nextoffice uses arched volumes to make up contemporary home
The Central Courtyard villa by NextOffice in Lavasan, Iran, follows a tunnel/bar structure that features a continuous arrangement of stacked arches. The result is an intricate residential building with a three-dimensional central courtyard. The project is a contemporary reinterpretation of one of the most enduring elements of Iranian architecture, placing a three-dimensional courtyard at its heart to address climate, privacy, and daily life in a single architectural gesture. NextOffice rethinks the traditional inward-looking courtyard typology, stretching it across the entire footprint of the residence and transforming it into a porous spatial system that organizes light, movement, and social interaction.
This courtyard offers varying degrees of permeability, evident in the floor (through the pool), the walls (open to opposing views), and toward the sky. Two L-shaped elements, both in plan and section, intersect to form an opening at the core of the mass. Unlike its predecessors, this three-dimensional central courtyard is connected with the outside at various levels, and through different configurations, it generates varying degrees of enclosure, privacy, and layers within the space.
the project reinterprets of one of the most enduring elements of Iranian architecture | image by Reza Nasseri
house rethinks traditional architecture in iran
In historic Iranian homes, the central courtyard mediates between extreme environmental conditions and deeply rooted cultural expectations. It moderates intense heat and glare while creating a protected inner world, clearly separating private life from the public realm. The Central Courtyard Villa preserves these essential qualities but refuses to treat them as fixed relics. Instead, the studio opens the courtyard outward and upward, allowing its influence to flow through every level of the building.
The project pushes the idea of the courtyard beyond its conventional boundaries. Rather than a simple open void, it becomes a layered, three-dimensional space generated by a series of stacked tunnels and ribbon-like volumes connected by continuous arches. This structural stacking produces a network of terraces, voids, and framed openings that blur the line between inside and outside. The result is a house that oscillates between introversion and extraversion, offering residents a constantly shifting spectrum of spatial experiences.
enclosed rooms and semi-open spaces remain in continuous dialogue | image by Reza Nasseri
central courtyard villa merges building typologies
Permeability shapes the entire composition. On the ground level, a pool punctures the floor plane and introduces water as both climate moderator and sensory element. Facades on opposite sides open generously toward the courtyard, while the ceiling dissolves to the sky above. These gestures create an architecture that feels soft and negotiable, where enclosed rooms and semi-open spaces feed off one another and remain in continuous dialogue.
The tectonic logic of the villa reflects this hybrid character. A conventional beam-and-column system works alongside an arched structure, both wrapped in brick surfaces that recall familiar local materials while forming unfamiliar spatial relationships. The interplay of water, light, arches, and carved openings produces an atmosphere that is at once new and deeply rooted in memory.
Through this fusion of tradition and experimentation, the Central Courtyard Villa evokes a quiet sense of déjà vu. It invites users to recognize fragments of Iran’s architectural past while encountering them in unexpected forms, proving that the courtyard, far from being a static symbol, remains a living and adaptable space for contemporary life.
a pool punctures the floor plane and introduces water as a sensory element | image by Parham Taghioff
three-dimensional space is generated by stacked tunnels and ribbon-like volumes | image by Parham Taghioff
brick surfaces recall familiar local materials | image by Parham Taghioff
the central courtyard is opened to the entire surface of the project | image by Parham Taghioff
NextOffice create an architecture that feels soft and negotiable | image by Parham Taghioff
a porous spatial system organizes light, movement, and social interaction| image by Parham Taghioff
structural stacking produces a network of terraces, voids, and framed openings | image by Parham Taghioff
facades on opposite sides open generously toward the courtyard | image by Parham Taghioff
the courtyard the ceiling dissolves to the sky above | image by Reza Nasseri
the project is a contemporary reinterpretation of enduring elements of Iranian architecture | image by Neel Studio
project info:
name: The Central Courtyard Villa
architects: NextOffice | @nextoffice
location: Lavasan, Iran
photographers: Reza Nasseri, Parham Taghioff, Neel Studio
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: claire brodka | designboom
The post curved arches stack together for central courtyard villa by nextoffice in iran appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.