Around 90-years ago, six buildings were constructed in the center of Tehran, creating its one and only symmetrical street. Hanna Project, which includes a hotel, restaurant, gallery, and multipurpose spaces, was designed in one of these buildings, with the intention of bringing life back to Lolagar Alley and Tehran’s city center.
Part of the design intention was to reconnect the building to Lolagar Alley, the neighborhood and its residence. As such, new layers were added inviting users to move around and inside this historic building. With their simple forms and neutral colors, these new volumes accommodate some of the building’s new functions; garden, recessed courtyard, part of the restaurant, and gallery. An added neutral volume on the east elevation is used to house the bathrooms for the hotel, and rises to the roof to create the hotel’s special suite which provides a panoramic view of the surrounding areas. On the building’s façade, steel frames were added to define the gallery’s entrance and also to provide more light and views to the hotel guests.
Because the building was left unoccupied over the years, there was much damage to its structure, which made its structural reinforcement quite complex. The concrete slabs serve a structural purpose and are also the finished interior flooring. The juxtaposition of new and old layers presents its occupants with the building’s history. Shear walls and steel structures are also left exposed to familiarize the building’s visitors with its renovation process.
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