Urban Gallery of the Historic Jame Mosque of Ardebil, a project by Mohsen Noruzvand and Negar Sarioletlagh Fard, was selected for the Venice Biennale 2015.
Ardebil a historical city (founded in about 500 AD) is located in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran.
The project was highly commended in the Middle East Architect Award (2014) and the First Biennale of Architecture and Interior Design awards in Iran (2014), IRNA reported.
“We proposed a scheme that despite its retrofitting framework was hailed as a positive step towards city beautification.” The project is designed as a museum on the edge of the city to introduce history and architectural works to the public, Noruzvand said.
The edges or in other words urban framework designed in 2011 “is in principle a straddle-guard structure to prevent the historic hill drift of the Jame Mosque and facade building of the ancient framework,” Noruzvand said.
The framework reinforces the view of the retaining structures and the enclosure of Jame Mosque and is separated from the restoration of the mosque monument.
The project has an approximately 700 sq meters area for a sidewalk. “The flooring area and walls are covered with stone sheets produced in Namin and Khalkhal, cities near Ardebil, he said.
“The idea for the project was taken from the battlements of the mountainous towns, which have a simple and minimalist approach in design, in order not to overshadow the great architecture of the Jame Mosque,” he said.
The project was selected among the 66 architectural entries to the Venice Biennale 2015. An area of 2,000 sq meters has been assigned to the Iranian pavilion at the event, which was launched on May 9 in Giardini, the Arsenale and in various locations across Venice, and will run through November 9.
Mohsen Noruzvand holds a PhD degree in architecture from the Islamic Azad University of Rasht. He has designed numerous architectural projects in and outside Iran.
