Architects: Pargar Architecture and Design Studio
Area: 469 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Parham Taghioff
Lead Architects: Behzad Heidari, Shirin Samadian
Design Associate: Leila Azizi, Milad Hasanzade
Visualization: Omid Majd Taheri
Physical Model: Pariya Banabehbahani
Presentation: Maryam Oghbaei, Niki Haddad Razavi, Farnaz Ejlali, Rezvan Mohtadi
Construction Team: Farhan Rafieian
Structure Engineer: Siavash Sedighi, Mohammad Kalanaki
Mechanical Consultant: Mohsen Mahmoudi
Electrical Consultant: Alireza Faraji
Program / Use / Building Function: Residential, Single Family
City: Tehran
Country: Iran
Rafieian’s House residential project designed by Pargar Architecture and Design Studio in Iran explores the boundary between interior and exterior space through transitions that register memory and presence. The architects define spatial experience through the temporal states of “being,” “passing,” and “arriving,” articulated through two staggered buildings connected by transparent glass bridges. These elements, combined with reflective surfaces and environmental exposure to rain, sunlight, and snow, reinforce the perception of presence within movement. The program is distributed across both volumes, with social and service areas on the ground floor, private spaces above, and a lower level that opens to a sunken northern garden. The design expresses a clear intention to use architecture as a medium for memory, transforming thresholds into lasting markers of presence.
Rafieian’s House illustrates the complex relationship between interior and exterior spaces, raising a critical architectural question about the boundary between inside and outside. This theme has consistently engaged architects, who have examined how spatial transitions and interactions occur, ranging from the primal experience of observing rainfall from inside a cave to the transparent spatial connection of Johnson’s glass villa with the surrounding landscape.
Rafieian’s House reinterprets the connection between interior and exterior spaces, shifting it from a dialogue to a monologue in which memories created through presence are preserved at each threshold where the two conditions meet. The concept centers on the idea of “presence” and its temporal nature—the fleeting quality of the “now,” which disappears the moment it is experienced. By investigating this temporality, the architects identified a cyclical pattern in spatial experience: “being,” “passing,” and “arriving.” Within this framework, “being” and “arriving” are defined as architectural “places,” while “passing” represents the transitional space that links them.
In Rafieian’s House, the movement between exterior and interior spaces establishes a dynamic dialogue that both records and separates memories. This transitional passage captures a range of sensory experiences such as rainfall, sunlight, shadows, and snowfall, infusing each moment with a distinct sense of presence.
A key aspect of the design lies in its spatial arrangement. Two buildings are positioned side by side at different elevations, connected by glass bridges that represent the concept of “passing.” The glass windows along each structure reflect the images of the residents, reinforcing both the sense of presence and the visual link between “being” and “arriving.” These central glass bridges join the two sides of the house, forming a continuous and calm passage that introduces views of the outside within an interior sequence.
The spatial composition of Rafieian’s House reflects a considered organization. The ground floor of the larger structure includes the living room, kitchen, and stairway, while the smaller structure contains the dining room, TV area, and guest room. The first floor of the larger volume accommodates the bedrooms and a small living room, whereas the master bedroom is situated in the smaller volume. The lower level is designed as a lounge that opens onto a northern garden pit and includes additional spaces for storage, parking, and utilities.
Beyond its configuration as a villa, Rafieian’s House conveys the essence of a home by embedding memories within its spaces. Each architectural element, from glass reflections to transitional zones, functions as a recorder of moments, turning the house into a vessel for presence and nostalgia. Through this design, the architects have articulated a philosophy in which “each passage, each window, and each bridge act as transparent thresholds,” serving as reminders to the occupants of their continued presence even in moments of absence. This approach gives Rafieian’s House a lasting character, expressing the accumulation of memory that transforms a structure into a home.
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Project Location
Address: Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
