LEFT-RIGHT PAVILION

Architectural design in some regions with indigenous cultures and lifestyles is a challenge, and is like performing acrobatic moves on a narrow rope.

The project was defined as the design of a bazaar for local vendors, most of whom are indigenous girls selling their handicrafts. The reason for defining the project was the urgent need to provide them with safe shelter.

The CHAP-RAST project is located in the Lipar region, in the south of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, twenty kilometers from the city of Chabahar. The project site has special features that can be attributed to the pristine nature of the region, including elements such as the Pink Lake and the Oman Sea. These elements are the main factors attracting tourists to the region. Due to the presence of natural elements and their vulnerability, the design team sought to create a design that would cause the least possible damage by using environmentally friendly materials.

By examining the typology of the houses in the area, known as caper, a basic pattern for the construction methods and use of local materials in the region’s architecture was identified. In the southern region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, there are four types of shed typologies used in the Chabahar region, which differ from those found in other regions. In this method, due to the limited availability and inflexibility of materials, which are often made of teak wood, wooden pillars are first placed into the ground and connected with wooden beams. Narrower beams are then used for reinforcement. Finally, the houses are covered with the leaves of local trees.

There was also a need for a familiar pattern within the aesthetic structure and collective mindset of the indigenous people to create a sense of belonging. Therefore, by examining the signs and symbols found in the indigenous art of the region, an attempt was made to achieve this purpose. One of the important characteristics of the region’s indigenous signs is the triangle as the main geometric shape, a high degree of abstraction, ambiguity in interpreting the signs due to their abstraction, and the absence of curved lines, which are replaced by straight or broken lines.

The project is located between two key elements of the site: the Pink Lake and the village of Gijdep. The Pink Lake represents the concept of pristine nature, while the village and the lives of its people are closely intertwined with local art.

From the combination of these two concepts—nature and art—the concept of LANDART emerged, transforming the bazaar into a form of LANDART. This concept moves beyond the purely architectural nature of the project and considers architecture as an artistic object that is simultaneously connected to and engages critically with nature. Using the technique of indigenous art, namely sewing, and through the concept of LANDART, an attempt was made to connect the village to the lake. This technique also evokes a familiar sign in indigenous art: the CHAP-RAST sign.

Initially, the zigzag lines of CHAP-RAST were abstractly placed across the site. To strengthen the visual and dynamic connection between the village and the lake, and to connect the two through additional left-right lines, the other lines were divided accordingly. In the next step, to systematize the lines, they were given a geometric order based on a defined triangular module.

In the next step, through squaring and triangulation, the left-right lines were given a three-dimensional character. Due to the limitations of the available indigenous materials, different dimensions were considered for the triangulations. 

The creation of triangles defines the organization of spaces, and this organization was conceived in the project as a free platform that could serve as a potential framework for meeting the social needs and providing greater comfort for users.

Finally, at the end of the left-right triangulation, each triangle was designed as a wooden frame using indigenous materials. In the next step, for shading, the frames were covered with sisal ropes, which have high resistance to heat.

Throughout the design process, the design team, through extensive studies of the context and culture of the region, made every effort to cause the least possible damage to the environment and local culture. The project was carefully integrated into its context, not only as a significant architectural element but also by highlighting the natural and indigenous features of the site, such as the Pink Lake and the village of Gijdep.