On a steeply sloping site in the Alborz mountains, an hour’s drive from Tehran, this family home is designed for a sense of suspension, freedom and connection with nature. Its three stacked, cantilevered, concrete-and-steel boxes are angled to allow one volume’s ceiling to be another’s terrace. An inclined cylindrical staircase shaft at their intersection supplies oblique interior views, enhancing family interaction. Functions are distributed vertically to minimise the footprint: bedrooms above; living rooms in the middle; exercise room below. Floor-to-ceiling windows to each box’s south give panoramic views of plain and mountains. Wood used for floors, some wall sections and stairs brings natural material indoors. The white exterior echoes the snow that covers the landscape for most of the year.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture