The Transformation of Villas; Ercan Ağırbaş Presents a Holistic Vision

January 24, 2025

The Transformation of Villas: 
Professor Ercan Ağırbaş Presents a Holistic Vision for Villa Design, Urban Planning, and Social Housing

 

On Friday, January 24, Professor Ercan Ağırbaş, Head of Urban Planning and Architectural Design at the German University of Technology in Oman, and co-founder of AE Friends architecture studio, delivered a compelling lecture at Tehran’s Haft o Hasht Innovation Studio. Hosted by the Contemporary Architects Association of Iran and moderated by Amir Abbas Aboutalebi, Editor-in-Chief of Villa Magazine, the event explored the nexus of history, culture, and sustainability in architecture.

With over 30 years of experience and credentials from ETH Zürich and RWTH Aachen University, Professor Ağırbaş emphasized the integration of sustainable design with cultural and urban planning principles. He began with a personal anecdote about the joy of his daughter earning her driving license, highlighting how life’s simple, meaningful moments influence his architectural outlook. Praising the exemplary villas in Tehran and Villa Magazine, he humbly shared his own diverse projects to illustrate his ideas.

Ağırbaş’s inspiration often springs from subtle historical “footprints” embedded in architecture, like a uniquely colored stone in Istanbul’s Beyazit Mosque minaret. He reflected on how layered civilizations—as seen in Troy—shape architectural narratives, citing examples such as the North African motifs on Paris’s Arc de Triomphe and Western influences in Chandigarh. He celebrated human spontaneity within architecture, sharing an image of children playing football during a mosque’s prayer break. Inspired by artists who transform landscapes, he considers architecture inseparable from art.

One featured project, the Brick House in Germany, incorporates custom bricks with orange stones, marking the discovery of a Roman camp underneath. Archaeological findings influenced its design, with a rotated Roman ditch shaping the house’s irregular form—a physical dialogue between past and present.

Expanding beyond villas, Ağırbaş discussed a recent steel bridge inspired by historic designs of Mimar Sinan, who rebuilt a Byzantine foundation bridge linking East and West via the Silk Road. The new bridge minimizes material use and ecological impact, tapering elegantly like a ballerina balancing on a point.

He also presented a landscape park project for the Landesgartenschau expo in Leverkusen, Germany, transforming former industrial land into a park contrasting artificial and natural elements, blending heritage with ecology.

Concluding with a social housing project for low-income German families, Ağırbaş showcased a village-like community design featuring varied housing types and integrated eldercare, fostering ownership through private entrances accessed by bridges instead of stairwells.

Moderator Amir Abbas Aboutalebi praised the consistent theme of bridging past and future throughout Ağırbaş’s work, highlighting its alignment with eco-design principles. He invited the audience to discuss "the transformation of villas" as platforms for architectural innovation.

Editorial
Villa Magazine