Hidden Boxes Woonhuis by Yahya Kashi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award in Yster in Argitektuur-, Gebou- en Struktuurontwerp Competition Category.

YsterArgitektuur· 2025

Hidden Boxes Woonhuis

by Yahya Kashi

Client: Kasa Office

A' Design Award in Yster Winner in Argitektuur Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Hidden Boxes Woonhuis

Die Hidden Boxes-projek reageer op die voortdurende oorheersing van eentonige ruimtelike strukture in kontemporêre argitektuur, ten spyte van historiese konsepte soos Raumplan, Domino, en Universal Plan. Dit streef daarna om hierdie konfigurasies te dekonstrueer om 'n nuwe sintese te skep, wat beide interne argitektoniese aangeleenthede soos ruimtelike organisasie, die Massa/Leemte-verhouding, en oppervlak-interaksies aanspreek, sowel as eksterne faktore, insluitend klimaat, privaatheid, en kulturele behoeftes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Yster

Hidden Boxes Woonhuis is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Yster, 'n prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan goeie ontwerpe wat voldoen aan die professionele en industriële vereistes wat van goed ontwerpte skeppings verwag word. Wenners in Yster toon groot vaardigheid, hoë spesialisasie, kundige begrip en die kreatiewe vermoë van hul skeppers. Daar word verwag dat Hidden Boxes Woonhuis 'n hoog aangeskrewe, bewonderde en gekoesterde skepping is wat prakties en innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Yster gewen het, integreer die beste praktyke in die bedryf en het bekwame tegniese kenmerke gekoppel aan kundigheid en talent. Hidden Boxes Woonhuis word gerespekteer vir sy deeglikheid en is ontwerp om verbeterings in lewensgehalte te bied wat help om die wêreld 'n beter plek te maak.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Hidden Boxes project in Hamedan redefines residential space by deconstructing monotonous spatial structures. In pursuit of this, we sought to break down the monotony by placing independent spatial boxes together to form a cohesive whole, balancing internal elements like Mass/Void relationships with external factors such as climate, privacy, and cultural needs.In the end, we tried to redefine a residential space in the context of structural binary oppositions between the internal and external issues of architecture with a view to the history we have gone through.
Dimensions & Packaging: 20.30 m x 12.45 m x 16.00 m
Tags: HiddenBoxes, Kasaoffice, Iran, Hamedan, Residental, Void, Brick, House,
Production Technology: The project features a prestressed structure with a column system, chosen to accommodate cantilevered slabs and optimize structural efficiency. The facade was designed to create a transparent yet solid boundary between interior and exterior spaces. Utilizing Fakhr o Madin bricks, connected with bolts and anchored to the main structure, ensures privacy, light control, and spatial coverage while addressing contextual considerations.
Design Challenge: The Hidden Boxes project in Hamedan addresses the challenges of contemporary Iranian architecture, which is dominated by monotonous spatial structures. The project aims to break these structures, focusing on internal architectural elements like the Mass/Void relationship, and external factors such as climate, privacy, and cultural needs. Historical architectural references and native residential types were considered, while issues such as sunlight control and privacy were key factors in the design process.
Research: The project advanced its research through multiple layers. The historical and architectural discipline layer explored concepts such as the Raumplan, Domino, and Universal Plan. Meanwhile, the formal and spatial analysis layer examined the vernacular houses of Hamedan, aiming to reinterpret and represent aspects of their spatial organization within the project.
Inspiration: "Hidden Boxes" reflects architectural history, responding to the persistence of monotonous spatial structures despite concepts like Raumplan, Domino, and Universal Plan. This project explores deconstructing conventional configurations to form a new synthesis, addressing both internal factors-spatial organization, Mass/Void dynamics, surface relationships, and fragmentation and external concerns such as climate, privacy, and cultural needs.
Project Duration: Hidden Boxes started in 2019 and finished in 2021 in Hamedan, Iran.
Operation Flow: The surrounding urban fabric primarily consists of residential buildings. Due to rapid and unregulated urban development, the area is transitioning from a low-density, villa-dominated neighborhood to one characterized by high-rise apartment buildings with maximum height density. Consequently, the project is positioned at the intersection of these two typologies, engaging in a dialogue between low-rise single-family houses and high-density apartment structures. This hybrid villa-apartment typology responds to and interacts with its contextual surroundings.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Kasa Office, 2022
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh, Hidden Boxes, 2022
Image #2: Photographer Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh, Hidden Boxes, 2022
Image #3: Photographer Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh, Hidden Boxes, 2022
Image #4: Photographer Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh, Hidden Boxes, 2022
Image #5: Photographer Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh, Hidden Boxes, 2022