Location: Tehran, Iran.

Architect: FMZD | Farshad MehdiZadeh Design.

The project brief required the design of a façade and the reorganization of an existing structure located near Shariati Street in Tehran. The existing structure was originally designed to function as a shopping mall with nine floors of retail, but due to its location in an area with small-scale shops and retails, it was not suitable for the context. The survival of the structure depended on the interaction and connection of people with the shop fronts directly. Therefore, a new idea and organization were needed to change the performance of the structure from a packed shopping mall to a vertical street. The main façade of the building was opened to the public space, allowing the walkway to grow into the structures for bringing interactions and public activities to its whole levels. The structure is now responsive to the city’s interactions and works as a part of the street circulation and as a vertical walkway with small scale shops and retails. This idea was influenced and organized by the shopping street performances, events, and organizations which welcome and allow people to go up through a vertical street to the top of the structure that is ended by a garden that has a picturesque view of the city. Functionally, this organization divided the building into two indoor (Department stores) and outdoor parts (Vertical Public Space). In summary, the project brief required the design of a façade and the reorganization of an existing structure located near Shariati Street in Tehran. The existing structure was not suitable for the context due to its large scale program, and a new idea and organization were needed to change the performance of the structure from a packed shopping mall to a vertical street. The main façade of the building was opened to the public space, allowing the walkway to grow into the structures for bringing interactions and public activities to its whole levels. The structure is now responsive to the city’s interactions and works as a part of the street circulation and as a vertical walkway with small scale shops and retails. This idea was influenced and organized by the shopping street performances, events, and organizations which welcome and allow people to go up through a vertical street to the top of the structure that is ended by a garden that has a picturesque view of the city. Functionally, this organization divided the building into two indoor (Department stores) and outdoor parts (Vertical Public Space).

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