Kanisavaran
Office
Office
Kanisavaran
Office
Office
RENOVATIONCONCEPT DESIGN / CONSTRUCTION TEHRAN / IRAN KANISAVARAN OFFICE
Situated in Tehran’s Zafaraniyeh neighborhood within the Palladium complex, the project contends with the rigid boundaries and predetermined constraints typical of commercial complexes. Such conditions often lead design teams to focus reactively on technical details. If these rules and limitations become the sole drivers of design, the outcome is unlikely to be profound. However, a design approach that critically engages with these constraints can pave the way for bolder, more thoughtful responses to the context.
As a renovation project, it is subject to unwritten and sometimes unforeseen rules. To minimize technical challenges during design and execution, a thorough understanding of the site’s history is crucial—a process that may continue until the project’s completion. Acknowledging our limited knowledge of the previous layers embedded in the ceilings, floors, and walls, we begin the work.
In its architectural plan, the project seeks to establish a compelling, inquisitive dialogue between its environment and its audience. It guides visitors through a deliberately crafted corridor into a space where they experience the surroundings amidst stark layers of concrete and steel. The sectional view reveals a distinctly different narrative. Here, the rigid layers, detached from the plan, retain only a nominal sense of solidity.
In contrast, the plan redirects the curiosity of tracing a path toward an exploration of identity. Within the section, the portrayal of movement and flow—unanchored from context or plan—serves as a medium to express presence and fluidity. Yet, the inquisitive spirit that animates exploration in the plan persists in the section, transformed yet enduring. The layers define spaces as a triad of open, semi-open, and enclosed zones, though traversing them often feels like an act of being overlooked. These layers shape the space’s character through a disconnected, suspended relationship with the plan, fostering a dynamic interplay that generates infinite spatial scenarios.
