Category: Mixed-Use Infrastructure
Competition: Jacques Rougerie Foundation
Location: Madagascar
Lead Architect: Ahmad Eghtesad
Project Architects: Mohammad Aghaei, Nastaran Fazeli
Tutor: Ali Nazari
Visualization Artist: Ahmad Eghtesad
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A Crisis of Resource and Opportunity
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Madagascar is rich in natural resources and unique biodiversity, yet severe energy shortages leave a vast majority of the population without electricity. This energy crisis contributes directly to economic hardship and rising crime rates, leading to severely overcrowded correctional facilities. The project seeks to address these interconnected crises through a radical architectural intervention that turns a societal challenge into a profound economic opportunity.

Harnessing the Ocean
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The design proposes a massive and continuous system of deep ocean waterfalls, generating renewable electricity on a scale akin to natural wonders. These monumental cascades surround the facility, creating a spectacular architectural landmark that draws global tourism while providing a sustainable power grid for the surrounding infrastructure. It is a dual-function structure acting as both a power plant and a monument.

A Catalyst for Social Renewal
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Initially envisioned as a rehabilitative facility, the architecture encourages constructive interaction between residents and tourists. Inmates manage their own physical and societal needs by cultivating crops within the facility and trading goods, fostering vital skills for a healthy economic life upon release. As crime rates decrease and society heals, the complex is designed to seamlessly transition into a multipurpose resort and green energy hub, securing a prosperous future for the island.

The Townhouse in Armenia, designed by Urban Unit Studio, explores the relationship between nature and contemporary architecture. The project is defined by pure volumes, volcanic tuff stone, and calibrated light, creating a dialogue between contextual roots and modern expression.

INTERIOR DESIGN
The interior design focuses on clarity, proportion, and material authenticity. A restrained palette of textures, natural light, and spatial fluidity enhances the sense of continuity between inside and outside. The spaces are shaped not only to respond to functional needs but also to create a refined human experience, balancing comfort with contemporary aesthetics.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
The exterior composition highlights stone textures, geometric simplicity, and contrasting tones, producing a facade that is both timeless and contemporary. The townhouse is conceived as part of its urban context, where architectural form meets material expression. The exterior reads as a balance of solidity and openness, anchoring the project to its place while embracing a modern outlook.

The Townhouse in Armenia, designed by Urban Unit Studio, explores the relationship between nature and contemporary architecture. The project is defined by pure volumes, volcanic tuff stone, and calibrated light, creating a dialogue between contextual roots and modern expression.

INTERIOR DESIGN
The interior design focuses on clarity, proportion, and material authenticity. A restrained palette of textures, natural light, and spatial fluidity enhances the sense of continuity between inside and outside. The spaces are shaped not only to respond to functional needs but also to create a refined human experience, balancing comfort with contemporary aesthetics.
EXTERIOR DESIGN
The exterior composition highlights stone textures, geometric simplicity, and contrasting tones, producing a facade that is both timeless and contemporary. The townhouse is conceived as part of its urban context, where architectural form meets material expression. The exterior reads as a balance of solidity and openness, anchoring the project to its place while embracing a modern outlook.

Prism: A Quiet Rebellion in the Grid
Prism emerges in a city defined by right angles and repetition, not to compete but to contrast. It stands beside the water, a shard of light against the dense fabric of New York, quietly challenging the monotony of the skyline. This conceptual building resists the expected. While its neighbors recede into the geometry of the grid, Prism refracts, carving space through angular defiance and glowing presence. By day, its form cuts through haze like a question. It becomes a beacon by night, silent, sharp, and unmistakably different.

More than a building, Prism is a provocation. What if architecture didn’t just serve the city but paused it? Not with noise, but with clarity.

Behind the glow:
Shaping began with the core geometry of the Prism itself. We developed a sharp, angular form that set the tone for the entire project from the initial massing. Once the main structure was defined, we modeled the surrounding environment to contextualize the building within its coastal New York setting, focusing on scale, terrain, and urban textures.
Lighting and atmosphere were crucial. We curated a mood board using both AI tools and photographic references to define the project’s cinematic tone, moody, glowing, and layered with contrast. This guided our approach as we moved into texturing, where we crafted custom facade materials and pavement surfaces to echo the sharp, clean language of the architecture.

With the scene in place, we moved into rendering. Carefully balancing light and shadow to highlight the Prism’s presence against its darker urban backdrop. Post-processing and color grading were used to refine the tone and elevate the mood. Finally, we used AI-powered upscaling techniques to retouch the images, adding subtle surface detail and enhancing realism for a sharper, more immersive result.

The residence’s design thoughtfully integrates with the local climate, featuring large windows that maximize natural light and provide expansive views of the surrounding landscape. The open-plan living areas foster a sense of spaciousness, while the use of locally sourced materials, such as tuff stone, not only supports the regional economy but also ensures the building harmonizes with its environment. The inclusion of energy-efficient systems further underscores the project’s commitment to sustainability, making it a model for responsible and responsive residential design in Armenia.

In the heart of Shahrekurd’s highlands, Fiscal Hub establishes itself as a modern government facility dedicated to tax administration, embodying both transparency and purpose. Its design strikes a balance between openness and authority, symbolizing trust and efficiency in public service.

The building’s refined architecture seamlessly integrates with the surrounding landscape, inviting a connection between the institution and the community. Inside, thoughtfully arranged spaces cater to the complexities of governmental workflows. At the same time, public areas encourage civic engagement, underscoring Fiscal Hub’s role as a vital bridge between the government and its citizens.

Sustainability is at the core of Fiscal Hub’s design, from energy-efficient systems to eco-friendly materials, aligning the building’s function with a commitment to responsible governance. As a landmark of modern public service, Fiscal Hub promises a legacy of reliability and integrity, inspiring confidence and connection for future generations.

Imbued with the audacity of youth, children seek to unravel the mysteries of the world. They are alchemists, blending disparate elements to conjure new realities. Let us fashion realms anew from the elemental shapes of rectangles, circles, and triangles, birthing creatures yet unseen!
In the playground of the young, bravery knows no bounds. Here, mistakes are but stepping stones on the path to discovery. Yet amidst their diversity, all children share a singular quest: the relentless pursuit of knowledge! Imagine a school not confined to the rigid boundaries of curriculum, but a sanctuary where each child’s unique talents find nourishment and flourish.
What if, in Africa’s classrooms, the dance of learning intertwines with the rhythms of literature? What if, beyond equations, a canvas awaits the stroke of a budding artist’s brush? Perhaps within these walls, a sculptor’s hands find clay, shaping dreams into tangible forms. By fostering an environment that celebrates exploration and creativity, we ignite the flame of passion within every child.
This project emerges as a testament to the transformative power of geometric unity. Through the alchemy of shape, classrooms merge into a tapestry of learning and play. Here, within the embrace of interconnected forms, students cultivate skills that transcend the confines of textbooks. From the rhythm of dance to the stroke of a paintbrush, from the soil of a garden to the heat of a kitchen, every corner pulses with the heartbeat of discovery.
In the gallery of this school, young talents find their voice, their creations a symphony of possibility. Within these hallowed halls, diversity is celebrated, and uniqueness is revered. This is a place where students, each a kaleidoscope of untapped potential, find wings to soar.
With this project, we honor the kaleidoscope of human potential, empowering children to shape a future where every voice is heard, and every talent cherished. From this crucible of creativity, a playful school emerges in Africa’s embrace, a beacon of hope for education’s boundless horizons.

The project begins with the possibility that the loop’s unlimited connections can solve the physical distance at the campus site. The loop dismantles and decentralizes the density and the hierarchy of the facilities of this complex. It eliminates and replaces rigidity and regularity with flexibility and buoyancy. Based on the above-mentioned concept, the proposed campus design is possible by eliminating the conventional and predetermined relationships between project programs and their connections through a sustainable transportation system with advanced technology as well as active and constant connectivity. The goal of this project is to create a decentralized communication order. It removes and transcends the usual topographical, geographical, traditional, and social constraints of the site for designing a campus program, thus offering a new perspective and a communication method to enhance spatial capabilities for scientific social groups and professional developments.

Vahakni House-24 has been designed considering the client’s requirement of having an open plan keeping divided public and private spaces without separating walls. Achieving this goal was possible by adding a void separating public and private spaces. The VOID represents a NEGATIVE SPACE that takes the role of connecting spaces and levels of the house. Separated private and public spaces are extending to the 2nd floor as NEGATIVE SPACES (double heights) creating open views on the 2nd floor and connecting both levels visually.
The interior design of this building is similar to the modern interior design style and its goal is to create a simple and uncluttered space. It’s characterized by simplicity, clean lines, and a monochromatic palette with wood texture and plants used as an accent. It combines an open floor plan and functional furniture, and it focuses on the shape, color, and texture of just a handful of essential elements.

Every architectural project is a response to various issues, situations, and parameters. These parameters can be physical and measurable or unnoticeable. On the other hand, a topic that is used and welcomed more than ever today is the relationship between humans, nature, and architecture. The relationship between the environment and architecture can have costs and consequences indirectly. These costs may be visible over the years after construction.

Villa had to harmonize itself with nature, rather than attack and change nature because of it. When placing a building in an area like a paradise, the main task of the building has to connect the outside and inside to create a pleasant space for its residents.

Vahakni Region is the realization of a dream. When Armenia became a free and independent country, Vahakn S. Hovnanian, a successful property developer from the United States, wanted to build a proper housing community with world-class standards in the post soviet country. Instead of knocking down existing Soviet-built buildings and displacing families from the capital city’s center, Hovnanian chose an expansive site within the city limits with views of the biblical Mount Ararat.

The Vahakni Region plan encompasses over 150 hectares with single-family homes, townhouses, and mansion-style condominiums, and a planned and approved smart city with 525,000 m² of structures including apartments, hotel, office, educational, retail, and state-of-the-art tech development commercial space thoughtfully designed into unique & efficient architectural solutions. Growing at a consistent and steady pace, the Vahakni region has become an integral part of Yerevan.

The House-24 project is located north of the Vahakni district, which was assigned to Urban Unit Architecture & Construction office for architectural designing by a private owner. It was immediately started for the final presentation after the design phase completion. This project lasted for a month and has over 20 renders. The images below are some of the external shots of this project.

Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Company is in the heart of Iran’s deserts. The design purpose of this project is to create a space for the employees of Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Company to rest. Due to the short delivery time of this project, I used Chaos Cosmos for all the objects in the scene and the Megascan library for the material. The story of the visualization was simple. We had to create a different space in terms of vegetation, and the simple brick material of the factory for a restful area.