ZAV Architects extends house in Iran with ombre "architectural limbs"

Golmorad house extension in Iran by ZAV Architects

A series of overlapping arches shifts in colour from terracotta to blue on this home extension on the outskirts of Tehran, designed by Iranian studio ZAV Architects.

Named Golmorad, the colourful extension transforms the residence from a weekend villa, originally designed by Iranian studio Firouz Firouz, into a permanent home in the town of Kouhsar.

Aerial view of Iranian house — Photo by Arshia Hashemipour

Drawings and photos

ZAV Architects‘ intervention extends both ends of the home into three adjacent orchard plots acquired by the client.

Constructed from masonry, the extension is coated in plaster to blend in with the earthen exterior of the original home, while its curved geometries set it apart from its predecessor.

Aiming to appear as if organically growing from the home, Golmorad emerges as a series of overlapping arched roofs.

At one end, the vaulted extension branches into two curved forms that gradually decrease in height – one wing containing a bedroom and ensuite, and the other an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room that opens onto an outdoor pool.

Openings between the overlapping roof planes let light into the home’s interior.

“Rather than approaching the extension as either a replication of the original structure or a distinctly separate addition, the project explores a third possibility: an architecture that emerges from within the existing building itself,” ZAV Architects told Dezeen.

“This intervention can be understood as a process of grafting, in which new needs and aspirations are grafted onto the existing body of the villa, giving rise to new architectural limbs that branch out and grow from it,” it continued.

“It is as though the original building, while retaining its underlying architectural logic rooted in thick-earth construction, has developed new and distinct organs of its own.”

ZAV Architects created a gradient effect across the building with terracotta tones fading into blue, intending to strengthen the appearance of the extension growing from the home.

“The uniform colour of the original villa develops into a chromatic spectrum that radiates outward from the existing core towards the newly formed branches,” the studio said.

“This transition makes the process of transformation visible, with each segmented shell expressing a distinct stage in the building’s evolution.”