The Vala Apartment project in Qom, Iran, represents a thoughtful response to one of contemporary architecture's most pressing questions: how to foster community and conscious living within dense vertical urban environments. Designed by Dasein Office and completed in 2024, the development houses fifty residential units within a single integrated structure spanning 2,511 square meters. Rather than treating the building as merely a container for individual apartments, the architects conceived it as a vertical neighborhood where social interactions can flourish. The project challenges the isolation often found in high-density housing by reimagining circulation spaces as opportunities for encounter. This innovative approach seeks to restore the sense of belonging and collective identity that traditional horizontal neighborhoods naturally provide.
The core concept behind Vala Apartment centers on transforming mundane circulation paths into vibrant social corridors reminiscent of old city alleyways. These vertical routes are designed not just for efficient movement but as spaces for pause, observation, and spontaneous interaction among residents. Through careful manipulation of dimensions, the architects create a hierarchy of open, semi-open, and enclosed spaces that offer varied experiences throughout the building. The interplay of light and shadow along these paths adds dynamism, making everyday movement a conscious and engaging experience rather than a purely functional one. This design strategy fundamentally rethinks how people inhabit and move through multifamily housing.
Dasein Office's design team, led by Ali Khosh Mehri, employed several strategies to break down the anonymity typical of multifamily housing. The circulation network extends vertically with intentional shifts in scale and proportion, creating nodes where residents might naturally congregate or pause. These spaces are designed to reveal traces of others' lives—subtle cues that foster a sense of shared community without compromising privacy. The architects drew inspiration from traditional Iranian neighborhoods where alleyways serve as extensions of private living spaces. By translating this concept vertically, Vala creates opportunities for what the designers call "intentional encounters" that build social capital among neighbors.
Technical execution was crucial to realizing this community-centered vision. The project team included structural engineers Mahdi Arezoumandi and Mahdi Alirezaei, along with mechanical consultants from Damasa Energy. General contractor Ahmad Rezaei worked closely with the design team to ensure that the complex spatial relationships were built according to specifications. Project managers Akbar Rahimi and Habib Keshavarz coordinated the various disciplines to deliver the project on schedule while maintaining design integrity. The collaborative process ensured that the philosophical ambitions of the design were fully realized in construction.
Photographer Amirhossein Pashaei's documentation reveals how the building's material palette and detailing support its social agenda. The design emphasizes transparency and visual connection at key moments while maintaining necessary boundaries between public and private realms. Balconies, loggias, and shared terraces are strategically placed to maximize opportunities for casual interaction without forced socialization. This balance reflects a sophisticated understanding of contemporary Iranian social dynamics and the desire for community that respects individual privacy. The architecture creates what the designers describe as a "network of intentional encounters" that shapes a new form of vertical neighborhood.
Vala Apartment stands as a significant contribution to the discourse on sustainable urban living, not just in Iran but globally. It demonstrates that high density does not have to mean social isolation and that architectural design can actively cultivate community consciousness. The project's success offers a model for other developing cities grappling with rapid urbanization and the need for socially cohesive housing solutions. By reimagining the vertical building as a neighborhood, Dasein Office has created a prototype that holds human density, social interaction, and individual experience in thoughtful balance. The completed work suggests a promising direction for residential architecture that prioritizes human connection in an increasingly vertical world.
