Located at the northern edge of a township in Iran, the Vault on Vault Villa commands a stunning view of the Caspian Sea. This project leverages modern materials and construction techniques to reinterpret traditional vaulted architecture, tailoring it to meet the specific needs and desires of the client. The villa is designed to accommodate a family of five, with a strong emphasis on separating public from private spaces while providing personal privacy for each individual. This goal is achieved by designing distinct, separated "capsules" for different functions, reminiscent of islands in an archipelago, with dedicated areas for movement and interaction.
These capsules are built based on the structural principles of traditional architecture but with modern methods in such a way that they present a new structural role. The introduction of advanced steel and concrete structures has enabled new experimental possibilities in architectural design, particularly with vaults and domes. The innovative use of vaults involves altering their shapes through cuts and rotations, stacking them in perpendicular alignments. This method allows the load from an upper vault to concentrate on the pole of the vault beneath, effectively redistributing weight to the supporting walls.
This novel load distribution, impossible with traditional vaulting, is made possible through the integration of concrete or steel beams. Moreover, this structural strategy enhances the architectural experience by making structural mechanics visually accessible and functionally integral, moving beyond mere aesthetic considerations to embrace a broader vision of architectural innovation.