Ehsan Lessani | Architecture Portfolio | October 2024 Edition
EHSAN LESSANI
This architect and visual artist, the founder of lessstudio* and a graduate of an Architecture University, channels his professional dedication into breaking through traditional creative norms. His commitment extends to expanding the boundaries of creativity by exploring intersections among different fields. The ultimate goal is to craft unique, thought-provoking pieces that seamlessly blur the lines between art, architecture, and design through experimental approaches. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, he consistently challenges the limitations of conventional methods, seeking to discover new possibilities within the realm of creativity. The encouragement of collaboration and the utilization of unconventional materials and techniques contribute to the creation of groundbreaking works that are both inspiring and thought-provoking.
EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 50 147 3748
Lessaniehsan@gmail.com
linktr.ee/ehsanlessani
Finalist | Showrooms | Aptus Factory Showroom
Finalist | Commercial | Sharif Office Building
Collaboration with Hooba Design - Hooman Balazadeh
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
Islamic Azad University
Master of Architecture Khayyam University
Soore University
Architectural Intern, Junior Architect | On-site
Architectural and Graphic Designer · Contract
Freelance | Remote
Pars University of Art and Architecture · Part-time
Teacher Assistant | On-site
Archigraph - MH Forouzanfar · Part-time
Teacher Assistant | On-site
Hooba Design - Hooman Balazadeh · Full-time
Architectural Drawing, Content Development, Graphic, Diagram and Motion Design| Hybrid
Shortlist | Display | Aptus Factory Showroom
Collaboration with Hooba Design - Hooman Balazadeh
Public Libraries Foundation with the participation of FabLab
Third Place | Public | Nomad Library
Collaboration with Mohammad Hossein Eghlidos
Honorable Mention | Conceptual | The story of the city in black
Individual Project
Honorable Mention | Illustration | Where is the Friend’s House?
Individual Project
2A Asia Continental Architectural Awards
Second Place | Commercial | Sharif Office Building
Collaboration with Hooba Design - Hooman Balazadeh
20th Memar Award
First Place | Public | Aptus Factory Showroom
Collaboration with Hooba Design - Hooman Balazadeh
13th Memary va Sakhteman Award
First Place | Public | Aptus Factory Showroom
Architectural Drawing, Content Development, Graphic, Diagram and Motion Design| Hybrid
Collaboration with Hooba Design - Mousa Azizi Office
Honorable Mention | Conceptual | The Return Collaboration with Farnaz Pezeshkpour
Finalist |Public| End of the endless Collaboration with MH Eghlidos, Zeinab Heidari, and Samin Mirzaei
TECHNICAL SKILLS
LANGUAGES
Bisotun Pavillion Haft Peykar Collection
SHARIF OFFICE BUILDING
Collaboration with Hooba Design
Awards and Honors
Principal Architect Role
Photo
Location Year
Refer to CV pages
Hooman Balazadeh
Presentation, Diagram, Motion and Graphic Design
Parham Taghioff, Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
Commercial › Office
Built Tehran, Iran
2020
The Sharif Office Building, commissioned by university professors, stands as a contemporary workspace adjacent to Sharif University of Technology. The design seamlessly integrates the architectural essence of the 1960s with the modern atmosphere of a technology-based institution, addressing the paradoxes between tradition and innovation.
Situated near parks, the building incorporates green spaces into its facade, creating a cohesive urban environment. The connection of access roads forms an urban plaza within the building, erasing boundaries between the structure and the city.
Navigating themes of introversion vs. extroversion and solidity vs. transparency, the design utilizes a smart brick panel facade—a fusion of traditional brick with high-tech adaptability to sunlight. This dynamic interplay mirrors the characteristics of the digital age.
The project acts as an intermediary vision, bridging traditional building materials with the electronic world. The design fosters a fluid boundary between inside and outside, transforming the building from introverted to extroverted throughout the day. Open and semi-open office spaces, defined by green boundaries, embody a pioneering complex in the electronic industry.
In summary, the Sharif Office Building harmoniously integrates tradition and innovation, offering a dynamic workspace that transforms with the day. The smart brick facade symbolizes the fusion of traditional materials and modern technology, creating a landmark in the electronic industry.
Initial and significant buildings of the university (1975) 5. The issue of migration among Sharif University students. 9. Status of pedestrian pathways and passages
Neglect of the facades of the third floors of the buildings. 17. Unified material + Double-skin facade = Neutral approach
18. Penetration of green space inside the building.
19. Subtracted volumes from the original mass.
20. Presence of green space in the building. 14. Neglect of the fifth facade (roof) of the buildings.
15. How to address urban clutter?
10. Creating an urban passage on the ground floor!
11. The urban path within the building.
7. Can the first building serve as a model in the development of university areas? (2020)
12. The proposed pedestrian network passing through the building to connect the knowledge based buildings in the area
16. What should be the role of single-story architecture in relation to its local context?
8. Handover of the building structure to the architect after column installation and the execution of the ground floor.
6. How should we define the boundary between the residential zone and the thechnology hub?
1. Sharif University Traditional Brick
4. New brick features
2. Create a new model of traditional brick
5. Magnification of the second facade skin.
3. Glaze color on the inner edges of the brick.
6. Smart wall system
APTUS FACTORY SHOWROOM
Collaboration with Hooba Design
Awards and Honors
Principal Architect
Refer to CV pages
Hooman Balazadeh
Presentation, Diagram, Motion and Graphic Design
Parham Taghioff, Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
Commercial › Showroom
Built
Karaj, Iran
2020
The project brief consisted of an indoor-outdoor showroom as well as the administrative department of Aptus Concrete Block Manufacturing Factory in the suburbs of Karaj. The design process was initiated by considering the everlasting battle between different construction typologies in the suburbs, mainly industrial, agricultural, and inferior residential fabrics. The winner of such combat is usually the low-grade residential development, and the losers are landscapes and agricultural fields that are demolished to be replaced by dense and low-quality buildings.
The design criteria were to create a win-win pattern between greenery and the built environment. Another issue regarding outskirt developments is providing cost-efficient construction solutions that are also aligned with the latest standards. Considering the urge for cost efficiency, it was decided to eliminate finishing layers on the entire interior and exterior of the building and to use the company’s concrete blocks as the single material forming the entirety of the building envelope.
Based on the initial design criteria, the created building volume forms the exterior and interior landscapes at the same time. Instead of creating a huge “box” surrounded by greenery, it was decided to break the volume into smaller boxes that are independent and characterized based on their function. The voids created between the boxes form green spaces penetrating the building. A layered relationship between interior and exterior was formed through transparencies between the boxes. Limiting building materials to a single block enhances the perception of the exterior atmosphere and creates a varying quality of natural light during the day.
There are some other concrete block manufacturers in the neighborhood of Aptus Factory. This project could define a simple pattern for this urban fabric that is not only cost-efficient but also enhances the relationship between the built environment and greenspace.
VILLA NO.24
Collaboration with Hooba Design
Awards and Honors
Principal Architect
Refer to CV pages
Hooman Balazadeh
Presentation, Diagram, Motion and Graphic Design
Residential › Villa
Unbuilt
Iran,Tehran Province, Lavasan
2017
Designing a villa is a great opportunity for each architect to explore their ideologies in architecture. In this project, the investigations included a combination of dual qualities such as structure and the façade, private and public spaces, as well as open and closed spaces.
This villa was part of a bigger project consisting of four villas in Lavasan, Iran. Therefore, it was decided to follow a singular strategy for all four villas, which was to use the “three squares and four spaces” geometry.
Four volumetric spaces were defined as the main structure and space organizers. These four volumes were shifted over each other to maximize view and integration with greenspaces. These volumes form the public spaces of the villa. In addition to the main volumes, some cubical boxes are floating inside the spaces, defining the private spaces of the house.
The main volumes include openings on the surface to create connections to the exterior green spaces. This villa was designed on three levels: the basement, the ground floor, and the first floor. Different levels of the building were organized to have a maximum connection to each other. On the basement level, there is an in-ground garden with a water pool with a visual connection to the interior space of the house. Moreover, on the ground and first floors, there is a volumetric connection between the public, the private, and the landscape of the project. Here, the organization of the interior and the exterior was established by the surface openings and the spaces created in between the volumes.
1. Site Boundary
3. Division of volumes
5. Common Spaces
7. Connecting Bridges
2. Design Axes
4. Change in axis and volumes
6. Private Spaces [BOX IN THE BOX]
8. The Final Volume
Bird’s-eye View
BAZAAR-CHE
Collaboration with Navid Nazemi Office
Awards and Honors
Principal Architect
Role
Type
Status
Location
Year
Refer to CV pages
Navid Nazemi
Visualization, Diagram, Motion and Graphic Design
Commercial › Bazaar
Under Construction
Mashhad, Iran
2021
The Bazaar-che project, located in the historic city of Mashhad, focuses on seamlessly integrating a large-scale commercial space into the surrounding business landscape. Specializing in original Iranian fabrics and carpets, the design caters to dual purposes, serving both as a public space and a marketplace. The project spans three levels, with the lower and ground floors accommodating modular booths for carpet and rug sales, fostering a sense of community among vendors.
Maintaining a traditional bazaar ambiance, the design emphasizes simplicity externally while intricately addressing the interior’s complexities. The mono-material nature of the project underscores its architectural integrity, engaging with the external environment and showcasing the diversity of products within. The architectural language draws inspiration from Iranian bazaars, celebrating the vibrancy of cultures, audiences, and products.
A central vertical connection unifies the floors and acts as a focal point, creating collective spaces and fostering social interactions. The ground floor’s central bridge hosts communal spaces, resembling a college house or teahouse, enhancing the social fabric of the market. The design’s introverted and neutral volume seamlessly integrates with the urban context, emphasizing its architectural essence.
Bazaar-che’s architectural narrative transforms the space into a dynamic and culturally rich environment. Carefully considering cultural elements, spatial organization, and materiality creates a harmonious and functional marketplace, preserving the tradition of Iranian bazaars while embracing contemporary design principles.
Basement: Presence of water.
First Floor: Circulation Access.
Basement: Circulation Access. Vertical Access.
Ground Floor: Circulation Access. Open Roof
NOMAD LIBRARY
Public Libraries Foundation with the participation of FabLab
Iran’s nomadic population, which covers nearly 60% of the country’s total area, has a unique nomadic architecture that has been formed in various climates and cultures. The nomadic tents, such as the Bakhtiari tribe’s black tents, are a case study for this project, which aims to create a mobile library unit as a temporary cultural center in constant contact with the nomadic community.
The project involves investigating the spatial sequences of nomadic black tents and rereading and changing these sequences to discover spatial separation and a hierarchy of access. The library design consists of prefabricated units that store books without needing to leave the archive or change the repository every time the project is set up and dismantled. The roof of the library is designed to provide suitable light for reading and better air circulation without an integrated roof but can be changed in cold, mountainous, and humid climates.
The library’s entire archive and repository are made available to the public, allowing everyone to touch, experience, and read each book. An open space has also been designed for educational classes, e-government facilities, movie screenings, cultural events, and studying. The structure of the portable unit, similar to nomadic tents, is designed as a combination of columns and cables to bear both compressive and tensile loads simultaneously. This compatibility with the design platform and the technical familiarity of users make it easier to accept and apply the unit.
The fabric cover can be changed according to the variety of tribes and climates in different provinces, making the nomadic architecture of Iran more accessible and adaptable to the nomadic population.
Exploded Diagram
BISOTUN PAVILLION
League
of Iranian Young Architects
Awards and Honors
Teammate
MH Eghlidos, Zeinab Heidari and Samin Mirzaei
Public › Pavillion
Competition › Unbuilt Iran 2021
Objective:
This project explores the unfinished stone carving of Bisotun, aiming to reveal its lesser-known historical narratives. The core goal is to revive storytelling by presenting these untold stories in a meaningful architectural context.
MainQuestion:
The central inquiry is how architecture can convey historical narratives, or how architecture itself becomes a medium for storytelling.
Methodology:
The research adopts a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach. Historical narratives will be gathered through documentary studies and field research, while design costs will be calculated based on market rates
Key Questions:
How does architecture at historical sites gain meaning?
What approaches best suit historical sites?
How can architecture preserve and communicate narratives?
What role do narratives play in historical sites?
How can Bisotun’s potential for storytelling be maximized?
Theoretical Framework:
The research identifies three approaches to storytelling at Bisotun:
1.Analyzing existing historical structures.
2.Blending architecture, history, and literature.
3.Exploring connections between pre-Islamic history and contemporary architecture.
ExpectedOutcomes:
This project aims to enhance the site’s value by integrating historical storytelling with modern tools like QR codes. The design will create a seamless journey that guides visitors toward the incomplete carvings, offering a fresh perspective on the unfinished narrative.
Hypotheses:
Reviving historical sites goes beyond physical restoration—it requires thoughtful, multi-layered solutions. A unified, engaging route will immerse visitors in Bisotun’s layered stories, bringing the incomplete carvings to life.
Conclusion:
The mountain, symbolizing strength and grandeur, was meant to record a victory that never happened. This unfinished scene still invites storytelling, not to provide answers, but to share untold stories. By transforming the path to Bisotun into a narrative experience, we revive the grandeur that history left incomplete.
They are polished. All of today’s narratives are hammered out of yesterday’s facts. Sometimes they were deliberate, delusional and ambiguous, with deliberate and borrowed time. History re-publishes what has passed each year; and we circle in them and start again. It looks like there is no answer to the important questions. It only questions the question, and the process repeats itself without any consequences. It has a fixed role on the wall, which is read every other time. The mountain itself is a stage for display. It is a symbol of endurance and glory, which is a doubling of power over that glory. The scene was prepared for exponential power but was left blank. He was empty and said nothing. Neither the occurrences nor the possibilities on the coin. What role would the mountain have had if Constantinople, like Damascus and Egypt, had been conquered by Sassanid sergeant, Baraz? Or even if the siege did not last and the hawk succeeded? Or if Khosrow would never send that courier with a murder warrant? If that courier had never been taken by the Romans? If the story of the city of Boaz and the Romans were not on the same path? And if Khosrow was not killed, what?
It Could be happened but it didn’t. Neither of these probabilities came up and the history was written in another way. But this scene is still in place, for narration. To say and hear, and how much to see. From long ago, with the storyteller Shahrzad to the present day, this story-telling app has no answer but a narrative of all that is going on in life. External narratives and consequently uncertain. Each narrative raises a question, and another in response to that question, another. No answer. It’s titled. Partnering with our narrative and its ups and downs. The bed has been around for years. There is no definite narrator or narrator. It is only a general overview of what was past and what could have passed in the final years of the Sasanian Empire. The solution to knowing is not to say, to understand. The narrative here is unanswered, but it is suggestive. Everyone is involved, with this plot and narrative.
An outline of the last 40 years of the SASSANID Empire
CONSTANTINOPLE NARRATIVE
5. An Alliance between Persians and Khagan of the Avars.
6. Siege of Constantinople at 626 AD.
7. Death of persian general, Shahin, and retreat of the Avars.
8. Siege of Constantinople by general Shahrebaraz lasts for a long time.
10. Khosrau Parviz’s messenger gets imprisoned by the Romans.
CTESIPHON
Khosrau Parviz sends General Shahrbaraz and his army to conquer Armenia. A messenger is sent with letters from Khosrau commanding Shahrbaraz’s death.
Rebelion of nobles, and liberation of Qobad, Khosrau Parviz’s son, from prison, and Khosrau’s death.
Qobad kills all his siblings including Mardan Shah, Khosrau’s dearest son. Plague outbreak results in many deaths, including Shirouyeh the King.
Shahrbaraz besieges and conqueres Ctesiphon and Executes King Ardashir III. Shahrbaraz Assumes control of Sassanian throne and names his successor
BATTLEFILD
4. Heraclius’ invasion to mesopotamia. Shahrbaraz’s army eslipped through Heraclius’ flanks and bee-lined for Chalcedon.
15. Separatists uprising over dissatisfaction with the Byzantine war and its costs.
JERUSALEM
2. Conquest of Jerusalem and seizing the True Cross of Christ by Shahrbaraz.
11. The neutralization of Shahrbaraz and his army in the war between Khosrau Parviz and Heraclius in northern Syria and defeat of persian army. Hieraclius’ letter to Shahrbaraz urging him to sit on the throne.
ALEXANDRIA
3. Conquest of Egypt by shahrbaraz.
The audience follows the story in order throught the path and pavillions, reaching the top of Mount Bisotun to see the present reality of the place they’ve heard and seen.
The numbers represent the order of historical events .
by choosing his christian son, Niketas the Persian.
The assassination of Shahrbaraz at a ceremony by a javelin thrown by Farrukh-Hormizd, who then assisted Purandokht, Khosrau’s daughter, to ascend the throne.
The beginning of the reign of Purandokht. Purandokht is overthrown by Shapour, son of Shahrebaraz.
The beginning of short-lived monarchies and fall of the Sassanids (651 AD).
Where is the Friend’s House?
Awards and Honors Type Status
The language of poetry is more than just counting words; it involves a single image and scene that brings the poet’s feelings and thoughts to the reader. The extent of similarities and differences depends on the reader’s perception of the poem and the poet’s use of language.
The poem is divided into two parts, with the first verse asking for the address of a friend’s house and the second verse asking for the way to the destination. The length of each verse aligns with our conception of the question and answer, with each question being short and the answer usually longer due to the respondent’s explanation. This creates tension between ignorance and knowledge, as well as brevity and length.
An address can be fixed and unchanged, but if we seek someone who constantly changes themselves and their address, our search will go nowhere unless the dynamics are part of its nature. In this illustration, we adapt the poem “Address” and one of Sohrab’s paintings to search for the visual and conceptual connection between today’s literature and architecture.
The image is of a placeless and intertwined city that represents the architecture of our present homes. The houses that have isolated and inactivated each of these questioners remain, while only a thin and superficial shell of finding the address of a friend remains. In this intertwined network of images, we will finally continue this search in this narrative. So this movement is rotational. We who seek a “friend” are ultimately referred to as our own. Where is the friend’s house?
HAFT PEYKAR COLLECTION
The basis of this design discussion is to create a link between the inspired works and insights of “Haft Peykar” by Nizami and ancient patterns of Iranian architecture and their influence on modern graphic art.
Haft Gonbad (Seven Domes) is the fourth Mathnawi by Nizami, which he began composing in 590 AH and took four years to complete. This poetic work narrates the story of Bahram Sassanian, known as Bahram Gur, and his marriage to seven princesses from seven regions. Nizami pays special attention to the significance of colors and the number seven in the narrative, creating a psychological connection between the colors and the content of the tales. Each dome’s color corresponds to a day of the week, transforming abstract time into a tangible entity.
The poet beautifully describes the interplay of colors in the domes, symbolizing the celestial dome and holding a sacred place among Iranians. The journey starts at the black dome and, after passing through five colorful domes, concludes at the white dome. One prominent element is the presence of Khizr, a wise figure, throughout the stories, symbolizing moral teachings and divine connection.
Nizami creatively reveals subtle similarities between objects, offering an extraordinary array of connections and proportions. The poem reflects various Sufi philosophies beyond surface meanings. The central theme is Bahram’s spiritual growth, transitioning from a wine-drinking and hunting figure to someone who completes the seven stages of mystical development. The vibrant imagery in each dome represents a new horizon, leading to spiritual transformation and a mystical ascent. The process is a repetitive and continuous journey, depicting the human quest to reach higher spiritual states even after reaching a perceived destination.
The article uses Nizami’s poetry to visualize different layers of narratives from the “Haft Peykar” illustrating the mystical and ascetic journey and the subsequent descent. It explores recurring themes of the search for truth, imaginative power, and the continuous pursuit of perfection beyond temporal and spatial constraints.
THE ACCIDENT
This design research aims to create an intermediate connection between inspired works and insights, “Haft Peykar” by Nizami Ganjavi and “Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology Philosophy and its Impact on Horizontal Ontological Architecture.”. Nizami, in the beautiful description of the Haft Peykar, its shimmering and changing color with the change of the angle of the sun, the perfect combination of color between each dome and the garment, says that assigning a color to each day of the week means turning time, which is an abstract matter, into a tangible entity. The idea of motifs has been created either through harmony or contrast. One of the outstanding creations in Haft Peykar is the discovery of very subtle similarities between objects and other objects. In most poems, multiple similes are seen. While we compare the first object to the second, the second is also compared to the third and sometimes the fourth element, and the poet presents an extraordinary mixture of connections and proportions between these similes.
Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology philosophy, an ontology that emphasizes the breakdown of spatial hierarchies and vertical categorization, is founded on a world of objects wrapped in other objects. In horizontal ontology, whole things are composed of other whole things and not of parts; this theory proposes multiple outsides and insides instead of one outside and one inside, which delays how the mass is not dependent on the platform of the project. By resisting harmony with the physical features of the substrate, ground, and mass are separated and viewed as two independent but equally important architectural issues.
