Sky-Framed Living: A Vertical Courtyard Home in Isfahan

Paakat Residence, designed by Rooydaad Architects, is a contemporary reinterpretation of Iran’s courtyard house typology, rooted deeply in the cultural and climatic legacy of Isfahan. Completed in 2021, the 1,230-square-meter residence reimagines collective living within a dense urban infill site, offering an architectural response to the loss of sky, openness, and communal space in modern apartment living.

Reclaiming the Sky in Urban Living

Historically, Isfahan’s residential fabric was shaped by Sibe, semi-public cul-de-sac spaces surrounded by family homes, and inward-looking courtyards that framed the sky as a daily presence. Paakat Residence revives this forgotten spatial memory. Conceived as a vertical “packet” of open and enclosed spaces, the house restores visual access to the sky, replacing confined corridors and low-ceilinged apartments with layered courtyards, terraces, and light-filled transitional spaces.

Introversion as Cultural Resistance

Unlike the extroverted facades common in contemporary urban housing, Paakat presents itself as a calm, monolithic volume. Closed to the north and selectively porous to the south, the building embraces introversion as a climate-responsive and culturally grounded strategy. This architectural restraint echoes central desert architecture, prioritizing privacy, thermal comfort, and inward spatial richness over visual exposure to the street.

A House Within an Apartment Block

Although constrained by municipal regulations and its infill context, the project blurs the boundary between house and apartment. Designed for a multigenerational family seeking both independence and togetherness, the residence organizes living units around multiple courtyards distributed vertically. Each level enjoys its own relationship with outdoor space, light, and air, creating a diverse domestic landscape within a single urban structure.

Vertical Sibe and Social Connectivity

One of the project’s most innovative gestures is the transformation of the traditional Sibe into a vertical spatial system. By integrating staircases within this semi-public vertical courtyard, Paakat reintroduces chance encounters and social interaction into everyday movement. The stair becomes more than circulation; it is an architectural event that filters noise, mediates between public and private realms, and strengthens relationships among residents.

Lattice as Climate and Culture

On its southern façade, Paakat Residence employs contemporary latticework inspired by Seljuk and Safavid architectural traditions native to Isfahan. This reinterpretation allows generous openness while preserving privacy and controlling intense summer sunlight. The lattice acts simultaneously as a cultural reference, a climatic device, and a visual filter, reinforcing the project’s balance between tradition and modernity.

Light, Stair, and Spatial Experience

Rejecting the dominance of elevators, the design elevates the stair as a primary spatial element. Through a carefully orchestrated sequence of courtyards, terraces, and openings, natural light penetrates deep into the building, overcoming strict height and opening regulations. The result is a vertical yard that functions as a social condenser, a light well, and a spatial anchor for the entire residence.

Contemporary Iranian Residential Architecture

Paakat Residence stands as a critical commentary on today’s urban housing in Iran. By merging historical typologies with contemporary needs, it demonstrates how culturally rooted design can address density, regulation, and modern lifestyles without sacrificing spatial quality. The project ultimately offers a renewed vision of collective living: one that returns the sky, the courtyard, and the shared threshold to the heart of domestic architecture.

Project Details Architects: Rooydaad Architects Location: Isfahan, Iran Year: 2021 Area: 1,230 m² Lead Architects: Zahra Armand, Mostafa Omidbakhsh Photography: Arash Ashornia

All photographs are works of  Arash Ashornia