DESA1002 'Continuous City' James Cristallo

Abstract

Isfahan is a Middle Eastern city rich in culture and tradition. Tourism and pilgrimage are key aspects of city life and thus accommodation is required. This hotel development is located in an ideal location between the central city square and bustling backstreets offering customers a true Persian experience, the hotel also provides a thoroughfare on the ground level between these two locations. The site location is set within a busy urban context, surrounded by other structures approximately two storey’s high, therefore a main focus of the building is to allow light into the structure and courtyard to create an ideal environment for the lower levels. This was achieved in several ways including; light shafts punching through the building, having an angled roof and varying the floor plan and circulation on each level to ensure every hotel room either faces inwards towards the sunlit courtyard or outside once above the roofline of surrounding buildings. The form and cladding of the building respects the traditional architectural style at ground level while providing a more contemporary solution for the upper floors, this allows more flexibility in the arrangement of hotel rooms and services on the upper levels. A distinct separation between these two styles is created with a void level, which has additional uses as a shaded open area in the summer months and allowing light into the lower levels and courtyard.