Outside In House

Outside In House

Outside In House is a contemporary residential architecture project that fundamentally reimagines the traditional Persian courtyard typology for modern urban living, transforming it from a peripheral outdoor space into a central, transparent, and fully functional living volume that serves as the organizational and experiential core of the dwelling. Designed by Seyedjalil Mousavi in collaboration with the architectural team at MA Office, comprising Akam Katoorani, Sepehr Edalati Morafah, Atefe Safakish, and Alireza Moradi Meshkin for the Moradi family, this architectural intervention addresses the spatial constraints inherent in contemporary Iranian urban development while maintaining cultural continuity with historical residential patterns characteristic of Hamedan, Iran. The project occupies a modest 220-square-meter urban plot and develops across three above-ground levels, measuring 23,000 millimeters in depth, 10,000 millimeters in width, and 14,200 millimeters in height, with approximately seventy percent of the 230-square-meter total area dedicated to built volume and the remaining thirty percent allocated to a vertically and horizontally integrated courtyard system that permeates the entire architectural composition. The conceptual framework of Outside In House inverts conventional spatial hierarchies by positioning a transparent glass cube enveloped by lush landscaping at the heart of the residence, thereby creating a year-round livable courtyard that extends both upward through a duplex configuration and outward through strategic visual and physical connections, effectively dissolving the traditional boundaries between interior and exterior environments. This architectural strategy responds directly to the challenges of limited urban land availability and restrictive building regulations while simultaneously revitalizing the courtyard as a dynamic, practical element rather than a residual outdoor space, thereby maintaining the cultural significance of the courtyard in Iranian domestic architecture while adapting its form and function to contemporary needs and expectations. The material palette of Outside In House reflects a deliberate synthesis of traditional and modern construction techniques, featuring Abbas Abad Stone cladding on the facade, marble stone flooring throughout interior spaces, natural wood doors that provide tactile warmth and visual continuity, and thermally broken window systems that ensure energy efficiency and climate control, collectively establishing an aesthetic language that honors regional building traditions while incorporating contemporary performance standards. The architectural composition achieves spatial fluidity through the strategic deployment of the central glass volume, which functions simultaneously as a light well, ventilation shaft, and social gathering space, with the transparent enclosure allowing natural illumination to penetrate deep into the plan while maintaining visual connections between disparate programmatic zones across multiple levels. The duplex arrangement further enhances this spatial interconnectedness by creating vertical relationships that expand the perceived volume of the courtyard beyond its physical footprint, effectively multiplying the experiential impact of the limited outdoor area through carefully orchestrated sightlines and circulation paths that encourage movement through and around the central void. The design process for Outside In House extended over approximately two years, commencing in March 2020 with initial conceptual development and progressing through construction phases that began in September 2020, ultimately reaching completion in June 2022, with the extended timeline reflecting the meticulous attention to detail required to balance the client's desire for a distinctive living environment with the technical challenges of integrating a fully transparent courtyard within a compact urban footprint. The research methodology underpinning the project emphasized contextual analysis of historical residential patterns in Hamedan, examination of the specific site conditions and constraints, and close collaboration with the Moradi family to understand their aspirations for a residence that departed from conventional typologies, resulting in an architectural solution that resonated deeply with their vision while contributing to broader discourse regarding the adaptation of traditional spatial concepts to contemporary urban contexts. The functional organization of Outside In House operates through a carefully choreographed sequence of spaces that transition seamlessly between enclosed and open areas, with the central glass cube serving as the primary organizing element that connects disparate programmatic zones both visually and physically, while the surrounding green walls and landscaping elements provide thermal buffering, acoustic dampening, and biophilic benefits that enhance occupant wellbeing and environmental performance. The innovative approach to courtyard design demonstrated in Outside In House represents a significant departure from conventional interpretations of this typology, transforming it from a static outdoor room into a dynamic, multi-functional space that accommodates diverse activities throughout the year, thereby addressing one of the primary limitations of traditional courtyards in contemporary urban settings where land scarcity and building regulations often preclude the inclusion of generous outdoor spaces. The project's success in reconciling cultural continuity with contemporary functionality earned recognition through the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category in 2025, an accolade that acknowledges designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and professional execution, with the award designation recognizing Outside In House as an esteemed creation that incorporates best practices in architectural design while demonstrating strong technical characteristics combined with tasteful use of creative skill. The award evaluation particularly noted the project's innovative use of space, structural integrity, aesthetic appeal, environmental impact, functional efficiency, material selection, technological integration, social relevance, cultural sensitivity, and economic viability, affirming that Outside In House successfully satisfies contemporary needs while charming feelings and appealing to curiosity through its thoughtful reinterpretation of traditional spatial concepts. The architectural significance of Outside In House extends beyond its immediate context, offering a replicable model for how traditional typologies can be adapted to contemporary urban conditions without sacrificing their essential cultural and experiential qualities, thereby contributing to ongoing discussions within architectural discourse regarding the preservation and evolution of regional building traditions in the face of globalization and urbanization pressures. The project demonstrates that compact urban sites need not preclude meaningful engagement with outdoor space and natural elements, instead suggesting that strategic design interventions can amplify the experiential impact of limited outdoor areas through vertical integration, transparency, and careful orchestration of visual and physical connections between interior and exterior zones. The collaborative relationship between the architectural team and the Moradi family proved instrumental in the project's success, with the client's openness to unconventional spatial arrangements enabling the designers to fully explore the potential of the outside-in concept, resulting in a residence that not only met but exceeded the family's expectations for a distinctive living environment, subsequently leading to additional commissions that further developed the design language and spatial strategies pioneered in this initial project. The technical execution of Outside In House required careful coordination of multiple building systems to ensure that the transparent courtyard could function effectively across all seasons, with the thermal break window systems providing essential climate control while maintaining visual transparency, and the strategic placement of landscaping elements offering passive environmental modulation through shading, evaporative cooling, and wind buffering, collectively creating a microclimate within the courtyard that extends its usability beyond what would be possible in an unprotected outdoor space. The spatial experience of Outside In House unfolds through a carefully choreographed sequence of compressions and expansions, with circulation paths that wind around and through the central courtyard creating multiple perspectives on this pivotal space while establishing clear hierarchies between public and private zones, thereby accommodating the functional requirements of contemporary domestic life while maintaining the social and cultural significance of the courtyard as a gathering space for family and guests. The project's contribution to architectural discourse lies not only in its specific formal and spatial strategies but also in its demonstration that traditional typologies retain relevance and vitality when subjected to critical reexamination and thoughtful adaptation, suggesting that the path forward for regional architecture need not involve wholesale abandonment of historical precedents but rather their creative reinterpretation in light of contemporary needs, technologies, and aspirations.

Architecture, courtyard revival, indoor-outdoor integration, Persian residential design, transparent living spaces, vertical spatial extension

— Adam Dawson

CITATION : "Adam Dawson. 'Outside In House.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/define/outside-in-house?E=483272 (Accessed on October 13, 2026)"