Ivan Khaneh

The Ivan-Khaneh is the example of where the former single-story townhouse prototype meets the recently popular multi-story building characteristics without losing spatial qualities, such as the opportunity of outdoor living. The urban fabric, in which this project is located, initially consists of single-story housing blocks with 60% of floor area positioning in the middle of the building plot in a way that leaves a 10% open area on the north and a 30% open area on the south. New mid-raised developments still follow the same prototype of land use. Located in Shahin-shahr, a suburban area in Isfahan, Iran, Ivan-Khaneh provides a total of 410 m² living spaces for two families in the form of a three-story building located on a 273 m² plot.

Borrowing the theory of prospect-refuge, Ivan-Khaneh is a juxtaposition of open, semi-open, and closed spaces that provide the capacity of observe (prospect) without being seen (refuge). The application of this theory first emerges in the form of a big veranda on the northern side of the house facing outside where a vast green space exists. While providing a pleasant view for the occupants, a curtain controls and limits the outsiders view on the other side. In addition to that, a series of open and semi-open spaces including the entrance garden, rooftop terrace, and sleeping deck (Mahtabi) make unique spatial relationships that correspond to daily needs and activities of the occupants such as cooking, kids’ playing, reading, enjoying the view, sleeping, etc.