Raeis Al-Olama House Adaptive Reuse Project
This semester, our project focused on an adaptive reuse initiative in Shiraz, Iran, a historically significant and tourist-rich city. Given the ongoing deterioration and erosion of the city’s historical fabric, numerous organizations, including the Cultural Heritage Organization, are striving to preserve these structures. By transferring deteriorating historical buildings to the private sector, they aim to revitalize them through economic partnerships, ultimately helping to safeguard the city’s cultural and historical heritage.
Our project involved one of these buildings, a 300-year-old house from the Zand dynasty, located in a historic neighborhood in the city center. Our project aims as a live project to bring this asset back to the life cycle in the form of a boutique hotel.
The historic house, originally a unified system with two central courtyards, had been divided into two separate sections over the years. Our design strategy focused on reconnecting these sections, with the outer part facing the alley designated for short-term stays as a boutique hotel and the inner main section for long-term stays as a house. A communal space in the middle was created to encourage communication among the hotel’s guests.
Given the heritage restrictions, our design approach was a minimal intervention. We prioritized preserving the existing structure and decorations while adding a completely separate structure alongside the old one. This careful blend of preservation and modern addition not only respects the historical significance of the building but also breathes new life into it, ensuring its continued relevance for years to come.
