OTAGH-E-SHEKAR

“OTAGH-E-SHEKAR”*
*:Hunting lodge: A room used as a storage space for hunting and fishing equipment.

Amidst the natural environment of plants, trees, and water, a metal room stands out. The room is not just a room; it has given order to what was previously there, defining its boundaries and narrowing its scope.
"Building" is not quite fitting for this small room. “Expansion” is more appropriate; the room has expanded from within. Previously, it was a short chamber with clear ends, but no boundaries! Now it is firm, solid, and heavy, and clearly defined. These metal sheets have not added anything to the previous space; they only explain that this space could have existed before.
Five years ago (in 2018), we renovated the “Lanak Villa”. The garden extended from the entrance path to the river with a steep slope. In a corner of the garden, in a place where there was a difference in elevation resulting from the slope of the garden, there was a buried room in the ground with minimum opening towards the river. It provided a space for seclusion that was occasionally used while enjoying the garden. It had great potential and we constantly imagined ways to activate it. Interestingly enough, the client also imagined this room differently in his mind. One day, our imagination and his coincided during a simple conversation. Ideas of simplicity, silence, blending with the garden, and tranquility were discussed. A space far from the events of the main villa. An imagination that arose from visualizing being in the garden and using water. A space that had immediate connection with its natural environment.
The project started with expanding the room. Demolishing the stone retaining wall to attach an extension creating a thermal bath on the ground for we couldn’t dig the previous room’s floor. But it didn't stop there. Creating a platform with maximum connection to the garden and river ahead for spending time became the main design line of the project... Removing the stone wall meant creating a structure to support the ceiling and soil above the old room. This intervention was accompanied by attaching steel framing.
The appearance of thermal bath determined approximate dimensions and proportions of the new space. The next step was installing steel sheets as finishing along with applying protective (polyurethane) coating.
"Material" encompassed many aspects: Integration, expansion of space, differentiation from foundation while being resolved within it, construction techniques and timing; all converged in raw iron.
"Program" was another aspect that shaped the project's nature: experiencing being in a garden with an atmosphere different from that of an ordinary villa. Changing and relocating pathways near the riverside served as an excuse for defining multiple programs within certain limits. The idea of room expansion by defining a platform for relaxation, using thermal bath, cooking and sitting around the fire pit gradually transformed into a homogeneous space that allowed for activation of various scenarios within itself.
From within a piece of land beneath the main villa, emerged a metal room; it cannot be seen from above because its ceiling is leveled with the ground level and "building" is not quite fitting for this small room either. Expansion is more appropriate; the room has expanded from inside. Previously, it was used as storage chamber for fishing equipment because it's close to river. Now, the irons have given it shape. Project’s direction is from inside out. It looks out from inside an enclosed space, consisting of the thermal bath, a gathering area, facing the garden and river.

Location: Iran, Alborz province, Chalus road
Area: 46 Sqm
Structure: Steel Framing
Material: Steel Sheets with Polyurethane Coating
Mechanical Equipment: Underfloor Heating

Design: Pragmatica Architectural Design Studio
Principal Architect: Mohammadreza Mohebali
Project Architect: Siavash Dastgerdi
Presentation Team: Ahmadreza Rahimof. Ziba Najafi. Kiana Kassaie
Special Thanks To: Mazdak Salehi – Zahra Fathi
Construction: Vira Construction
Photography: Deed Studio
Client: Mr. Sharifi

OTAGH-E-SHEKAR by Mohamadreza Mohebali in Iran won the WA Award Cycle 45. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.