Description

The project is located in Shariati Str. Tehran, in a 34x12 m site which is restored with a change of use from a ceremony hall to a café-restaurant. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a city block, accessed by a staircase. Considering the narrow existing entrance way, it is of great importance for the design to create an attractive entrance and an effective dialogue between the restaurant and urban fabric.

Among the site characteristics are sidewalk trees, some of which are sadly cut to make way for city infrastructure and a bus stop. Considering the outer potential and disorders, a transparent wall was used to balance the indoor-outdoor connection. This transparent wall not only pulls inside the site potentials (trees and urban space), but makes it possible for second floor indoor users to enjoy the urban view. The consequent result in urban context is an attractive view for pedestrians, as well as creating a light and calm envelop as opposed to existing disorder and disturbing features of the site's context.

The underground level comprises of eight commercial stores, all of which had their own unique name plate at the entrance. This difference in shape, height, size, material and color resulted in a disturbing urban façade. This, of course is not a new scene in Tehran, a city with a vast variety of name plates, billboards, flyers and other advertising material which together, make for a large part of visual distraction in the streets. Notwithstanding the implementation problems and limits such as coherence with neighboring units, creating order in urban context and a peaceful urban block with no severe visual effects was one of the main approaches of the design.

Only a part of the existing façade was left during the restoration process, in order for its heavy material to create a contrast comparing to the new lightweight attachment (a contrast between the old and the new), and additionally to be used during maintenance procedures of the outer wall.

Farsi

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