The center of Tehran, which formed its residential core, has lost its character in recent years due to an influx of commercial uses and many of its remaining residential buildings are left empty because of various issues.
The project for Hanna Boutique Hotel took shape with the intention of rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of a valuable, abandoned historic building, Constructed on Lolagar Alley in 1930, Hanna Boutique hotel building is a mized used project that houses a hotel, restaurant, café, gallery, and multi-purpose area.
New volumes were placed in a distinct and “crisp” manner next to the historic structure, and used to house the hotel’s public spaces. These new volumes also define the path of movement around the old building, acting as a bridge that connects the city to the historic structure.
In its interior, occupants can simultaneously witness new and old layers, becoming familiar with the building’s history as well as its restoration process. The new structural reinforcement of the building and parts of its historic structure, such as the brick foundation of its loadbearing walls, was also left exposed.. All the furniture used in the hotel were designed and built to accommodate contemporary life in this old building but maintain the historic character. Throughout the rehabilitation process a primary goal was to retain the historical identity of the building, and support its new function as a hotel by adding on new layers to it.