Bonsar Architects, a Tehran-based firm founded by Mohammad Majidi in 1996, has completed the Artiman Residential Building — an adaptive reuse project that transforms a long-abandoned 15-storey concrete frame into an 18-storey contemporary residential environment with 61 units. This innovative venture demonstrates how dormant structures in the city can become valuable resources rather than candidates for demolition.
Bonsar Architects' Artiman Residential Building involved a demanding structural operation where three heavy concrete floors were dismantled and replaced by six lightweight steel-framed levels with more generous ceiling heights. The building's total floor area increased to 41,927 square meters, while the existing concrete core was reinforced to connect the original and new structural systems using advanced nonlinear analysis and a closely controlled construction sequence to verify performance throughout the intervention.
Image Credit: Deed Studio
What's Driving This Trend
- Adaptive High-rise Reuse
- Dormant urban towers represent a growing platform for converting stranded structural assets into modern housing without relying on full demolition.
- Hybrid Structural Retrofits
- Advanced combinations of reinforced concrete cores and lightweight steel additions create new possibilities for expanding aging buildings with improved performance.
- Low-waste Urban Housing
- Reusing existing frames supports denser residential development while reducing material waste and embodied carbon in constrained city environments.
Who This Affects Most
- Architecture
- Design firms can differentiate through complex transformation strategies that turn obsolete buildings into contemporary residential assets.
- Construction Engineering
- Specialized structural analysis, sequencing, and retrofit expertise become increasingly valuable as cities pursue technically demanding building conversions.
- Real Estate Development
- Abandoned high-rise properties offer alternative development pipelines where added floor area and upgraded living units unlock renewed asset value.
