Orsi Khaneh. A window on Iran’s unique blend of history and modernity
One of the most traditional features of Iranian architecture is the so-called Orsi window, made by wooden lattice and stained glass, integrated in a unique environment that combines stone, wood, light, plants, materials and color. Unlike the more renowned European stained-glass windows, which had mostly a decorative or religious function, Orsi windows witnessed a wide residential use and served primarily architectural purposes.
They were usually operable by moving vertically up and down in order to be opened or closed.
They were made of a wooden frame within which pieces of stained glass were placed in different shapes and colors with the aim of filtrating light and mitigating temperature.
In general terms, one could say that colored stainedglass windows in traditional Persian architecture served a two-fold purpose: making the home more comfortable by controlling the intakemagazine noticed the special design of Orsi Khaneh and its rediscovery of a traditional feature of Persian architecture reinvented and adapted to a modern environment. It therefore published a story on this new residential building showcasing its components and investigating its relationship with the Iranian “genius loci”.
