entrance. The conversion demonstrates how adaptive reuse can breathe new life into abandoned industrial structures while creating commercially viable and architecturally ambitious buildings.