This century-old house project is situated in the heart of Rasht city, within its historic fabric. The unique features of this building include its tiled roof and load-bearing walls made of bricks, which have allowed it to stand out and endure for many years. The spatial characteristics of the house include varying room heights, creating an attractive division between the lower and upper half-story rooms. In the face of restoration and renovation challenges, the new residents’ comfort and modern amenities were considered. Essential interior spaces include a kitchen, sanitary facilities, and a semi-open intermediate space that can serve as a multipurpose room. Additionally, addressing the lack of direct communication between the lower half-story and the main courtyard, steps were added to connect them. Externally, a glass-roofed kitchen box was integrated, providing both a direct link to the courtyard and a cozy sitting area.

Unforeseen restoration challenges included damage and erosion of load-bearing walls, deviations caused by moisture, and the preservation of the tiled roof against prolonged rainfall in Rasht. The restoration involved meticulous tile replacement and reinforcement with new pressure bricks to maintain structural integrity. Notably, an “over-the-tiles” operation was performed initially. The house also features an “Abushka,” a wooden and glass enclosure in the courtyard and an iron, glass, and brick entrance in the kitchen area.

This kind of window known as “ABUSKA” in Russian, is one of the architectural elements in Guilan’s urban landscape. It has been part of recent-century building additions. The second-phase restoration of “Aboushka” consists of three levels. Two of these levels remain fixed with rails on the upper level, known as “Khafang”. However, there are several points at varying heights where windows can be partially opened. Instead of concrete stairs, which were likely originally wooden, the house now features recycled wooden stairs. These lightweight stairs were constructed with special details, including wooden pin connections and tongue-and-groove boards.

The entire main roof of this building is made of more than a hundred years old clays, arranged side by side without any connection with a 40% slope.  In the old days, most of the roofs of urban houses in Rasht were made of these materials and details.

After one year of being a residential house, this property has been transformed into a shared workspace with two separate rooms and a common space for meetings and events.

the club: A communal space for residents and users, architecturally designed to be dynamic, with its form and spatial configuration continuously evolving, transforming, and growing through spatial interaction.

Structural fixes & Upgrades

_{2-1 Restoration of Damaged Walls and Beams:}

The structural design of this building is based on load-bearing walls made of brick walls, approximately 60 to 70 centimeters thick. In the mezzanine, wooden beams played a significant role, but both were severely damaged due to the high humidity of the region. Fortunately, the foundation of the building was intact, and we addressed the decay and crumbling of the walls using a localized brick insertion technique. New compressed bricks were carefully inserted, ensuring that no additional damage occurred to other structures during the process. Sections of the wooden beams that had completely rotted were replaced with new timber. We believed that the structural integrity of the building should not be compromised by new materials, and instead, we adhered to traditional construction methods.

_{2-2 Underfloor Heating Installation:}

Through observations, we found that moisture was a serious issue in these buildings and contributed to increased illnesses among the residents, thereby threatening their resilience. As a result, underfloor heating and the use of radiators were considered the best solution to address this issue without causing damage to the building.

_{2-3 Additions:}

_{2-3-1 Glass Box in the Kitchen}

The process of adding new components and spaces based on the needs of different periods is an integral part of the building’s formation and structure. In this context, a kitchen was created in the lower mezzanine, with the difference being that due to the limited natural light in the space, a glass ceiling box was added to ensure that the residents could benefit from pleasant natural light, while also addressing the light deficiency in other parts of the space.

_{2-3-2 Abushka}

This house also has an “Abushka,” a wooden and glass enclosure in the yard, with an iron, glass, and brick entrance in the kitchen area. An “Abushka” (called “shisheband” in Russian) is an architectural element commonly found in the urban landscape of Gilan, and it is considered part of the extensions of buildings from recent centuries. The second phase of the restoration of the Abushka includes three levels. Two of these levels are fixed with rails at a higher level, referred to as “khafang.” However, there are windows at different heights that can be partially opened.

_{2-3-3 Stairs}

A distinctive feature of this building’s addition is the stairs, which have landings at both the ground and mezzanine levels. The uniqueness of these stairs lies in the fact that the main structure is made from wood treated with bitumen from old utility poles that were once used in the city but have now been replaced with concrete poles. These wooden poles, sourced from tall trees measuring 7 to 9 meters, were coated with bitumen to reduce the risks of fire and decay. Moreover, all connections in the stairs are done using tongue-and-groove joints and wooden pins, with no screws or nails used.

_{2-4 Roof and Landscape Restoration:}

_{2-4-1 Clay Roof Restoration:}

The original roof of this building was designed with historical roof tiles over a 40-degree slope, laid side by side without any structural connections. This type of material and detail was a distinctive feature of the roofs of urban houses in Rasht over a century ago. During the restoration project, special care was taken to preserve the integrity of the roof structure while replacing the tiles. Necessary repairs were carried out, and the tile covering was fully restored to its original condition.

The load-bearing structure and elements of the building are unique features of the club house. In this building, part of the roof weight, which is covered with 140 square meters of tiles, is transferred through wooden columns in the semi-open spaces, while the rest is supported by load-bearing walls and brick piers. This structural combination, in harmony with traditional characteristics and local materials, greatly contributed to the building’s stability and strength.

_{2-4-2 Landscape:}

In the landscape design of this project, two small garden beds were strategically placed so that greenery would be visible from both sides of the courtyard. For the flooring, a combination of concrete and washed stones was used, creating a strong and aesthetically pleasing surface with a mesh network. The craftsman, with great care and artistry, arranged the stones on the concrete in an organized and creative pattern. This method not only proves to be economically efficient, but also serves as an excellent surface for draining rainwater, especially in regions with heavy rainfall.

Location: Rasht, IR

Architect & Restorer: Ronak Roshan gilvaei

Client: Amir Tehrani, Omid Mahdavian

Presentation: Hanie shafiei

Photographer: Nimkat Studio

Carpenter: Masoud Bostani , Cube group

Builder: Sirus Naderi, Amin Eydi

Mechanical engineer: Saeed Babaei

Electrical engineer: Hamed Daemi

Rooftileslayer: Mr Molaei

Plasterer: Mr Adham

AWARDS:

• Gold winner, Golden Trezzini Awards 2024 _{Best Implemented Restoration Project.}
• Honorable mention in international design awards IDA 2024
• Honorable mention in Architectural design/Heritage in the BLT award 2024.