DESA1002 'Continuous City' Peng Zhou

Isfahan is located on the north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It is also one of the most beautiful and most visited cities in Iran. Isfahan is also known as Half of the World and is considered the Florence of Middle East. My block reference is A11. As Isfahan is an ancient city, I decided to design a national museum in which there are old manuscripts, old costumes people wore in the past and prehistoric artifacts of Isfahan. The museum looks a bit contemporary which gives a sense of contrast to the old city. The museum is situated in a very condensed area. It has three levels: Ground floor: There is the entrance. There is a small restaurant on the left-hand side. The rest of the space is for exhibition. There are also some statues for people to see near the entrance. First floor: There is an indoor café for people to take a rest. The space in the centre is for exhibition. There are also 2 opening balconies for people to take a view of the outer sight and to relax. Third floor: a small library with books and videos which are related to the things that are shown in the previous 2 floors. People can take some books, sit down and read them or they can go to the video room to watch some documentaries about Isfahan. When they get bored or tired, they can go to either one of the three opening balconies; they can then grab a drink from the café and sit down, enjoy the view and just relax. There is double translucent glazing system on the main block of the museum so that the light is neither too bright nor too dim. Therefore the light can be controlled during the day. The materials used for this museum are mainly glass, steel and concrete. Finally, the museum is a good place for people to visit and relax in such an old city