Colorful organic forms have begun to appear on the sparsely populated western shore of Hormuz Island in Iran, rising up out of the island’s distinctive red sand. The initiative of Tehran-based ZAV Architects, the clusters of domed structures—vacation homes, restaurants, cafés and shops—are part of an ongoing project to empower the island’s community while encouraging tourism and investment. Central to the scheme is superadobe, an innovative building technique that uses local resources and that can be carried out by unskilled workers. Pioneered by the late Iranian architect Nader Khalili in the 1980s, superadobe was developed in response to a call from NASA for proposals for settlements that could be built on the moon. Khalili came up with the idea of filling polypropylene sacks with moon dust, which could be stacked in coils to create walls and domed This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-One Buy Now Related Stories Design Partnerships Through a Glass Lightly An experiment in transparency, in partnership with Marset. Design Issue 49 At Work With: Muller Van Severen How a home renovation birthed one of Europe’s most distinguished design duos. Design Fashion Issue 49 Reid Bartelme & Harriet Jung An inquiry into costume design. Design Issue 49 Good Enough The case for plainness. Design Issue 49 Marcio Kogan On the pursuit of perfection. Design Interiors Issue 49 Mimi Shodeinde An audience with the architect.
Design Partnerships Through a Glass Lightly An experiment in transparency, in partnership with Marset.
Design Issue 49 At Work With: Muller Van Severen How a home renovation birthed one of Europe’s most distinguished design duos.