‘a toy for living in’ by kamran afshar naderi proposes a spacecraft-like villa in iran

in reference to le corbusier’s concept that ‘a house is a machine for living in’, kamran afshar naderi has designed the ‘toy house‘ for a site by the caspian sea on the iranian coast. the project, which has been developed in close collaboration with the client, overcomes the idea of a purely functional aesthetic and instead conceives the weekend villa as a toy, to be used mainly for pleasure rather than for a serious use.

a steel platform, accessible from the back staircase, is located on the roof to be used as a belvedere

all images courtesy of kamran afshar naderi

the unusual form of the building, which resembles a creature or an abandoned spacecraft, is designed by the architect to stand out from the neighboring villas as the client wished to avoid all the common weekend house typologies. built above the ground, the raised volume will reduce humidity while providing impressive views over the surroundings. a steel platform, which is accessible from the back staircase, is located at roof height and is to be used as a belvedere.

the house is conceived as a toy to be used mainly for pleasure rather than serious use

in collaboration with the client, who is a famous traditional ceramic artist, the entire house will be covered in handmade ceramic tiles. the multifaceted covering of the building will prevent the harsh caspian rains and allow the rainwater to fall onto a gravel bed equipped with a drainage system below.

the unusual geometry of the volume corresponds to a deconstructed version of traditional geometric patterns from iran

the primary entrance to the house is located centrally, meanwhile a separate access for guests is provided at the back. the main hall faces spectacular mountains in the south, while the hall, game room and guest suites have their own terraces. the design brief included only a few functional requirements including creating 3 small suites to be used individually by guests and independently from the main common areas. additionally, the site includes parking lots, a pool, outdoor facilities and green landscaping.

the form of the building resembles a live creature or an abandoned spacecraft

the house is raised from the ground to avoid humidity and enhance views over the surroundings

main access to the building is located centrally meanwhile a separate access for guests is provided at the back

the design brief included only a few functional requirements, including creating 3 small suites to be used individually by guests and independently from the main common areas

the area of the site includes parking lots, a pool, outdoor facilities and green landscaping

the outer façade is comprised of custom designed cement tiles covered with handmade ceramic tiles

project info:

project name: ‘toy house’

architect: kamran afshar naderi

location: mahjangal compound, noshahr, iran

site area: 43,056 ft2 (4,000 m2)

total floor area: 2120 ft2 (197 m2)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.