The Mirror Pavilion marries algorithmic design and Iranian tradition
The Mirror Pavilion by Ehsani Sharafeh Associates examines the relationship between traditional Iranian architectural principles and modern computing plan. The project combines historical references with algorithmic processes to construct a spatial environment defined by light, color and reflection.
Commissioned in 2020 by Mashhad Municipality, the kiosk located in a former Coca-Cola factory in Mashhad, now reused as an innovation hub. The intervention occupies a cubic void within a larger pyramidal buttress chamber, formed by the absence of structural unity. The design responds to this context by introducing a self-supporting cubic structure that establishes a clear spatial distinction from the surrounding early modernist context.
The architectural language is based on traditional Iranian precedents, where the spatial experience is shaped through the controlled use of light, color and reflective surfaces. These principles are reinterpreted through algorithmic design methods, allowing the creation of complex geometries and shaped arrangements. The roof of the pavilion breaks away from conventional dome forms, instead developing a three-dimensional sinusoidal surface produced by the fusion of four pyramidal geometries.
all images courtesy of Ehsani Sharafeh Associates
hanging mirrors and stained glass make up a changing gazebo
This surface is coated with a system of segmented mirrors arranged through computational processes. Each mirror is mounted on a Plexiglas panel attached to steel plates and suspended by a network of beams. The configuration and placement of approximately four hundred mirrored elements is determined through parametric workflows, producing a multi-layered field of reflections that changes with movement and light conditions.
A grid of stained glass panels is inserted along one facade, evoking precedents such as the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz. This element filters daylight into the interior, projecting colored light onto the floor surface and contributing to the overall spatial composition. The floor, finished in a neutral material, acts as a reflective plane that captures these light conditions. Structurally, the pavilion is organized through a steel frame made up of thin columns and beams, anchored to a hidden concrete base. The stained glass facade also contributes to lateral stability, integrating structural and environmental functions into a single system.
Through the coordination of material systems, geometry and light, the Mirror Pavilion creates a spatial sequence that transitions from a limited ground state to a visually active aerial field. Ehsani Sharafeh Associates’ project design team places traditional architectural strategies in a contemporary design process, using calculations to reinterpret established spatial effects in a new context.
a cubic pavilion inside a former industrial hall
The self-supporting structure contrasts with the existing support frame
Colored light projections activate the floor surface
