Zivan Center

Zivan Center is the rebirth of a semi-completed structure; a place where an existing framework becomes a platform for a new urban experience. Through a limited intervention, including modifications to the structural slabs of the sixth and seventh floors, the project defines a new path for life within a pre-existing body.

The name “Zivan” refers to the black seeds hidden among wheat grains; small, distinctive seeds known in local culture for their euphoric qualities. This presence of something unexpected within a familiar context became the conceptual foundation of the project — a small element capable of transforming the atmosphere of an entire space.

A wheat-colored envelope wraps the building as a continuous layer, while dark and energetic spaces emerge within it like Zivan seeds embedded inside the grain. The contrast between these two layers defines the character of the project: a dialogue between stillness and movement, between the familiar and the unexpected.

The envelope opens toward the northern mountains of Tehran, allowing the city to become part of the project and extending recreational spaces beyond an enclosed interior. Here, the movement and presence of people across the façade become an active part of the architecture; users are not only occupants of the building but also living elements that continuously transform its appearance.

The night scenario of the project is created by transforming the envelope into a large-scale urban screen. Its oversized pixels are illuminated through dynamic and random lighting patterns, turning the building into a living presence within the rhythm of the city at night.

At the upper part of the project, two floors reinterpret the Iranian garden alley as a contemporary spatial experience. A place where the boundary between architecture and nature fades away, and circulation paths, greenery, sports, and recreational activities flow together among layers of vegetation — creating a space for interaction, pause, and life.