Karafarin Bank by NextOffice: A Fusion of Architecture, Memory, and Urban Identity

Site as Memory: Honoring the Past in Modern Form

Upon encountering the site, the design team was struck by its irregular proportions and the visible remnants of a previous structure—a villa whose outline and ramp still lingered like a chalk outline at a crime scene. This symbolic presence shaped the architectural concept: how could the design resurrect the memory of the lost villa while serving the functional requirements of a modern bank?

Instead of erasing the past, NextOffice chose to build a dialogue with it—retaining the memory of place as the foundation for new form.

A One-and-a-Half-Story Statement Against Convention

Rejecting the client’s initial push for a multi-story building, the architects advocated for a low-rise, one-and-a-half-story design. Through extensive dialogue, they argued that scale, restraint, and spatial integrity would create more lasting value than vertical expansion.

This choice allowed for a structure that breaks from the anonymous, towering stereotypes of commercial buildings, offering a more human, approachable presence that subtly evokes the form and domesticity of the old villa.

Spatial Configuration: Between House and Institution

The interior is carefully organized to blur the lines between residential warmth and institutional function. Using mezzanine levels, pitched ceilings, green balconies, and exposed staircases, the designers created a dynamic and open interior layout that feels closer to a contemporary home than a conventional office.

This spatial narrative reflects the project's dual nature: a functional bank and a symbolic villa, coexisting in one architectural body.

Material Expression: Merging Memory, Age, and Durability

Material selection posed another challenge. The team needed a façade that could differentiate the building from its residential surroundings while evoking a sense of permanence, weathering, and temporal beauty.

The chosen materials—textured brick, steel, and glass—unify the roof and walls, shaping a structure that feels aged yet timeless, like a chest of precious metals slowly gathering the dust of time. This material plasticity reinforces the building’s sculptural character and anchors it firmly within its urban context.

Final Form: Between a Bank and a Lost Villa

Karafarin Bank walks a tightrope between institutional identity and personal memory. It stands out in scale, form, and material, yet subtly gestures toward the history embedded in its site. The building’s dual character—part vault, part home—renders it a rare architectural gem in Tehran’s urban landscape.

By redefining what a bank can be, NextOffice has not only created a building but also crafted a narrative, where architecture becomes a vessel for memory, community, and enduring design.