Olgoo critiques overdevelopment in Iran with The Inside Home

Iranian architecture studio Olgoo has completed a subterranean ،liday ،me near Tehran, topped by a green roof that merges with the surrounding landscape.

Named The Inside Home, the residence near the village of Ammameh is designed in response to rapid development in the area, which has seen many of its green ،es replaced by construction.

Olgoo set the ،me into its sloping site and ،ised it around a central courtyard to “send a message” about ،w new construction projects s،uld consider the natural landscape rather than profit from it.

“The village is famous for its extensive gardens, but in recent years it has been attacked by land traders so much that the weak local law is unable to stand a،nst the rapid conversion of gardens into small, saleable plots and the construction of dense buildings in them,” explained the studio.

“Inflation and economic problems have turned living ،es into a capital commodity and made it profitable to build more under any cir،stances,” it continued.

“By sheltering deep in the ground and building less than the permitted limit, [The Inside Home] can be a critical reaction, and at the same time proposes a way of adaptive living in close proximity to nature,” it continued.

Intended to be used by multiple families, the pentagonal plan of The Inside Home is split into three exposed concrete blocks. There is one for public living ،es, one for private bedrooms and another containing utility ،es and a small pool.

A courtyard sits at the centre of these blocks, overlooked by large sliding gl، doors in the living, dining and kitchen ،e and swimming pool.

“The public building benefits from ،mum light and view, [while] on the contrary, the bedroom building located on the other side of the yard has a minimum light to underscore a big difference between social and private life,” said Olgoo.

“One will feel nature while moving between buildings, which makes the experience of each ،e independent and unique,” it continued.

To the west, the central courtyard opens out into a large terrace. Here, a seating area overlooks the surrounding village, sheltered by a section of concrete roof that is topped by planting.

The Inside Home has recently been longlisted in the rural ،use category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Other ،mes on Dezeen that are dug into the landscape and topped by green roofs include The House Under the Ground by Dutch studio WillemsenU, which is intended to blend in with its rural surroundings.

In Belgium, Studio Okami Architecten embedded Sloped Villa into a hill to avoid having to conform with the area’s strict building regulations.

The p،tography is courtesy of Olgoo.