Adaptive Reuse of Historic Houses

Over the past decade hundreds of historic houses in Kashan, Yazd and Isfahan have become guesthouses. Some conversions have succeeded; others have done harm.

What must not be lost

The spatial sequence of the house, from entrance vestibule and passage to courtyard and hall, is its greatest value. Subdividing halls into small rooms to raise capacity destroys it.

Our approach

At the Isfahan boutique hotel we kept the room count below the client’s first brief and raised the quality of each room instead. The result was higher occupancy and better rates.

A historic building is the best design consultant, if we listen to it.