Stepped House

Stepped House, a private villa house in the humid subtropical climate of Gilan city, Iran, reflects the local culture's preference for utilizing outdoor spaces in residential design. This extroverted approach is common in northern Iran, yet designing in this area also requires balancing the need for privacy, especially given its proximity to public suburban areas.

Rhøs studio’s concept for Stepped House emerged from these dual needs: transforming the roof into a space that blends indoor and outdoor areas and connects the home to its suburban setting while maintaining privacy. In less populated Iranian cities, similar to other regional countries, rural areas are rapidly urbanizing, incorporating features of nearby urban centers. In Iran, where rural regions often depend on agriculture, turning residential land into purely urban structures risks disrupting this harmony. The Stepped House addresses this by using its roof as a space for an urban garden. This not only provides the residents with a source of organic produce but also helps to moderate the building's internal and external temperature.