Bonlad Residence

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

[Opposing the “Density”: A Termination of “Masses”]
The main challenges of the Bonlad project were to adopt a strategy to address the issue of "context" on a large scale and overcome the limitations imposed by the project's western neighborhood (prohibition of the direct view towards a government building). From a physical point of view, we encountered a lot of low-quality constructed buildings in the city of “Ilam” with minimal semi-open spaces. Despite its rich cultural heritage, the city unfortunately has the highest suicide rate in Iran. Our critical approach to the typical low-quality apartments in the city, with nearly "100 percent" lot coverage without any livable space, led us to make this project as a platform for the realization of the idea of extensive and active semi-open spaces using the concept of "Spatial Border". Therefore, the design process began with this question: How can we take the advantages of the "corrosive grid" (the void and corrosion as a spatial system) to address a "Spatial Border" in order to resolve the contextual issues?
The spatial organization of the project follows a "dual" and "contradictory" (discrete - continuous) form, aiming to address contextual issues, client needs and reach the economic efficiency. In the basement and ground floor, dedicated to the public or profitable uses (commercial spaces and offices), there is a dense arrangement of functions in various directions, with independent accesses and spatial separation. However, on the upper floors, planned for two brothers to live independently, this internal separation turns into a horizontal-vertical continuity. Even separate residential levels are connected through multiple voids, essentially revealing the project's family nature. On the top level (roof), this connectivity opens up to the sky, simultaneously providing both units with this natural potential while emphasizing the project's pixel-like role in a larger structure called the city, which is actually a statement about our urban future.
Bonlad is our experiment on the typology of apartments that have a non-identical formal language on their different sides. Accordingly, the restriction on views towards the west (the longest side) made us not to use direct and single-layer openings on all sides of the building as much as possible to create a "unified" form and prevent "heterogeneity in the formal growth". Instead, we provided the openness and lighting through intermediate negative boxes and repeated setbacks.
By creating sudden changes in the scale of terraces and using unusual dimensions (depths up to nearly 7 meters), as well as applying repeated vertical porosities in the peripheral grid, we were able to make the green, "non-center” yards around the residential core. If we accept that a Persian House has a “spatial” concept, these semi-open spaces, derived from a “border” tension between inside and outside, seek the same “spatiality.” These spaces are seeking to change the behavior of residents by creating vitality in apartment life, moving towards the concept of “Hedonistic Sustainability”. Also, the use of vertical louvres, despite the use of large windows, adds a sense of “visual privacy” into the project, which is a social need in the city of Ilam.
In this project, in addition to addressing the formal, spatial and contextual problems, we also focused on tectonic issues. Achieving the elegant detailing of the brick facade and vertical louvres was provided through accurate measuring tools to minimize errors in drilling as well as creating grooved pattern on bricks. We did these things in order to create the “duality” and perceptual “disturbance” in the material identity of the brick. This encouraged the residents or viewers to touch the walls of the building and stimulate the sense of touch alongside the visual perception of the project.

MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY:
Given the challenging severe economic crisis conditions in Ilam, we sourced the bricks from some local factories and employed affordable local labor for the construction. Although this extended the project’s duration to nearly “five” years, it was crucial for us to train skilled local workforces for the future projects in the city.
Therefore, in this project, in addition to addressing the formal, spatial and contextual problems, we also focused on tectonic issues. Achieving the elegant detailing of the brick facade and vertical louvres was provided through accurate measuring tools to minimize errors in drilling as well as creating grooved pattern on bricks. We did these things in order to create the “duality” and perceptual “disturbance” in the material identity of the brick. This encouraged the residents or viewers to touch the walls of the building and stimulate the sense of touch alongside the visual perception of the project.

PROJECT SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlights the “high suicide rate” as the most pressing issue in the city of Ilam. To get to the roots of this problem requires comprehensive social, economic and cultural studies. In this project, we turned the architecture of a single building into a paradigm to address this problem and improve the quality of apartment life. Some of our most important goals included:
Defining a different model for apartment housing in Ilam in a way that prioritizes large semi-open spaces to significantly improve residents’ quality of life.
Achieving an architectural solution for apartment projects in which large windows are used without the need to be completely covered, but on the other hand, it provides privacy, which is an urgent social need in this city.
Introducing a modern and innovative use of bricks, while empowering and training the local workforce to accurately implement architectural projects that can impact the city’s economy and future development.
Given the low cost of fossil fuels in Iran, the government's measures to reduce the energy consumption have never been successful. We believe that by creating large and livable semi-open spaces in apartments, residents will be encouraged to spend more time outside the enclosed areas of their homes. This expected to lead to a reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
To emphasize the importance of the roof level in a city where the buildings roofs are all gray and soulless, highlighting the project’s role as a distinctive pixel within the larger urban fabric, and reflecting on the future urban development of Ilam.

Lead Architects: Mohammad Hdianpour
Construction & Project manager: Mansour Bahadori
Project Architect & Supervision: Reza Mansouri
Construction Associate: Mohammad Moradzadeh
Structure: Ali Ehsan Javadinia
Electrical: Elham Heidari
Mechanical: Hisense Company
Client: Izz-Din Sadeghkhani
Photo Credits: Parham Taghioff