CITY STAR CENTRE INTERIOR (COMPETITION)

Head of the Design and Representation Team (four people) in Razanmehr Architects, 2015

The City Star commercial centre, located in Mashhad’s Sepad zone, exemplifies a programmatic shift away from Iran’s indigenous architectural traditions. Shopping malls and entertainment zones often prioritize globalized, non-contextual designs, overshadowing the spatial and social logic rooted in regionalism. However, within this imposed framework, our design sought to reintroduce qualities of openness, playfulness, and social connectivity, particularly for children, by embracing symbolic and spatial concepts reflective of local identity.

At the heart of the project lies the fanfair, conceptualized as a red tree, a living structure that metaphorically “breaks ceilings.” With its branches and roots, the tree unifies the building vertically, growing through all floors to connect fragmented spaces. This reinterpretation draws from Persian gardens (bagh), and Bazar, where nature becomes a mediator between architecture and human experience. The fanfair provides spaces for children to play, move, and interact across var- ied scales, fostering the joy and exploration reminiscent of Iran’s historical courtyards.

The red tree introduces vibrancy and continuity throughout the project. Its bold color creates a visually active, dynamic environment, further enhanced by glass ceilings that flood the space with natural light. These ceilings, combined with iconic stairs, active bridges, and multi-level voids, allow users, especially children to experience the fanfair from multiple perspectives, whether climbing, sitting, or moving through spaces.

This design transforms a globalized program into an opportunity for regional reinterpretation. By focusing on children and reintroducing play, light, and symbolic nature into the architecture, the project subtly restores qualities of Iranian spatial heritage while creating meaningful, human-centered spaces for modern urban life.