The Residential Complex with Sustainability Approach

Project idea

The design concept of this residential complex is influenced by sustainable architecture, aiming to minimize the negative environmental impacts of buildings by increasing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, space, and respecting nature while utilizing its resources. This complex is designed to be compatible with its climatic conditions and surrounding environment. Attention is given to sustainability components, which include physical factors such as utilizing daylight, improving indoor air quality, connecting with natural elements, designing spaces to support environmental activities, physical flexibility, conscious selection of materials, and social factors like enhancing social interactions, encouraging participation, and economic factors such as reducing material costs, lowering energy consumption costs, saving resources, and environmental factors like utilizing natural light, increasing green space per capita, creating natural ventilation, and utilizing natural elements and nature-friendly materials.

Project description

Based on the main idea of designing according to sustainable architecture principles, the building masses are oriented at a 45-degree angle to take advantage of favorable winds, provide natural ventilation, and utilize daylight. Given the site's width limitations to maximize space usage, this orientation was chosen. All roofs in this complex are designed as green roofs to fulfill the economic, physical, environmental, and social aspects of sustainable architecture. These green roofs create comfortable, adaptable spaces that are private, semi-private, and public for the residents, improving the surrounding views and urban green landscape while reducing pollution. Photovoltaic panels are installed on the roofs of the blocks to provide free electricity, save energy, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and decrease environmental pollution and its associated risks. Parts of the building façades are designed with a fakhr-o-madina (a type of brick arrangement) network, which enhances light and entrance, prevents excessive sunlight, filters western penetrating light, and creates a play of light and shadow. This reduces the impact of storms and dust in tropical areas and provides visual interaction, privacy (respecting introversion), and a type of protection, creating a unique feeling reminiscent of Iranian architecture from 4,000 years ago during the Babylonian civilization and historical Iranian buildings. In the landscape design, private courtyards are created for each block, semi-private courtyards for several blocks, and public courtyards considering environmental conditions, climate, customs, and the culture of the residents. This approach addresses the social factors of sustainable architecture by meeting the needs of the people.

Technical information

The site of the complex is located on a 9,900 square meter area with dimensions of 60 by 165 meters. Approximately 30% of the site is occupied. The physical program includes three types of units, approximately 110 square meters, 150 square meters, and 65 square meters, designed in five different blocks. Additionally, spaces such as a kindergarten, supermarket, laundry, pharmacy, small clinic, gym, and shops are included. The buildings in this project use a simple steel frame system (steel beams and columns) common in the Iranian climate, without any complexities that would prolong the construction process. The columns are 25x25 centimeters, and the floor heights are 320 centimeters. The primary material for the walls is LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate), which has features like low weight, low thermal conductivity, and durability with chemical stability. The main materials used for the façade include white refractory brick (walls), bamboo thermowood (roofs and terrace floors), and micro-cement for the volume separating floors as seen from the façade. The vegetation cover is selected based on the region's climate. Students: Fatemeh Moghaddas (Bachelor student of Architecture, Ferdows Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran) Amir Mohammad Baradaran Shoraka (Bachelor student of Architecture, Ferdows Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran) Supervisor: Dr Seyedeh Maryam Mojtabavi (Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Ferdows Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran)