Developed in response to the increasing wildfire risk in Los Angeles, the project repositions the vertical farm as an industrial structure embedded within an engineered wetland. Rather than limiting fire resistance to the building’s walls alone, the project takes a different approach, integrating landscape and architecture into a unified fire-adaptive framework.

The main components of this framework include a fire-resistant wall, a lightweight secondary skin and a continuous wetland infrastructure consisting of a saturated meadow, constructed marsh, and a shallow water belt. Much like the differentiated zones found in natural wetlands, each component performs a distinct role. The wall provides the primary physical protection from fire exposure, while the landscape reinforces its performance by reducing heat, retaining moisture, and slowing the spread of fire. Together, they form a protective field around the building.

To enhance the effectiveness of this approach, the project is designed to operate with a high degree of water and energy self-sufficiency, drawing from municipal networks only when necessary. A rain-collecting canopy integrated into the roof spaceframe, together with a secondary aluminum skin, forms the core of this environmental infrastructure. Extending outward like the solar wings of a spacecraft, the aluminum shell significantly increases the surface area available for rainwater collection while also moderating daylight conditions over the underlying wetland landscape to help regulate evaporation. During dry periods, the skin functions as a photovoltaic surface, supplementing the primary PV system installed on the roof and in the event of a fire, it deflects ember and radiant heat.

The project proposes an alternative approach to wildfire resilience in which landscape, water infrastructure, and architecture operate as a single integrated whole. Through the Hydrated Field-Wall, fire resilience is understood not as a protective layer added to a building, but as an environmental condition embedded within the architecture itself.

Field-Wall Horizontal Section

General Information

Project Name: Hydrated Field-Wall

Architecture Firm: BMDesign Studios, Babak Mostofi Sadri

Firm Location: Iran/ Tehran

Completion Year: 2026

Gross Built Area: 2000 square meters,

Project location: Tehran

Lead Landscape Architect: Babak Mostofi Sadri

Design Team: Soha Khazaei Poul, Mojdeh Geravi, Babak Mostofi Sadri

Renders: Soha Khazaei Poul

Clients: YAC Competitions

As morning sunlight filters through the large glass window, it scatters luminous patterns into the air, imbuing the central void with a serene sense of grandeur.

Nestled in the lush, green foothills of the northern Iranian mountains, Villa Modern Gali offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the region’s traditional homes, known as “Galipoush-Khaneh.”

It offers a variety of semi-open spaces, promoting natural ventilation throughout the home.

COMPARISON OF THE OLD, AND THE MODERN

Villa Modern Gali
Contemporary Reinterpretation of Traditional Iranian Architecture

Nestled in the lush, green foothills of northern Iran, Villa Modern Gali offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the region’s traditional homes, known as “Galipoush-Khaneh.” This design seamlessly integrates with the natural landscape, providing a harmonious blend of modern living and traditional architectural elements.​

Design Philosophy
The villa embraces a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating architecture, landscape architecture, lighting design, and engineering. This collaborative methodology ensures effective coordination across all disciplines, resulting in a cohesive and high-quality design. The use of in-house expertise fosters a common working practice, enhancing the overall project execution.​

Sustainable Architecture
A key feature of the villa is its sustainable design, which includes the innovative use of concave roofs. These double-layered, steeply sloped roofs collect rainwater and morning dew, contributing to the building’s water supply and reducing reliance on external sources. This approach aligns with BMDesign Studios’ commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.​

Interior and Landscape Integration
The villa’s interior spaces are designed to maintain a visual relationship with the surrounding green areas, enhancing the connection between indoor and outdoor environments. The landscape design complements the architecture, creating a cohesive living experience that celebrates the natural beauty of the site.​

in short
Villa Modern Gali exemplifies BMDesign Studios’ dedication to innovative, sustainable, and contextually sensitive architecture. By reimagining traditional forms through a modern lens, the villa offers a unique living experience that honors the past while embracing the future.

PROJECT INFO:

AREA: 660 SQM

LEAD DESIGNER: BABAK MOSTOFI  SADRI

DESIGN TEAM: ZAHRA NOORI, DENA LEVI BAKHTIARI, FATEMEH MONFARED

DETAIL DESIGN: ZAHRA NOORI

STRUCTURE: ALI KARAMI

MEP: FARHAD AHMADI GROUP

CLIENT: FARHAD JAVAN

MODEL: DENA LEVI BAKHTIARI

STATUS: UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Project achievements:

1. Reduced Carbon Footprint Through Passive Cooling
   The project employs a sustainable double-layered roof system to significantly reduce energy consumption for cooling. The upper “dish” layer shades the main roof beneath, preventing direct sunlight while allowing airflow between the layers—naturally ventilating the structure during hot summers.

2. Raising Awareness on Water Scarcity and Climate Change
   By visibly integrating rain and dew harvesting technologies into the architecture, the project highlights urgent global issues such as water shortage and global warming, sparking conversations and awareness through design.

3. Nesting Bowls: Maximizing Dew Harvesting Efficiency
   The concave, bowl-shaped roof design expands the dew collection surface by nearly six times compared to a conventional flat roof, greatly enhancing atmospheric water capture in dry, humid zones.

4. Creating a Strong Urban Identity
   The bowl-shaped roofs are designed to be modular and repeatable across rooftops, offering not only environmental benefits but also contributing to a coherent and memorable urban character—a visual identity rooted in both function and form.

5. Rainwater Harvesting Potential
   With an estimated annual rainfall of 193mm and an efficiency rate of 60% (based on Brad Lancaster’s dryland RWH models), one concave roof system measuring 923 m² can collect approximately 106 cubic meters of clean rainwater annually.

   Formula Used:

Rain Harvest (m³) = Catchment Area (m²) × Rainfall Depth (m) × Efficiency

923 × 0.193 × 0.60 ≈ 106 m³ Rain Harvest

1. Sunken Courtyard Architecture
   Classrooms, offices, and libraries are organized around traditional sunken courtyards, inspired by desert cities such as Yazd and Nain. This approach traps cooler night air, reducing daytime cooling needs. Recessed openings further control solar gain, enhancing indoor thermal comfort.

2. Integration of Date Palms
   Strategically planted date palms provide seasonal shade to the concave roofs, support passive cooling, enhance spatial enclosure, and supply fruit—demonstrating the fusion of ecological performance with cultural context.

1. Concave Roofs / Rain-Harvesting Bowls

Rain Harvesting & Shading
Rain falls at speeds up to 10 meters per second. In heavy rains, droplets quickly combine to form flowing streams on surfaces. However, in light rainfall, these droplets often evaporate before they can accumulate. By employing steep, concave bowl-shaped roofs, we enhance the movement and collection of even the smallest droplets—guiding them to integrate and flow toward collection points.

These large outer bowls not only facilitate water harvesting but also provide essential shade for the roof below. This double-layered system allows for natural ventilation, cooling both the concave shell and the main roof, significantly reducing indoor temperatures in hot climates.

Dew Harvesting
Inspired by the Fog-Basking Beetle of the Namib Desert—an insect that collects water by condensing fog on its smooth back—our concave roof surfaces act in a similar way. The bowls’ smooth, cool surfaces encourage dew condensation, and their geometry directs the moisture down to be collected efficiently. This allows the building to passively harvest atmospheric moisture, even in arid conditions.

2. Sunken Courtyard Buildings

Passive Cooling & Radiant Night Cooling
Traditional desert architecture has long embraced courtyard buildings for their natural ability to retain cooler air. In our design, we take this a step further by employing sunken courtyards that sit below ground level, where the air is cooler and more stable. These enclosed spaces trap cold air at night, reducing ambient temperature for the entire building during the day.

Additionally, the open exposure of the roof to the cold night sky enables radiant cooling—further lowering the temperature of the concave roofs and accelerating dew formation during the early morning hours.

The expansive south-facing glass facade, equipped with insulated glazing, welcomes abundant natural light while offering sweeping views of the cherry orchard and the surrounding mountains. On the ground floor, the open communal areas flow into a hallway that leads to a cozy library and a small kitchen on the first floor. Both bedrooms are designed to take full advantage of the picturesque front landscape, with large windows framing views of the orchard and seamlessly connecting the indoor spaces to the serene outdoor environment.

The villa’s exterior is primarily finished in concrete, offering a modern, minimalist aesthetic. Exceptionally, the sloped roof features a double skin design, with the upper layer composed of cutting-edge, invisible Tesla solar cells. This innovative roofing system creates a continuous, expansive surface for solar panels, positioned 30 cm above the roof. This double-skin design not only enhances the building’s energy efficiency but also integrates sustainable technology in a visually discreet and seamless way.