Much of Tehran’s art is displayed in private galleries with an urban-domestic rather than public-sphere feel. In line with that introverted trend, this gallery is conceptualised as a "cabinet of curiosities", a notion from the Renaissance where an austere exterior conceals complex worlds within. Its monolithic form stands out from the surrounding residential district’s punched-façade paradigm. Inside is a sectional, porous, continuous space, with the staircase framing spatial moments. An art archive is in the second basement; book café in the first; exhibition spaces on first, second and fourth floors; and office and elevated garden on the third. All spaces have direct or indirect access to natural light, through windows or skylights that open to the elevated garden or roof.
Source: Aga Khan Award for Architecture
