Lavasan Villa

This villa is located on a steep hilly property in the affluent town of Lavasan, only 30 minutes from Central Tehran, Iran. The site offers views of Jajrood River basin, one of the main sources of water for Tehran Metropolitan region. This river is located in the southern part of the central Alborz mountain range. The view of these majestic mountains and the Jajrood River makes this place magical and memorable. One arrives to the site at the bottom of the steep hill. A 30’ stone retaining wall of the next-door neighboring villa marks one side of the property line. On top of the Hill, above the property, are a series of postmodern and traditional McMansions lined-up shamelessly in a row next to one another competing in volume, vulgarity & visibility. The challenge of this project was to create a simple villa embedded in the topography that met the owners desire for privacy (Islamic tradition of not being seen by public in the private quarters,) while taking advantage of the surrounding views (seeing & enjoying the distant natural elements & views.) The program was to create a main villa including: a master bedroom suite, two children bedrooms, a family/TV hall, terraces, living, dining, kitchen, playroom, large outdoor/indoor space & a swimming pool. In addition to the main villa, an independent guesthouse was designed including: one bedroom, living/dining area, and kitchen. Also included are a caretaker’s house, garage, and additional parking spaces for 4-6 guests. The neighboring lot has a grassy field/garden and a pavilion/ tea-room. In order to engage the views of the mountains & the river the main spaces needed to be on the higher elevations of the site some 3 or 4 stories above the arrival area which required an elegant staircase & an elevator to take one to different levels. Conceptually the main villa takes the form of a sculpture on top of the hill. The volume of the guesthouse & the caretaker’s house is broken down into different parts and carved into the hillside. A three-story structure creates a base for the main villa above continuing the next door neighbor’s 30’ wall. This base volume includes the garage, entry veranda, exterior stair, an elevator and a duplex guesthouse. Above the guesthouse is a platform for the pool and main villa only partially visible from the street.