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FOLDING CHAHARBAGH

Project Title:

Hamrasgah

Status:

Desgin Proposal

Location:

Tehran, Iran

Year:

2026

Size:

40,000 m2

Discipline:

Architecture

Category:

Mixed-use

Client:

Municipality Of Tehran

The subject of this project is ‘The Garden and the Path.’ The narrative of this project revolves around the issues of the path, the bus terminal, and the garden as a public urban space. Broadly speaking, the most significant spatial structure in Iranian architecture is the Charbagh (four-garden) model, and the Nine-square model is also fundamentally regarded as a variation of the Charbagh organizational system.”

Principal Architects:

Bahram Shirdel

Lead Architects:

Dorsa Ghazanfari, Hayyan Ashrafi, Ehsan Rajabi

Design Team:

Maede Rahmani, Kimia Bazrpour, Hafez Farahani, Parsa Nazarian, Mahshid Toyserkani

Technical Design:

Masoud Daryoushi, Mehrad Hamidian, Ali Agheli, Hayyan Ashrafi

3D Visualization:

Amin Baraz

2. Design Approach and the Nine-Square Grid Framework

Given the physical deterioration and inefficiency of the existing fabric, the proposal advocates for the renewal of this area through the demolition of existing buildings and the establishment of an integrated complex of administrative spaces. The goal is not merely the replacement of deteriorated structures, but the creation of a coherent administrative hub that enhances urban environmental quality while responding to the functional needs of the investor group. This approach, beyond increasing land productivity, facilitates better organization of the access network, improves the quality of public spaces, and fosters harmony between the project and the surrounding urban structure.

The design strategy is founded upon the establishment of a nine-square (3×3) grid as the project’s organizing framework. This grid, while preserving existing pathways and respecting the site’s movement structure, serves as the basis for positioning and organizing building volumes, open spaces, and various functions. The nine-square grid is not merely a geometric subdivision; it functions as a tool for creating spatial order, defining functional hierarchy, and establishing continuity between the existing fabric and new development. Preserving the main pathways also ensures the legibility of the movement network, enhances site permeability, and creates effective connections between the project and its surroundings.

Architecture-Design-Terminal-Azadi-Competitios-Tehran-Iran-Hamrasgah-Exterior-Interior-Facade-Roofطراحی-معماری-داخلی-ترمینال-آزادی-مسابقه-ایران-تهران-همرسگاه-همرس-گاه-شهرسازی

3. Sub-Grid Hierarchy and Perimeter Access Strategy

The main nine-square grid was subsequently divided into finer sub-grids to enable more precise organization of functions, building volumes, and open spaces. This geometric hierarchy, while maintaining overall design coherence, provides the necessary flexibility for accommodating different uses and shaping spatial relationships among them.

Simultaneously, a 12-meter setback from the site boundary was implemented to create a perimeter ring for vehicular access—particularly for parking entry and exit. This strategy not only improves the project’s traffic network performance but also generates a 12-meter passage along the southern edge of the site. This passage enhances permeability and accessibility while strengthening the project’s connection to its surroundings and providing capacity for public space development and safe pedestrian movement. Through physical and geometric modifications, the southern frontage was reorganized into a regular, legible edge. This intervention, in addition to creating coherence along the southern boundary, enabled better organization of accesses, open spaces, and the project’s relationship with the surrounding fabric.

Following the stabilization of the site structure, the positioning and placement of the administrative complex was carried out based on the logic of the nine-square grid. At this stage, the placement of volumes and functions was defined not independently, but within the framework of the grid’s geometric order and spatial hierarchy—ensuring both physical coherence and a logical relationship among administrative spaces, circulation paths, and public domains. Thus, the nine-square grid became the primary framework for the project’s spatial and functional organization.

4. Final Massing and Vertical Organization

The final massing and placement of the “Shastā” administrative complex is now visible. The main building volume is elevated on a 4.7-meter-high piloti, a decision that—while creating visual and circulatory continuity at ground level—enables the formation of public spaces, vehicular and pedestrian accesses, and smooth connectivity between different parts of the site.

Above this level, three administrative floors with a clear height of 3.5 meters are organized, designed to meet the functional needs of the complex. This vertical organization, in addition to meeting spatial standards for administrative spaces, facilitates proper separation of public and specialized domains, enhances workplace quality, and produces a volume proportionate to the urban scale and the overall logic of the nine-square grid. The placement of volumes follows the geometric logic of the grid and is fully coordinated with access routes, urban passages, and the project’s spatial hierarchy. As a result, the administrative massing emerges not as a single isolated volume, but as part of a coherent urban structure—one that, by adhering to the nine-square grid, creates spatial order and legibility while establishing logical connections among buildings, open spaces, and the movement network, enabling harmonious development of the complex’s functions.

 
 
Architecture-Design-Terminal-Azadi-Competitios-Tehran-Iran-Hamrasgah-Exterior-Interior-Facade-Roofطراحی-معماری-داخلی-ترمینال-آزادی-مسابقه-ایران-تهران-همرسگاه-همرس-گاه-شهرسازی

The project site is currently occupied by deteriorated and structurally unstable buildings, presenting a strong opportunity for urban renewal. The proposed design replaces these structures with an integrated administrative complex that enhances spatial quality, improves urban function, and strengthens connections with the surrounding fabric.

The design is organized around a nine-square (3×3) grid, which serves as the primary framework for arranging building volumes, open spaces, and functions while preserving existing pathways and movement patterns. This grid is further divided into sub-grids to allow precise organization and flexibility. A 12-meter setback along the site boundary creates a vehicular access ring and a southern passage that improves permeability and public space potential.

The final massing consists of a main volume elevated on a 4.7-meter piloti, ensuring visual and circulatory continuity at ground level. Above it, three administrative floors with a 3.5-meter clear height are organized to meet functional needs, separate public and specialized zones, and produce a volume proportionate to the urban scale and the nine-square grid logic.