The Salariyeh Residential Building, located in Qom, in the Qom Province of Iran, is a residential project recently completed by Heram Architects.
In order to work with the aesthetic and values of the city itself, the Salariyeh Building was built according to several specific points of criteria and regulation. These fell in line with requirements set out by the municipality based on wider social values throughout Iran. For example, private spaces are very highly valued and open connection between interior living spaces and outer public ones are not generally built.
Rather than letting these requirements limit their design and vision, however, the creators of the Salariyeh Building simply created beauty within those regulations. Rather than building something with no visual appeal that makes dwellers feel cut off from the rest of the world, their designers used interesting but minimalist shapes to create a modest facade for comfortable, welcoming private spaces that really feel like home.
As such, the apartments inside Salariyeh Building feel like a cozy escape from the hustle and bustle or urban life, even if the intention of their privacy is rooted in something a little different than just relaxation. Wooden slats placed over windows, for example, provide maximum privacy without stifling out sunshine and natural light or even really inhibiting dwellers’ view of the world around them.
Those panels and slats are mirrored inside the building’s lobby and in the units themselves, creating a sense of cohesiveness even where the point is really delineation of space. The wood is also in line with wooden panelled ceilings in some areas, giving the otherwise bright and clean looking surfaces and spaces a slightly more homey atmosphere in good contrast.
Despite the emphasis on that ever-important central tenet of privacy throughout the building itself, the apartments inside Salariyeh Building are quite open concept, making them feel spacious and airy. The intent, after all, is not to create a space that is secluded or stifling, but rather one that provides the utmost privacy from the busy world without losing any comfort in one’s home life. That’s precisely what these lovely, neutral units achieve!
Photographs by Deed Studio