Entrance of Khayyam University
- Project: Entrance Gate of Khayyam University
- Design Team: Farzan Shamasblou, Mohammad Akbari
- Project Type: Monument
- Area: ~150 m²
- Client: Khayyam University of Mashhad, Faculty of Architecture
- Location: Mashhad, IRAN.
- Status: Competition Proposal - 2nd Place Winner
- Design Year: 2011
Project Description
The following considerations influenced the designers’ approach to the project:
1- Functionality of the project
2- The etymology of the university’s name
3- The direct connection between on-site spaces, requiring appropriate filtering and separation of vehicular and pedestrian access
4- Utilizing the university’s logo as a representation of an institutional identity
Apart from the first point, all the other elements are unique to the University of Khayyam. Thus, incorporating these factors results in a contextual design that is distinctive to the university and its physical environment.
Context: The fountain’s placement serves as a visual and functional focal point for the project. If we consider an imaginary axis perpendicular to the eastern edge and passing through the fountain’s center, the project’s visual and functional elements achieve maximum balance on either side of the axis. Therefore, positioning the intersection of this axis with the eastern edge as the entrance ensures a balanced hierarchical arrangement of access pathways following the entrance zone. The balance diminishes as one moves away from this central point.
Symmetry is a defining feature of the space post-entry. This symmetry is not only visually evident in the site’s landscape design but also reflected in the division of pedestrian and vehicular access to either side, owing to the presence of two parking lots and two educational buildings on opposite sides. The proposed entrance, located in the middle of the eastern edge, reinforces this symmetry. Hence, creating symmetry in the gate design aligns with the contextual considerations.
Drawings and Diagrams
Concept
The competition’s title comprises three words: element, gate, and entrance. Each of these terms refers to an essential aspect of the design’s structure. Consequently, the dominant design approach envisioned the proposal as simultaneously a symbolic element, a gateway delineating spaces, and a functional entrance that separates pedestrian and vehicular access while maintaining unity as a singular identity, avoiding a fragmented composition of disjointed elements.
Design Perspective and Ideas:
1- Use of Straight and Intersecting Lines: These elements evoke a sense of continuity with the architecture of Khayyam’s mausoleum (designed by Hooshang Seyhoun) and reflect Khayyam’s complex, logic-oriented persona.
2- Entrance Circulation Designed as the University Logo: The orientation and proportions of pedestrian and vehicular entrances are configured so that the movement of individuals and vehicles intuitively aligns with the lines of the university logo. This results in the creation of a virtual form originating from user behavior.
3- Non-Overlap of Pedestrian and Vehicular Paths Post-Entry
4- Abstract Reflection of the University Logo on the Facade