Nature Respond

NATURE RESPOND

NATURE RESPONDS

ANAHITA HAGHPARAST EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2015

1 Content

Chapter 1 7 Salt

Chapter 2 13 Rock

Chapter 3 19 Stone

Chapter 4 25 Ground

2 3 This document introduces four magnificent natural architecture projects located in Iran. That is too say that these are only a really small sample of the out standing responses the unique nature of this country has provided for human needs.

This project is carried out under the sincere supervision of Ton Davits for the course product presentation (7X660) of Eindhoven University of Technology. The author expresses her gratitude to him.

4 5 Chapter 1 Salt

6 7 The aptly named Salt Restaurant in Shiraz, southern Iran, is completely made of salt. The walls, bar, tables and chairs are entirely made of the white mineral; even the stairs have a smooth, salty coating.

The unique restaurant is the brainchild of Iranian firm Emtiaz Designing Group, who used salt as the main construction material in order to promote the concept of green construction. They created the building using environmentally sustainable, locally sourced, affordable salt, powder and rock. “In this particular case, the walls, structural sculptures and ceilings are made from salt sourced from the nearby salt mines and salt lake of Shiraz which was mixed with natural gum to harden it,” said a spokesperson of the firm.

8 9 The project began with a thorough study on the appropriate type of local salt and its combination with natural gums. The designers started their research at the natural salt mines and the salt lake located close to the 150-square meter restaurant site.

Inspired by salt caves, the designers wanted to make sure the interiors of the restaurant twisted and turned just like they do in natural salt caverns. Once the research phase was over, they designed the walls, roof and stairs to represent a modern view of salt caves – and the result is both striking and environmentally sustainable. They handcrafted the tables entirely from rock salt, and recycled soft drink cans were used to surface the stairs and chair frames, which was another way of keeping down the carbon footprint.

10 11 Salt is actually a wise choice of construction material for the restaurant, because it purifies the air and creates positive ions in Chapter 2 the atmosphere. “Salt is a natural disinfectant and the ions it re- Rock leases also purify and filter the air, making it the perfect material for a restaurant,” the spokesperson explained.

“Salt suffers a bad reputation in gastronomy thanks to its over- use in most diets, meaning that most people are not aware of its astonishing healing powers,” he added. “But in fact, salt has been known as a powerful health remedy since ancient times, especially for respiratory health and detoxification. Even Hippo- crates prescribed salt water inhalation therapy for bronchial and lung disorders.” Salt therapy involves the therapeutic use of time spent in salt mines, salt caves, or other forms of salt exposure to treat medi- cal conditions. So, eating at the Salt Restaurant could have sev- eral benefits. And you rest assured that the food won’t be bland!

12 13 Kandovan is a village in Sahand Rural District, in the Central Districtof Osku County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. This village exemplifies manmade cliff dwellings which are still inhabited. The troglodyte homes, excavated inside volcanic rocks and tuffs similar to dwellings in the Turkish region of Cappadocia, are locally called “Karaan”.

Karaans were cut into the Lahars (volcanic mudflow or debris flow) of Mount Sahand. The cone form of the houses is the result of lahar flow consisting of porous round and angular pumice together with other volcanic particles that were positioned in a grey acidic matrix. After the eruption of Sahand these materi- als were naturally moved and formed the rocks of Kandovan. Around the village the thickness of this formation exceeds 100 m and with time due to water erosion the cone shaped cliffs were formed. At the 2006 census, the village population was 601, in 168 families.

14 15 Kandovan Laleh Rocky Hotel is the 3rd rocky hotel in the world. It has 10 suites with sauna and Jacuzzi. These remarkable rooms have been carved out of ‘fairy chimney’ rock knolls. But inside they are luxurious affairs with stylish lighting, oriental-style fu- ton-beds, underfloor heating and (in many) deep-stepped Jacuz- zis as well as fully equipped bathrooms.

Kandovan is a village in Sahand Rural District, in the Central Districtof Osku County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. This village exemplifies manmade cliff dwellings which are still inhabited. The troglodyte homes, excavated inside volcanic rocks and tuffs similar to dwellings in the Turkish region of Cappadocia, are locally called “Karaan”.

16 17 Kandovan is a village in Sahand Rural District, in the Central Districtof Osku County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. This vil- Chapter 3 lage exemplifies manmade cliff dwellings which are still inhabit- Stone ed. The troglodyte homes, excavated inside volcanic rocks and tuffs similar to dwellings in the Turkish region of Cappadocia, are locally called “Karaan”.

18 19 Hawraman is a mountainous region located within the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in western Iran and in north-east- ern Iraq within Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. In Iran, the region in- cludes the cities of Paveh and Marivan and in Iraq, Halabja. The inhabitants of Hawraman are Kurdish people that speak Hewra- mi, part of the Gorani branch of the Kurdish language group.

Hawraman is best known for its unique arrangement of cities and villages built along the mountain slopes of the region. The specific architecture and the green setting of this mountainous region inspires steps towards heaven.

20 21 The houses of this region are built dry out of stones. No mortar or paste has been put to use in the walls of the buildings even where they are built in 3 to 4 stories. This way of construction is inspired by the rough surronding mountains with high regards for retrofitting principles. Regarding that they are located in a steep slope of the hillside, the architecture is the step form.

22 23 The Haraman Hotel is one of the recently built buildings in the region which has the traditional stone architecture as its design Chapter 4 principle. It is too say that although the facade is quite in harmo- Ground ny with its surrounding, the construction of the walls is not dry.

24 25 Meymand is a very ancient village which is located near Shahr-e Babak city in Kerman Province, Iran. Meymand is believed to be a primary human residence in the Iranian Plateau, dating back to 12,000 years ago.

Many of the residents live in the 350 hand-dug houses amid the rocks, some of which have been inhabited for as long as 3,000 years. Stone engravings nearly 10,000 years old are found around the village, and deposits of pottery nearly 6,000 years old attest to the long history of settlement at the village site.

26 27 Regarding the origin of these structures two theories have been suggested: According to the first theory, this village was built by a group of the Aryan tribe about 800 to 700 years B.C. and at the same time with the Median era.

It is possible that the cliff structures of Meymand were built for religious purposes. Worshippers of Mithras believe that the sun is invincible and this guided them to consider mountains as sacred. Hence the stone cutters and architects of Meymand have set their beliefs out in the construction of their dwellings.

28 29 Regarding the origin of these structures two theories have been suggested: According to the first theory, this village was built by a group of the Aryan tribe about 800 to 700 years B.C. and at the same time with the Median era.