Global Architecture Profiling 2017

ISBN : 978 0734 0530 60 GAP 2017 Š THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

GAP COMMITTEE Blair Gardiner Ardalan (Eddie) Mastoori Bowen Ma Daniel Lee Gina Engelhardt Hanya Hoang Hoiman (Priscilla) Kwok Jeanette Phan Jessica Broad Jia Shun (Johnny) Xu Jingyi Zhang Nicholas Yepez Chacha Shi Min (Sara) Tan Si Yu (Jade) Tan Sze Ming Tan Toro Nguyen Tze Way Ng Winnie Chiu Youjia Huang

Students within the Bachelor of Environments degree at the University of Melbourne have been responsible for curating this exhibition. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information and to source attributable content correctly. However, there may be inadvertent and occasional errors or omissions for which we apologise. Necessary editing of translations has taken place to clarify content without compromising the author’s intention.

TEHRAN IRAN

28th September - 12th October, 2017 OPENING NIGHT: 28th September, 6:00pm Atrium, Melbourne School of Design The University of Melbourne, Parkville

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND PLANNING THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Sunset in Tehran, Photo © Arash Ashoorinia

I NT RODUCT ION

Global Architecture Profiling (GAP) is a student collective which seeks to broaden design discourse by showcasing the work of architects in different urban locations around the world via an annual exhibition.

Curated by students in the Bachelor of Environments program at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue serves to promote contemporary architecture in cities that are often absent from major architectural publications.

Previous exhibitions have featured Puebla, Mexico (2016); Casablanca, Kingdom of Morocco (2015); Seoul, Republic of Korea (2014); Reykjavik, Iceland (2013); Ljubljana, Slovenia (2012); Santiago de Chile, Chile (2011) and Bangalore, India (2010).

In 2017, GAP presents the eighth annual exhibition featuring Tehran, the capital of Iran. The tradition, culture and vibrancy of Tehran echo in the architectural works presented in this catalogue. The projects featured have been self-selected by the architectural practices to represent their current design interest. Accompanying the images are responses offered by the firms to a series of questions framed by the GAP committee.

We are grateful to Iranian architect Peyman Esmsaeelpour who has contributed the foreward to the catalogue.

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F O R EW O R D Towards a contemporised [architectural] condition Peyman Esmaeelpour Iran, a country of one of the world’s most ancient civilisations, is located in the Middle East, a region which has been the centre of chaos in the world for many years. Geography, religion, and politics have always had a direct impact on its situation; it is a place caught in the conflict between the worlds of the East and the West. From the late seventies, a series of social changes, and political issues occurred, shifts from which architecture could not remain immune.

In such times, architecture may even be considered as a victim of these upheavals.

The Iranian revolution of 1978 is key to understanding the social and political shifts through which the kingdom regime fell, and a religious republic government was raised up. Shortly thereafter, the country underwent eight years of war with its neighbouring country, Iraq. This war ended in 1988, and a post-war condition began.

The architectural experience of Iran in the eighties and nineties is different to the architectural experiences of Europe and America. In the West, it may be argued that a scientific approach was promoted and a very distinct and new architectural language developed. It was a significant time of architectural experimentation in the West, of which Iran could not partake because of its political circumstances at the time.

The post-war period’s outward characteristics were intensive new construction, marked by a plethora of government buildings responding to the needs of a changed political governing system.

During this phase, the role of the architect came to be preoccupied with planning. One is saddened to think of the lost opportunities via the means of public art and architecture to offer a reflection on the recent period of turmoil. As a capital, there are no places in Tehran which remind one of those years, no battle wounds left, no site which bears sentiment. Tehran has removed all traces of its pain from its physical artefacts.

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However, the Tehran of now is different. It has taken every opportunity to ensure that it becomes a contemporary city. Its architecture is being widely published. Projects comparable to those of its Western counterparts are envisioned and realised daily.

During the last four decades, immigration to Europe and America became commonplace for Iranians. Those who studied and practised architecture overseas began to communicate with Iranian based communities, some returning to the country with their new knowledge. Some of these architects garnered an international reputation contributing in turn to the development of the discipline within Iran.

One of these influential figures worthy of note is Bahram Shirdel, who returned to Tehran to establish the firm of Shirdel and Partners in 1997. Shirdel injected a new way of architectural thinking not only in his work but also contributed to Tehran’s architecture through promoting architectural discourse to a younger generation. Many young architects, who passed through his office, benefitted from his tutelage, including Reza Daneshmir, Hooman Balazadeh and Hooman Talebi amongst others who are now equally recognised for their work.

This new-found confidence endows practitioners to braveness, to have the freedom to push the boundaries. Current architectural discourse conditions the term ’contemporary’. It does not deal only with the condition that is happening ‘now’ but also refers to the term ’advanced’. Contemporary architecture is an architecture which belongs to the present and advances the art. The work in this catalogue is proof of the rapid development of Iranian architecture of the present and advanced.

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Imam Reaza Complex Architects 04 Keivani P. 40

Mellat Bank

Architect Studio 03 Kalout P. 32

Habibeh Madjdabadi P. 10 The Death of Author [Installation]

Approximation [Installation]

Design Group 02 Hooba P. 24

01

40 Knots House

Espriss Cafe

Orsi Khaneh

White Gallery Villa for a Friend

Mosha House Villa for Younger Brother

Office 07 Next P. 74

Wave Architecture 06 New P. 64

[SHIFT] Process Practice

05 P. 50

Eilkhaneh

Sharifi-ha House

40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

01 HABIBEH MADJDABADI No 37, West Andisheh 1, Andisheh St, Shahid beheshty Ave, Tehran, Iran +98 21 8841 1612 www.habibehmadjdabadi.com

PROFILE Habibeh Madjdabadi is an Iranian architect with interests in photography, design and art installations.

Her realisations reveal a meticulous and continuous research about the new possibilities of using contemporary artistic approaches and techniques in a local context. In recent years, she has shown particular interest in mirrors as a traditional and contemporary material. Through different works of architecture and art, she has tried to explore the expressive potential of reflective surfaces.

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I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

I believe Architecture is not a matter of style or competence; it is a matter of curiosity and research. Every project must easily solve general problems. Handbooks are useful for this. When you study in depth the conditions and circumstances of your work, you discover that there are only few basic and specific key problems that require creative solutions. This provides you with the opportunity to create something authentic and unique. In my work, I try to find a clear spatial organisation that solves and valorises the unicity of the circumstances of each project. Then, I focus on finding basic elements that through repetition and variation create the whole. I consider buildings as organic beings. They are not just forms but bodies that can vary and adapt to various conditions without losing their identity.

Diagram, 40 Knots House Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

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Diagram, 40 Knots House Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

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40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect/designer?

Nature, geography and architecture history, conceived as a set of ideas for solving problems related to dwelling in the world. I am particularly interested in Architecture that shows an intelligent approach towards specific geography, culture or society.

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40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

3. What role does the architect play in society?

Pedagogy: I mean educating people and refining their taste about architecture. Architects are not rewarded for their role as their clients’ educators, but architects spend a large portion of their time on it.

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

A good architect has the ability to remain amateur.

I am not concerned about skills, and I don’t think skills, like sketching or using computers are essential to our work. An architect should develop critical thinking, observation ability and diagnosis. Architects need to be deep, emotional and curious, and capable of transforming their sentiments into architecture.

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40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

I like Tehran. It is a city of many different layers.

Tehran always has something to offer. It is heterogeneous and mysterious. You cannot discover it at a glance, and you need to live it to appreciate its vitality.

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Mellat Bank, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Habibeh Madjdabadi

6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

Many countries, like Iran, do not play a significant role in producing advanced technologies and products unlike those made widely available in a few advanced countries. On the other hand, philosophers, neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists tell us that the consequences of this very progress are leading societies to alienation and the loss of identity.

Today the dominant trends of architecture are benefiting from machines and software that take part in both design and production processes.

Everything leads towards perfection and optimisation. Little place is left to the homo faber instinct and its imperfections in manufactured products. However, as Gillo Dorfles mentions in his Milano Triennale exhibition, “human approximation” is the only way of living on earth and creating unique art.

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Mellat Bank, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Habibeh Madjdabadi

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Mellat Bank, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

The Death of Author, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

The Death of Author, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

During the Renaissance, architects considered architecture as a second nature. In the past few decades, however, they have moved against nature. I think in future there will be a return to nature. I consider nature as a set of rules and sources of inspiration for architecture. Respecting nature, for me, is much more important than planting trees on roofs or reducing energy consumption in a building.

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8.What is your favourite quotation?

I like to quote something from Kamran Afshar Naderi, a friend of mine and my former professor: If you have expended much more than your fee for a project; If the construction work overruns the estimated budget; If the timescale is doubled; If the Client is not satisfied; If you are sued for technical defects; If you face severe critics; Don’t be disappointed; you have probably created a masterpiece.

Approximation Installation, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

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Approximation Installation, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Habibeh Madjdabadi

Espriss Café , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Hooba Design Group

02 HOOBA DESIGN GROUP First floor, No 60 Alikhani Boulevard, South Sheikh Bahaei, Tehran, Iran +98 21 8806 6108 www.hoobadesign.com

PROFILE Hooba Design Group was established in 2009 by architect Hooman Balazadeh in Tehran. Hooba Design focuses on developing the interactive role of the buildings and the people who inhabit them by exploring the social culture and aesthetic contexts of each project so that every architectural element is inspired by research.

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Diagram, Espriss Cafe © Hooba Design Group

Espriss Café , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Hooba Design Group

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IN T E RV IEW 1. What defines your architecture?

Creating new experiences and qualities based on the old values.

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect?

Childhood experiences are some of the most important factors which are engraved in our memory. The combined smell of the soil and the greenery, when it starts to rain in the old fabric of the city has been one of the most intense feelings I have ever experienced. This experience was a motivation for me to pursue a contemporary architecture imbued with the essence of historical knowledge and values.

Diagram, Espriss Cafe Š Hooba Design Group

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Espriss Café , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Hooba Design Group

3. What role does the architect play in society?

An architect could define the meaning of the city and the living environment in a more beautiful ly and memorably way. In other words, an architect could transform an everyday space into a new life experience.

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

To know how to live and how to create living.

Espriss CafÊ , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Hooba Design Group

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5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

“Context” is the base platform for thinking and questioning in every architectural project. Site and the architectural decisions are the inseparable parts of any architectural project. Tehran’s urban spaces have various historical and social layers overlaid by an urban master plan. As architects, we try to create spaces which engage the inhabitants with nature and the socio-historical layers of the city. In a dense city like Tehran, creating social spaces is as important as creating private spaces, and we try to consider that in our design.

6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

In many cases, one-to-one samples of the design details are built during the design process as trial and error to find the best solution. This requires the committed cooperation of the production sector with the design team.

Espriss Café , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Hooba Design Group

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Espriss Café , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Hooba Design Group

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

I believe that the following issues will be the main challenges architects have to deal with in the near future.

• The shortage of land, energy, and water • Environmental health • Pollutions caused by building materials • Material recycling • Sustainable development • Architectural education

8. What is your favorite quotation?

Contemporary architecture should engage the moment without forgetting the history.

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Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Kalout Architecture Studio

03 K A LO U T A R C H I T E C T U R E S T U D I O No 137, Pasargad Building, South Ekhtiarieh St, Dowlat St, Tehran, Iran +98 21 2256 5506 www.kaloutarch.com

PROFILE Known for its multi-awarded Imam Reza complex, Kalout Architecture Studio presents an architecture that engages with the past, present and future.

Kalout Architecture Studio blends their buildings seamlessly into their context making their projects special to their environments. Respecting preconceived cultural notions of the site while pushing for a more contemporary architectural language. This blend of past, present and future is thus important in pushing for the future of architecture.

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I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

My design theory is based on the presence of users and human scale considerations. I believe buildings exist in user interaction. Therefore, in my projects mostly the presence of the user is being taken into consideration.

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect/ designer?

Undoubtedly, Iranian indigenous architecture plays the most important role in shaping my design approach. There are numerous aspects and features of Iranian architecture which have influenced a design strategy - the climate, materials, stunning Iranian decoration, and most importantly the sense of Persian spirit which impresses everyone.

Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Kalout Architecture Studio

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Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Kalout Architecture Studio

Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo © Kalout Architecture Studio

Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Kalout Architecture Studio

3. What role does the architect play in society?

Architecture can have a noticeable impact on society. The positive or negative effects of design would have an impact on the occupant of the space.

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

I believe architects must familiarise themselves with sociology and social psychology in addition to art and construction knowledge.

Diagram, Imam Reza Complex Š Kalout Architecture Studio

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Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Kalout Architecture Studio

5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

Unfortunately, due to lack of town planning consideration in recent decades, a massive city (Tehran) has been formed. Therefore, in the design process of projects, environmental and human considerations should be taken into account to create a liveable space.

Section, Imam Reza Complex Š Kalout Architecture Studio

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6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

There is a need in Iranian architecture to consider details in construction and implementation of a project, so that, a long-lasting and magnificent outcome in Iranian architecture can be created.

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

Think about individuals and all the users of the building. In my opinion, a future designer is the one who is capable of designing for people.

8. What is your favourite quotation?

I never design a building before I’ve seen the site and met the people who will be using it.

Frank Loyd Wright

Imam Reza Complex , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Kalout Architecture Studio

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Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

04 K E I VA N I A R C H I T E C T S Unit 7, No72 North Attari Moghadam St, Khaghani St, Shariati ave, Tehran, Iran +98 21 2263 3365 keivani-architects.com

PROFILE Keivani Architects Studio was established in 2009 by two architect brothers Nima Keivani and Sina Keivani. Since their establishment, the firm has sought to concentrate on the creation of meaningful, enriched, and innovative spaces. Their creativity and ideas are informed by regional culture and environmental circumstances, seeking an architecture which is novel, unique, and useful for human society.

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I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

It should be acknowledged that an architectural design is to be self-explanatory so that you (as an audience) would know the answer to such a question by observation. However, our approach in the studio originates from our culture and environment. Our goal is to create a different atmosphere, where it is peaceful, and a person can develop a sense of belonging. This is an important consideration when it comes to residential architecture.

Another important element to consider is nature.

Perhaps one of the biggest problems today for humans is the separation from nature. We are seeking a different method to enhance the relationship between people and nature. By method, we do not only refer to bionic forms, green architecture and use of renewable energy.

We are looking for a method beyond the form and energy. We believe that form can originate from anything and various factors could affect a form.

Therefore, form has never been an issue in our studio. In fact, we value more the character of a place and interaction between inside and outside of a building and its relationship with nature.

Diagram Š Keivani Architects

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Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect/designer?

We can say that the traditional Iranian approach towards space and architecture has affected us most. Iranian architecture pays particular attention to sustainability considerations. Several works undertaken by Keivani Studio in the renovation of historical places assisted us to identify some valuable factors in traditional Iranian architecture which are being dismissed in current architectural approaches.

Today, architecture is not considered only as a type of art. It is a field which is a combination of different fields such as construction, sociology, climatology and psychology which requires an artistic point of view. It is interesting that such combinations already exist in traditional Iranian architecture.

Traditional Iranian architecture considers different fields such as astronomy, geometry, mathematics, philosophy and chemistry alongside with the aesthetic and the artistic aspects of architecture.

In fact, traditional architects used to be scientists; now - we endeavour to consider all those different aspects.

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3. What role does the architect play in society?

An architect as a person who designs different spaces might be the most influential person in society after a philosopher. We design spaces which interact with people. Such interaction occurs in different stages. In the first stage, the façade of a building impacts the people who see it. The second stage refers to the impact on users of a building; which becomes more important in residential buildings. A residential space should provide a peaceful atmosphere for its residents. A resident (user of a place) is first influenced by the form and appearance of a building. However, deep down people are influenced by the atmosphere and character of a place or building, in turn impacting people’s behaviour/s and characters.

In fact, since people’s behaviours impact society, it may be concluded that architecture impacts the entire society in a wider context. Undoubtedly, there would be less chance for crime and problematic behaviours in peaceful atmospheres.

Architectural ideogram, Orsi Khaneh © Keivani Architects

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4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

Architects need to be able to analyse different data and manage information to be able to design the most comprehensive and applicable answers to all briefs. Architects needs to have a very good understanding of the practical information about buildings, the essence of the materials and their effects. In addition, demonstrating the psychology and nature of humans is critical to creating a pervasive art that works ahead of its time.

5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

Architecture cannot be created without considering context and the dominant culture of the city. Architects should always question the qualities that the work can offer to the city.

We always aim to design a building that can neutralise and eliminate the effect of noise and air pollution and offer users comfort because Tehran is a metropolis with many issues.

We always try to incorporate certain materials as well as greenery in facades, courtyards and roof gardens so that we reduce environmental pollution. It is critical to us that the building even influences pedestrians passing the building.

A survey from the Orsi Khaneh neighbourhood demonstrates that most people have a good experience viewing that building. In particular, the residents leave their daily stress behind the door when they enter the gateway. A similar experience to the traditional houses of Iran.

Orsi Khaneh , Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

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Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

Undoubtedly, the executive constraints such as material, budget and structure are of concern to architects and due to limited access to these resources; we always try to be innovative in our projects. In some cases, we needed to create a new way in detailing and implementation, which was exclusive to that particular project. Our studio has always been very creative throughout the process from sketch to implementing the idea into a built work.

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Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Keivani Architects

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

Humans have been consistently harming the earth by cutting the trees and ruining the forests, replacing them with buildings resulting in different forms of crisis such as climate change.

Humans are not able to demolish buildings and plant trees and vegetation. We see our challenge in architecture being; • to design and create merciful tree-like buildings; • to design a building that acts as lungs and a filter for air; • to design and build a project that gives back while also providing intrinsic value; • to design a building that can accommodate humans and animals.

In our opinion, reconciling with nature is a key to survive in the future. The future of architecture is the consideration of sustainability but to a greater depth.

8. What is your favorite quotation?

Architecture influences the four main senses of hearing, smell, sight and touch and can penetrate and affect the human spirit.

Orsi Khaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Keivani Architects

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White Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

05 [SHIFT] PROCESS PRAC TICE Unit 4, no.6, rezai st., esmaili st., pesyan st., zafaraniyeh, Tehran, Iran +98 21 2243 8963 www.shiftprocesspractice.ir

PROFILE [SHIFT] Process Practice is a research-driven design and construction studio founded by Rambod Eilkhani and Nashid Nabian. The practice covers all scales pertaining to built environment design, ranging from infrastructure to urban settings, architecture, and even artefacts.

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I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

Our architecture is defined by challenging the dominant typologies that are praxis. We challenge the predominant language of architecture in the market and attempt to achieve our very own personal language in design. In addition, in our office, we regard perception and conception in architecture concurrently and simultaneously.

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect/ designer?

Consideration of structure and spatialisation in literature and painting and contemporary art have been the inspiring and brightening drivers in my personal perspective.

Diagram, White Gallery Š [SHIFT] Process Practice

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White Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

White Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

3. What role does the architect play in society?

I think, generally speaking, the role of the architect has been diminished to a servicing occupation due to the capitalist hegemony condition of society in the recent era. If there is an existing role for the architect, it is not in resisting to change the direction of the dominant capitalism.

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

I suppose, the ability to convince the capital movement, discover shared thinking points and therefore propose a response to increasing the quality of living and awareness level. This is the most important skill for architects.

White Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š [SHIFT] Process Practice

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5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

Tehran is the conjugation of distinct energies with multi-core potency relations, sometimes in contradiction. Perhaps, this is the reason that in finalising a project penetrating into capital and sovereignty with dominant speech is necessary.

Resultant Arrangement in Section

From Horizontal To Vertical Function Distribution

Diagram, White Gallery Š [SHIFT] Process

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White Gallery, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

Eilkhaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

Construction and production process would depend on the budget. Our projects can be adapted to different financial situations. The history of industrialisation in Iran is not aged enough; our country cannot compete or be compared with advanced western countries in certain technologies in construction. Therefore the decisions are made based on the client’s funding.

Section, Eilkhaneh Š [SHIFT] Process Practice

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Eilkhaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š [SHIFT] Process Practice

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

Capital is moving towards unification and commodification. The challenge is to preserve the critical identity and enlightening aspects of architecture as well as the effectiveness of the architect in society so that this occupation does not convert to a second-grade job.

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Eilkhaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

Eilkhaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

Eilkhaneh, Tehran, Iran, Photo © [SHIFT] Process Practice

8. What is your favourite quotation?

I heard in one of Libeskind’s lecture that said, “Architecture is marathon, not a sprint”.

SOUTH WEST ISOMETRIC

NORTH-EAST ISOMETRIC

NORTH-WEST ISOMETRIC

SOUTH-EAST ISOMETRIC

Isometric view, Eilkhaneh © [SHIFT] Process Practice

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Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

06 N E W WAV E A R C H I T E C T U R E No 7, Mahtab Alley, West Yasemi Ave, Seoul Ave, Tehran, Iran +98 21 8805 5082 5 www.newwavearchitecture.com

PROFILE Founded in 2005, New Wave Architecture is a firm based in Tehran with leading architects Lida Almassian and Shahin Heidari. The practice seeks for a global language of architecture to approach an innovative and challenging contemporary movement. It explores the new ways of emerging ideas, demanding and distinctive spaces in their aesthetic aspects, humanity and capacity for global communication.

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Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

Architecture is an imagination that connects time and space. The formation of individual design depends on parameters such as context, climate and operation. Its individuality is defined by such parameters and activities.

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect/designer?

I cannot mention about anything in particular.

My take on architecture is very influenced by the design parameters such as context to design for comfort. An example would be ‘healing architecture’ correlating to hospital design.

3. What role does the architect play in society?

It is crucial for the architect to provide comfort through design and educate society on architectural discourse.

Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

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Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

Model, Mosha House © New Wave Architecture

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

Despite the shift towards software-driven architecture, it is also important to have an architect return to analogue methods in context analysis. Thus, the architect should consider the social political and economic context of the design.

5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

The city of Tehran is different with its high daily stress, serving a challenge in designing that may be solved by ‘healing architecture’ – correlating to hospital design. In the case of the Mosha House, which only is occupied on the weekends, we took the context as the most important factor into consideration. We intended to allow for recovery for the clients from the six busy business days in Tehran, in spending only the one day in this house. So understanding the context of Tehran is always critical in starting a project.

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6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

Our major problem in Iran is the buildability and construction of the design and limited access to products, materials and modern technologies due to sanctions. In addition, there are always certain barriers for the construction process such as lack of skilled labour and the unfamiliarity of conservative clients to recent technology or products. Even if the clients are open-minded, the architects need to showcase a built project in the local context of Tehran to convince them.

Plans, Mosha House Š New Wave Architecture

Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

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Mosha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š New Wave Architecture

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

Architecture has been changing incredibly since the 70’s. On the one hand it becomes very specialised, such as sustainable architecture and contextualism and on the other hand, digital technologies have helped to achieve and analyse more accurate data to improve the quality of architecture and to create more design options.

The biggest challenge for architectural design in Tehran is the city itself, urban sprawl and urban fabric. The urban fabric of Tehran has been damaged due to large investment but without considering design. In addition, every year a huge number of architecture students graduate without sufficient training for the market.

Furthermore, the decision makers for large investments in councils and ministry of housing are unqualified; therefore, the construction industry is always in a bubble. Unexpected and unreasonable building prices are the norm. Even though some of the architects have successfully found a path to go through, conservative thoughts and council restrictions are prevalent. These efforts remain architectural singularities in the context of the whole of Tehran.

Diagram, Mosha House Š New Wave Architecture

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Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

07 N E X TO F F I C E No 3, 12th Alley, Hasan-e-Seyf St. Shahrak Gharb,Tehran,Iran +98 21 8857 4027 – 8856 4663 nextoffice.ir

PROFILE Alireza Taghaboni is an Iranian architect, painter and university lecturer. He founded the firm Nextoffice in 2010. His current team members come from various professional backgrounds including architecture, model making, fabrication, product design, sculpture, landscape design, building and facilities construction.

Context and site history, climatic conditions, economic and cultural background has always had a distinctive role in the firm’s design approach.

Believing in architectural involvement with the economy, culture and contemporary demands - a synthesis of these design inputs are sought in the process of design. They live in the hope of realising ideas and drawings integrated into the city.

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Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo Š Nextoffice

I NTE RVI E W 1. What defines your architecture?

The practice is committed to contributing to a paradigmatic shift in the design process. At an infrastructural scale, the practice is committed to the production of urban morphologies from an architectural genome that produces formative typologies. The practice defines this mode of problem-solving as a gene-driven approach. _ At an urban scale, the practice prioritises small and smart interventions to surgical solutions.

The practice believes in the transformative role that the residual spaces between the buildings can play in redefining public realms within the urban phenomena. At an architectural scale, the practice is committed to the production of inhabitable spaces that question the wellestablished paradigm of everyday life. The practice also challenges the dominant material culture that fosters a maximalist approach towards a realisation of architectural imagination with an expansive and expensive pallet of building materials and construction techniques.

The practice strives for efficiency and sufficiency in its design choices without compromising the quality of spatial experience.

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At an artifactual scale, the practice is committed to re-imagining the object not as a stand-alone element but as an architectural component, functioning as a spatial signifier.

Across all scales of design interventions, the practice is committed to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The practice believes in trans-disciplinarity, where paradigms from other disciplines can be re-appropriated, retrofitted, and re-interpreted in imagining innovative design solutions. The practice acknowledges the role that situated technologies and digital culture play in reconfiguring our understanding of the spatial phenomena, expanding the domain of its operation from the erection of substantive, durable structures to staging temporal, ephemeral events. In this sense, the practice conducts intensive research into the potential of interactive technologies and the platforms they can provide for infrastructural, urban, architectural and artifactual sensing, networking, computing and

Iran Typology Š Nextoffice

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Diagram, Sharifi-ha House Š Nextoffice

2. What have been the major influences and drivers on you as an architect /designer?

Iran’s contemporary architecture scene is a quite emerging one with lots of potential. At the same time, for post-revolution Iranian architects, exponential increase in international connections has contributed to a constant flow of information from the international scene. Hence, our generation of Iranian architects benefits from a thriving national scene for the promotion of architectural discourse as well as the possibility of access to international information. This, in turn, is constantly re-appropriated by the national context to be owned properly as opposed to being merely teleported from an irrelevant context of application. As a result, both national and international conversations are helping us to configure and reconfigure our practice dynamically.

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Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

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Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

Villa For Younger Brother, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

3. What role does the architect play in society?

It is the spatial conditions and configurations that constantly redefine the concurrent agencies of the individual and the society. Architecture has cultural and political agency in the redefinition of the power structure in both its domestic and societal forms. In the domestic realm it is the lifestyle that is the subject of design, and in the public realm, it is the structure of power and the relationship of the multitude and its constituencies or in other words the institution of societal acts that is subjected to design decisions.

Interior, Villa For Younger Brother Š Nextoffice

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Model, Villa For Younger Brother Š Nextoffice

4. What are the most important skills for an architect to have?

We believe that architectural design consists of several stages that do not necessarily come in the same sequence across all programs and all scales. One way or the other an architect needs to address these stages capitalising on skills that are relevant to each: project initiation, concept design, design development, spatial rendering and construction and documentation.

In all the above stages, architects may need to revisit the previous stages and the decisions that are made during that stage. Certain abilities are required regarding refining and re-negotiation of previously made decisions in response to emerging conditions of the project. Also, in all these stages, mastery of documentation of the ideas and process of their formation and effective communication of them through techniques and different modalities of representation are what an architect needs.

There is no need to mention that requisite skills are required in effective collaboration with all other disciplines, including but not limited to structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, which contributes to the formation of an effective operational built space.

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Villa For Younger Brother, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

Villa For Younger Brother, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

5. What role does the city of Tehran play in your design process?

The City of Tehran is an absurd landscape.

Aggressive zoning bylaws that support the transfer of air rights to the private sector has resulted in a dense urban fabric where the only viable typology is that of infill. Most neighbourhoods are residential, and market forces and regulations do not allow for accommodation of any other architectural typology or spatial program. In extreme cases, the scope of influence of the architect is limited to the design of the façade of the building with a built form to its maximum buildable envelope allowed by regulations. In almost all projects of Nextoffice, the regulatory and programmatic limitations of projects are challenged one way or the other.

At the same time, to challenge the status quo, the practice is very much invested in sectional relations within the autonomous object of architecture. In a market-driven landscape, where buildings compete in standing out within the humdrum of the urban context, those that are designed in our practice, try to negotiate with all limiting conditions of the context, fitting in and being humble, while complexity is created within the confines of the interior. No doubt, this schizophrenic approach, the simplicity of the outside and complexity of the inside, has its very roots in the tension of the private and public realm within the socio-political landscape of contemporary Iran. In such situations, the architectural threshold operates as the regulator of all flows between the private reality of the inside and the public sphere of the outside, and as such acquires a critical condition.

Section, Villa For Younger Brother Š Nextoffice

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Villa For A Friend, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

6. What role do the construction and production processes play in design?

It is through the process of construction that architectural ideas are realised and find their way to the practice of everyday life, be it in the context of domestic or societal institutions. In countries like Iran where the built environment is still very much erected through traditional modes of operation, a deep understanding of potentials and limitations of non-industrial construction techniques and technologies can become a subject of design in its own right.

Section, Villa For Younger Brother Š Nextoffice

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Villa For A Friend, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

Villa For A Friend, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

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Villa For A Friend, Tehran, Iran, Photo © Nextoffice

7. What challenges do you see in the future of architectural design?

With the unprecedented proliferation of images, in a predominantly digital culture, the hegemonising forces of the global network of connections are challenging the very core idea of authorship. In such context, architecture would only thrive if architects can orient themselves efficiently and sufficiently, towards a new condition that can only be characterised as “Networked Specificity”.

Networked Specificity should not be mistaken as another wave of neo-regionalism which is always in danger of losing contact with reality due to a somewhat ideological orientation towards questions of identity and conservative nationalism.

Particularly for nation-states who are the consumers of modernity and not the very authors of it. For those of the Global South, Networked Specificity will, in fact, provide the very grounding to author parallel alter-modernities that are responding to specificities of a sociocultural and economic-political context of given geographies, while maintaining acceptable levels of contemporaneity. Unless architects entertain such an approach, the question of authorship is degraded to re-compilations of already created images into spatial conditions that intrinsically cannot claim to be a part of the New Architecture.

8:What is your favourite quotation?

“Every architect carries the utopian gene.”

Rem Koolhaas

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C O NTR I B U T O R S 40 KNOTS HOUSE MELLAT BANK THE DEATH OF AUTHOR [INSTALLATION] APPROXIMATION [INSTALLATION] Habibeh Madjdabadi Image: Supplied by Habibeh Madjdabadi

INTRODUCTION Blair Gardiner Image: Arash Ashoorinia FOREWARD Peyman Esmaeelpour

ESPRISS CAFE Hooba Design Group Image: Supplied by Hooba Design Group IMAM REZA COMPLEX Kalout Architecture Studio Image: Supplied by Kalout Architecture Studio ORSI KHANEH Keivani Architects Image: Supplied by Keivani Architects WHITE GALLERY EILKHANEH [SHIFT] Process Practice Image: Supplied by [SHIFT] Process Practice MOSHA HOUSE New Wave Architecture Image: Supplied by New Wave Architecture SHARIFI-HA HOUSE VILLA FOR YOUNGER BROTHER VILLA FOR A FRIEND Nextoffice Image: Supplied by Nextoffice

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A C K N O W L E D G E M E NT The GAP 2017 Committee wishes to express our warmest thanks to the participating firms without whom our exhibition would not have been possible.

We are grateful to Associate Professor Andrew Hutson - Deputy Dean, Melbourne School of Design and Dr Ali Mozaffari - Research Fellow at Deakin University for opening the exhibition.

The Melbourne School of Design - Engagement & Marketing, Facilities & Finance, Academic Support and FabLab departments have provided significant support. We wish to extend our thanks for their invaluable assistance in facilitating this endeavour. In particular, we must mention Jasmine Budisa, Philippa Knack, Sara Brocklesby and Nasrin Hashemi for all their help.

Finally, we wish to acknowledge and thank the University of Melbourne Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning academic and founder of GAP, Blair Gardiner for his guidance, patience and support in fostering this project.

By being part of the GAP 2017 Committee, each of us has been afforded the opportunity to broaden our architectural experience through curating the GAP 2017 - Tehran Exhibition.

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