designboom · Creativity & design

ZAV Architects Expands Iranian Villa into Orchard

ZAV Architects has extended a weekend villa near Tehran into a permanent residence by acquiring adjacent orchard plots. The expansion preserves the original structure while adding new vaulted rooms that integrate with the landscape.

The original 200-square-meter villa was expanded by acquiring three orchard plots. New curved vaults branch outward, preserving the existing house and settling between fruit trees. Rounded walls and staggered roofs incorporate the orchard.

Additions shift in color from terracotta to paler pink and blue as they extend from the main house, showing a visual chronology.

Described as a 'graft,' the extension features a spiraling chain of overlapping vaulted spaces, creating narrow light gaps. Each segment has a unique roofline.

Inside, arched openings and curved ceilings direct light from skylights and windows. Blue interiors deepen in newer spaces, with sunlight falling across vaults.

The architecture uses low-tech masonry and local craftsmanship, tying unusual forms to familiar construction methods.

New rooms are placed in clearings, preserving the orchard. Circulation threads between planted areas, bringing the garden into the domestic space.

Gelareh House retains the original villa, with the extension reaching further into the orchard. Growth is the project's organizing idea, expressed through geometry and color.

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