stained glass and mirrored octagons compose an interactive urban maze in iran

Hezar-Too by Ehsani Sharafeh Associates is an interactive urban installation placed at the main entrance of Lale Park from Hafte-Tir Square. The project encourages engagement with the renewed landscape through movement, exploration, and spatial interaction. It reinterprets circulation patterns from traditional Iranian architecture using the concept of the “Syntactic Hezar-Too,” referencing spatial sequences common in Islamic Iranian domestic architecture. The structure functions as a navigable environment rather than a static object, made of compressed pathways and interconnected chambers. It consists of eight extruded octagons and four square volumes, with revolving doors at the center of each octagonal module that require physical engagement to pass through. Transparent acrylic panels introduce distinct hues inspired by stained glass, while mirrored ceilings reflect and fragment circulation routes, altering atmosphere throughout the maze-like layout.

"Hezar-Too by Ehsani Sharafeh Associates is positioned at the park's main entrance from Hafte-Tir Square. Conceived as an interactive urban installation, the project was designed to encourage engagement with the renewed landscape through movement, exploration, and spatial interaction. Rather than functioning as a static object, the structure operates as a navigable environment composed of compressed pathways and interconnected chambers."

"The installation reinterprets circulation patterns found in traditional Iranian architecture through the concept of the 'Syntactic Hezar-Too.' Referencing spatial sequences common in Islamic Iranian domestic architecture, the project explores how interconnected interior spaces generate layered experiences of movement and discovery. Rather than functioning as a static object, the structure operates as a navigable environment composed of compressed pathways and interconnected chambers."

"The installation is formed by a cellular arrangement of eight extruded octagons and four square volumes. At the center of each octagonal module, revolving doors shape circulation and require visitors to physically engage with the structure in order to move through it. This interaction recalls the sequential transitions found in traditional Iranian residential architecture, where movement between spaces unfolds gradually through layers of thresholds."

"For Ehsani Sharafeh Associates' team, color also plays a central role in the spatial experience. Inspired by stained glass windows found in historic Iranian houses, each modular section incorporates a distinct hue through transparent acrylic panels. The shifting color conditions differentiate the spaces and alter the atmosphere throughout the maze-like layout. Mirrored ceilings further intensify the perception of space by reflecting and fragmenting circulation routes."

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