Officially called the “Wicker House,” the cabin sits near the city of Noor in the northern Mazandaran region of Iran, a place where the architecture has evolved according to the natural climate conditions. Situated along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and adjacent to the Central Alborz mountain range, the weather is fairly temperate, with temperatures ranging from roughly 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Homes in the region have traditionally been built of stone, stucco, and natural roofing materials.

After examining the project requirements, the Iranian Shaygan Gostar Architectural Group decided to let the landscape determine the form of the home. “This architecture regarding the structure was completely dependent on nature – that is to say, for the construction of a building, all the components of the architecture natively have been prepared from the nature of the local region,” the Group says.

The house was originally to be built next to nearby agricultural land, but a survey of the site revealed that a spot overlooking a small dam and the surrounding landscape would be more suitable.

To satisfy the demand for a “new experience,” the architects designed an A-frame structure comprised of simple geometric forms. The available photos even include step-by-step instructions. After the main triangle was created, a box from the base was removed. Then a triangle was removed from each side for the window and doors, after which stilts and stairs were added. Finally, the patio box was added to the front of the house, with one side removed to provide water access to the patio.

To meet the requirement to conform to the local architecture, the materials were kept simple: wood and metal for the frame, straw, clay, and bulrush for the roofing and exterior sides. The architects explain that this maintained “the available space so that it can be in harmony with the rural houses left from the past. The long gable roof has been used at cabin form to be close to the rural housing typology.”

The interior is essentially one long, open space with a small bathroom and attached covered patio. Colorful rugs warm up the space, as well as a traditional fireplace with an elegant cylindrical flue that cuts through the angled roof line. Modern lighting and a small kitchenette make modern life attainable even in this more rustic structure. Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors leading to the terrace provide a perfect view of the pastoral landscape, including glowing sunsets that create beautiful pond reflections of the surrounding mountains.

Shaygan Gostar stayed true to its own personal architectural style with this build. In 2020, thy completed a concrete factory in North Kandovan with similar pop-out boxes and lots of clean lines.

The Wicker House is an example of how modern ideas can effortlessly flow through spaces without disrupting the aesthetic of the surrounding landscape.

The post Shaygan Gostar’s Wicker House Brings the A-Frame Cabin to Rural Iran first appeared on Dornob.

“Each piece in the collection is designed to foster and cultivate the spirit of a ‘Mehmooni,‘” says the 26-year-old designer, who was born in Highland Park, Illinois and now resides in Brooklyn. “The ‘Taarof’ table, for example, is a modular cocktail table with an optional built-in ice bucket, ashtray, and/or fruit bowl. In addition to promoting traditional Persian gatherings, the collection is both sustainable and carbon-neutral.”

Named for the Persian tradition of etiquette and generosity, the Taarof table is just begging to be a centerpiece at an event, inviting guests to drop their pretensions and get down low on the floor to share snacks and intimate conversation. Part of the fun is its modularity and an element of surprise, since the custom leg inserts just look like part of the design at first glance. And let’s be honest: removing the lids to reveal food, a chilled bottle of champagne, or a surface for burning incense is a pretty cool party trick. There’s something particularly pleasing about the shapes of the table and other elements in the collection, too, with not a single hard edge in sight.

Inspired by the low seating offered at traditional restaurants in Tehran’s Darband mountains, the “Behsheen” chair is a natural accompaniment to the table. It may consist of hard surfaces, but somehow it still seems soft and comforting with its almost fleshy sense of weight. Its simple shapes, reminiscent of natural rocks, could even have a Flintstones-like quality if it were rendered in harder materials.

Then there’s the “Doodool” mirror. If you’re raising an eyebrow at the shape, know that it’s intentional. Maghsoudi describes it as a “lighthearted phallic silhouette,” with an arched top, elongated body, and dual semi-circular feet. Standing 75 inches high, the mirror reinforces the tongue-in-cheek tone of the collection.

The materiality of the Mehmooni collection is another big part of its appeal. Though it may look like conventional plastic, it’s actually all made of a combination of organic materials, including corn-based 3D printed plastic, sustainably sourced FSC-certified lumber, and plant-based resin. All materials were sourced locally in the New York City area and fabricated in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with all carbon emissions from fabrication offset using carbon credits to make the project fully carbon-neutral and emission-free.

“There’s a lot of monotony in life and in decor,” Maghsoudi told Surface Magazine. “It’s important to not only design something beautiful, but design something that will influence how someone behaves. My work encourages people to gather, celebrate, and explore their hedonistic tendencies —sustainably, of course.”

“As the dust settles on my NYCxDesign show, I’m working with several private clients on custom orders. I love helping bring their dream piece to life and knowing that my work helps make their house a home. I’m also partnering with galleries and helping them deliver on their customers’ vision for design. And as always, I’m continuing to find inspiration as I design my next line.”

The post Kouros Maghsoudi’s “Mehmooni” Furniture Collection is a Postmodern Spin on Persian Traditions first appeared on Dornob.

The post Shell-Like Roof System Helps Save Water first appeared on Dornob.

In Tehran, this majestic and highly unusual house boasts too many luxurious elements to detail. But undoubtedly some of the most visible and enviable features are the three rotating faces which allow the interior of several rooms to entirely change functions.

The seven-story Sharifi-ha House by Iranian architects Nextoffice is a stunning practice in turning a two-dimensional space into a three-dimensional one. Three of the home’s levels feature pivoting volumes which can rotate out 90 degrees at the touch of a button.

In the summer, the rotating rooms can be opened to both bring in more sunlight and to provide some lovely outdoor terrace spaces. The ingenious design is all motorized, and the movement of the rotating volumes includes the dispatch of necessary stairs, handrails, and safety features to make the newly-defined spaces safe and livable.

Each of the moving volumes can be rotated separately, allowing the residents to customize their living space in a way that no other home does. The spatial transformations are, in a way, a nod to traditional Iranian homes which feature different living spaces for summer and for winter. The Sharifi-ha House just does it in a spectacularly modern way.

The very large home contains a total living space of 15,000 square feet and other luxurious touches such as an elevator, indoor swimming pool, and large private gym.

The below-ground levels of the home contain the gym, pool and other recreational facilities. The ground floor houses parking facilities and staff quarters. The higher floors contain communal areas, bedrooms, bathrooms and plenty of space for lounging and visiting. The incredible home was completed in 2013 and is a testament to the architectural firm’s skill in designing a highly complex but still exceedingly lovely abode for some very lucky residents.

The post Transforming Home Features Three 90-Degree Rotating Rooms first appeared on Dornob.

People marvel at the final digital renderings and physical representations created by architects and architecture students. Rarely, however, does the public get get to see the study models that are an essential part of the design process – even rare still: a finished product clearly based on a mistake that was made. This remarkable project was borne out of an error in the model-making process that became a real-life building opportunity.

A student of Pouya Khazaeli Parsa thought building a dome was fairly straightforward, and started creating one with full-length poles arcing up toward the center and back down along the opposite edge. Of course, there was a problem: with structural members so thick (magnified at miniature scale) the overlaps started to twist and torque the pure hemispherical shape desired.

Instead of starting over, the student finished the model – the dynamic form was surprisingly compelling, and provided a shell-like opening along one end. In essence, the slightly off-kilter shape became a combination of dome and conch shell. The real-life application featured here for domestic retreat huts in Iran is remarkably cheap and simple (requiring only a few people, two days and less than a thousand dollars).

Bamboo provides the structural framework, remaining alive and flexible during construction (hence the green in the images). Prefab metal gas pipes at the base hold the top and bottom of each element fixed in relative position while negating the need for a fixed foundation (and thus making even the finished pieces mobile).

Cropped rice stems for the exterior cladding provide sufficient weather protection at likewise low cost. On a hot day, they dry up and shrink, letting wind naturally ventilate the interior; on a cold and rainy day, the moisture makes the fronds expand and thus rain resistant.

The kinds of structures you can achieve with bamboo are virtually unlimited; this sustainable, natural and renewable building material is just waiting for your imagination and creative touch.

The post Building a DIY Bamboo Dome first appeared on Dornob.