studio chahar
Gouron Village House
Gouron, Iran. 2021 to present. Residential.
The village of Gouron on Qeshm Island is losing its traditional building techniques. Unsustainable, imported materials like concrete blocks are replacing traditional stone and wood. Sarooj, a water-resistant lime-based mortar used on the island for centuries, has been replaced by cement for more than fifty years.
A young family approached us, interested in exploring traditional building techniques and also looking for a contemporary look for their house on a limited budget. Our aim is to set an example for the village, to encourage locals to revitalize traditional techniques and create a sense of pride in local architecture.
When we started, all the walls had already been built with cement block. Our first strategy was to replace the structural walls with traditional stone and clay masonry, which responds better to the hot and humid climate of Gouron and withstands its seismic activity, and to re-brand outdated building techniques.
We have also gathered information from local masons about how Sarooj is produced and are prototyping the mortar to waterproof the walls. The detailing sets up a dialogue between wet-stacked stone walls and traditional woodwork, and re-interprets the local house layout of Gouron for a modern family.
Credits