Slide 1
Section: The interiors of this house will educate inhabitants on a daily basis to achieve a mutual cultural understanding of both cultures.
Slide 2
Design Concept Diagram: This brownstone is designed from ground up; looking into Tehran's ancestral traditions and gradually incorporates contemporary Brooklyn culture on upper floors.
Slide 3
Garden: Conveys the atmosphere of the Persian gardens at the same time that addresses the twenty-first century Brooklyn life style and climate.
Slide 4
Hamam/Cellar Floor: this space revitalizes the social values of a traditional Persian hammam in this twenty-first century house in Brooklyn and brings not only the family but also the neighbor community together.
Slide 5
Grandparents/Garden Floor: The "Story Room" on this floor provides an opportunity for the family to spend quality time with the grandparents and listen to their stories. Story telling is one of the most effective means for handing down the culture between generations!
Slide 6
Kitchen /Parlor Floor: Kitchen, the main common space of the house, is assigned for the majority of the family's common daily activities and creates the opportunity to increase inhabitants' interaction and cultural connection.
Slide 7
Children/Fourth Floor: Open floor plan and observation decks on this floor allow children to expand their vision and learn about the synergies and differences of two cultures on a daily basis in order to make the right decision for their future.

WHERE IS HOME? A Brooklyn Brownstone brings Two Culture Together

Immigration and physical disconnection from a home culture can cause unsettling experiences and perplexing family relationships. However, people continue to pursue better living opportunities around the world in order to escape oppressive conditions in their homelands. This design proposal will support family relations between multiple generations of an Iranian family that has immigrated to New York City. Through the design of the interiors, the younger generations will connect to the ethnic culture and the older generations will slowly assimilate into the new culture.

Equal in importance to the design, the pictorial representation of this project was a key way to manifest the central idea of this cultural transition. The American interior design traditional techniques of unfolding floor plans and collages along with the Persian miniature tradition inspired my representational vocabulary. The characters of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, an autobiographical graphic novel depicting her family's struggle following the 1979 Iranian revolution, people the interiors of "WHERE IS HOME?"

Thesis Advisor: Jonsara Ruth