BDES1020 'Continuous City' <Matthew Haddrick>

Abstract

Tea houses play a significant role in Iranian culture, with Isfahan being no exception. They are the meeting places and crossroads of people all gathering in a social setting. The unique and organic flow of the people navigating to the local tea houses forms in plan a nested layer of pathways dictated by the narrow and alternating roads that consists in much of Isfahan. This notion of interweaving paths is explored through the Tea house’s exterior façade that represents the interweaving paths in similar appearance to a bird’s nest. These timber pieces result in unique shadows casted into the interior space, altering depending on the suns angle. The building’s function is broken down into an exterior eating area for the tea house, and progressively more formal and private areas inside the building including the restaurant. Upstairs features a residential terrace for the owner of the tea house with an extended outdoor function area accessible from the tea house or the owner’s house. The overall building’s footprint is modest and conscious of the area, without the sense of overwhelming scale.