The project titled "One Hundred Squared" serves as a new practice in critical thinking within the field of architecture. Throughout the proposal, numerous questions were raised; these inquiries guided us towards a proposed plan. The outcome observed is the result of questioning these answers.
In the realm of architectural art and innovation within this discipline, what actions could be taken?
With this question in mind, we began to think about a new and different way of creating volumes and their connections. To answer this question, we had climate and cultural discussions of the region in one hand, and mathematics in the other. Due to the local weather conditions, we spaced out the volumes or houses from each other, lifted them up, and suspended them; now we needed a solution to keep these houses and the communication paths between them suspended. On the given ground, we drew a Cartesian coordinate network in three axes, considering a distance of one meter between each unit, and created a three-dimensional network; after creating this network, we transformed the resulting lines into beams and columns. We removed the common season of this three-dimensional network and the suspended volumes, defined the organic communication paths between the houses, and thus this project was born.
To address the concept of "building in the present," what strategy was devised for modernizing the project?
Reflecting on the current state of contemporary human life and engaging in critical thinking about it, three types of homes emerged: single-family houses, two-person houses, and houses accommodating three to four people; along with the shared spaces connecting these homes. In today's world, the living room and hospitality space are becoming less prominent; therefore, the reception of guests and individuals outside the "family" circle was eliminated in all these homes, replaced by a large shared space for all houses. Essentially, the concept of a house in this project will not be confined to "four walls," and a portion of the house will extend beyond the private domain into a shared space. This shared space, designed for 5 houses (2 single-family houses, 2 two-person houses, and 1 three to four-person house), features attributes that easily accommodate group and social activities. On its southern side, there is a greenhouse, and its roof also provides a semi-open public space for all members of the collection. The concept of a home changes fundamentally in this project because private space is secluded from the sight of guests or visitors, allowing for the freedom to design and personalize the interior space of the home freely. This combination of personalization and group activities, leading to greater freedom, constitutes our response to the debate on the "contemporary human."
why we ended up using a three-dimensional network?
As mentioned, the responsibility of suspending these volumes falls upon this three-dimensional network, which makes references to the local architecture of Gilan; this network has created a transparent view for the project that can constantly change with human presence and nature, and be "personalized." The three-dimensional network is as present in the facade as inside the project space, creating a connection between the inside and outside of the space. This network can also be utilized for lighting purposes at night.
The Cartesian coordinate network is functioning as bearing columns, made with materials which are appropriate for Gilan province's humid weather.