The Alley House design grew in response to two intrinsic aspects of Iranian culture and way of life.
On the one hand, historically conservative social structures have curated an introverted architecture preventing outsiders from even a glimpse into another’s home. But on the other hand, the rapid urbanization which started in the 1970s has resulted in hastily developed housing paradigms, with little integration of Iranian cultural preferences within their architecture. Instead, housing typologies in Iran followed generic standards for apartment buildings, with large, south-facing windows and a maximized footprint to ensure a real estate profit. As a result, what we see across all cities throughout the country are densely packed, flat buildings with large windows, covered in heavy drapes.
March 2, 2023