SHABOFFICE's latest villa in iran is wrapped with brick to create a unique expression

SHABOFFICE’s ‘[GOL]KHANEH’ is located on the outskirts of the city of karaj, about 60 km west of tehran. it is designed and built as a vacation home for a family of six. two adjacent but separate plots — each about 5000 m² — form the site for this project. one of the plots was thick with old fruit trees while the other, adjacent to a noisy street with a chaotic line of low-rise residential buildings, was dry and barely had any trees because of a previous fire. therefore, the plot with few trees and vegetation was chosen as the building site and creating a buffer to maximize privacy and limit views and noise transfer from the neighboring street to the site quickly became a priority in design.

main entrance and the solid back facade
all images © parham taghiof

the massing of iranian based practice SHABOFFICE‘s project is a direct response to site conditions as it aims to form a long and linear volume — similar to a thick wall — and act as a barrier against the noise and chaos of the adjacent street and to block views into the site. the volume is further deformed to embrace the swimming pool and create a private pocket around it. insertion of the driveway and the swimming pool affect the volume on the ground level and result in shaded areas for drop-off and outdoor sitting.

the illuminated residential interior seen from across the pool

the resulting dynamic and modern form is wrapped with a brick skin — a long-standing element in iranian architecture. bricks are from heydari kiln — traditional full bricks each made by hand. the brick layering technique is ‘kaleh-rasteh’, one full brick followed by a half brick. three simple variations on this technique create the opportunity to have different textures on the façade to register level 0 and level 1 as two separate layers and have porosity at windows and balcony balustrades. a line of full-height windows on the ground floor opens the façade to focus all views on the swimming pool and on level 1 a long-shaded terrace connecting the bedrooms overlooks the pool and the rest of the site. back of the building remains closed and solid.

the pool is the focal point around which kitchen, living room, and other spaces are organized

the material palette for SHABOFFICE’s villa is minimal but warm. exterior is fully wrapped with brick, main entrances are oak, and interior is white with exposed concrete columns and polished concrete floor. extra lines and details are omitted in order to highlight only the formal expression of the building. landscape design remains integral to the project. path lines are following building lines and the palette is cast-concrete and gravel. plants are chosen from a wild and grass-type palette to create a natural and accidental feel.

sharp corner on level 1 showing off the textured brick skin

different brick textures on the back facade

the thin brick skin delaminates and wraps around the terrace

different textures of brick on the back facade register level 0 and level 1 and create porosity for the window

curved wooden doors follow the form of the building

kitchen with view and access to the pool

view from the bridge overlooking the living room and the long line of windows that open to the swimming pool

main staircase leading up to the bridge across the void

the bridge across the void and the long terrace in the background

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.

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom

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