Dwelling the Absent: Residential Apartment for Maryam and Faraj Shiraz

English description provided by the architects.

Situated in a prime location in Shiraz, directly facing the university's green campus, this residence for Maryam and Faraj responds to a unique set of opportunities and constraints.

The design process became an act of negotiation — not only with the site and municipal regulations, but also with environmental forces and the personal desires of the clients.

The project took shape as a direct result of these invisible yet powerful forces acting upon a predefined mass.

These elements did not merely inform the design — they carved into it. Negative spaces emerged not as voids, but as purposeful absences, shaped by the tension between constraint and intention.

To address the dual pull of the northern landscape and the southern light, a duplex unit was positioned on the first floor, allowing the couple to inhabit both orientations.

The spatial arrangement prioritizes fluid movement between public and private, light and shadow, openness and enclosure.

Below, the parking level—traditionally an afterthought—was integrated into the spatial language of the home.

Tall northern windows frame the greenery beyond, while narrow southern apertures draw in the warmth of Shiraz's sun, enhancing the living experience.