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Text description provided by the architects. The “Parental house” project is the house of the parents of a family that has lived there for many years with three children and now welcomes their children, bride, sons-in-law and grandchildren. According to the family’s growth and the passing of a lifetime on the house, it was decided to design a house in the same place that was suitable for their new lifestyle and story.
To focus on a single-level ground floor and to provide easy and quick access for parents to the main living areas while considering the climatic conditions and the family’s interest in open spaces while maintaining privacy, determined the main decisions of the project; courtyards were formed in the middle to maximum utilization of the spaces while considering their functions. The diversity of the courtyards and the differences in their nature made it possible to use spaces from each of the indoor or outdoor courtyards according to their function. As a result, the ground floor was dedicated to family life, and the basement was allocated to a one-bedroom unit, parking, storage and a mechanical room.
The design path was shaped by the harmony between the new life pattern and the family’s behaviors and habits while respecting the memory of the old house. The reason for the behaviors was identified, and new spaces were designed accordingly. The designers attempt to find the reason behind certain spaces in the old house; for example why a kitchen was enclosed at the end of the house, why a living room with a greenhouse was in the middle without any connections to the open space, why a large room with always closed doors was used as an important guest space, and so on. In the new design with the help of inner yards which played a prominent role in the climate of Yazd in the past the connection with open spaces was established on both the ground floor and basement.
Spaces were transformed from closed to fluid spaces while maintaining their privacy and have been placed in an appropriate relationship with each other. In the place of the previous greenhouse, an opening in the roof was created and a flowerbox was located underneath, bringing light into the house and serving as a reminder of the previous home.
The use of a brick façade due to shading and deepening the windows in the living room is one of the things that is considered according to the climatic conditions. Also, due to the emphasis on having a single-level indoor space, basement stairs were located in one of the inner yards and the roof staircase was brought outside, occupying less space and becoming a significant element in the main façade of the house instead of being a dusty and dark space in the house.
