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Liminal
Liminal
Tehran, Iran
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Other Projects by AshariArchitects
Liminal
Tehran, Iran
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2025
SIZE
0 sqft - 1000 sqft
BUDGET
$0 - 10K
Liminal Pavilion is a temporary architectural installation designed and constructed for a five-day public event exploring the theme of Tehran. Rather than representing the city through recognizable forms or imagery, the project investigates how architecture can translate the perceptual condition of Tehran into a spatial experience. Characterized by density, uncertainty, constant transformation, and fragmented sequences of movement, the city is interpreted not as an object to be observed but as a condition to be inhabited. The pavilion therefore functions as an experiential apparatus that reconstructs these urban qualities through a carefully choreographed progression of movement, light, material, and sensory perception.
Measuring approximately 8 × 5 meters with a height of 4 meters, the pavilion is organized around a single linear circulation route constructed primarily from exposed concrete and steel. Visitors enter through a deliberately compressed opening before moving along a gently inclined ramp. The sequence is intentionally controlled to prevent an immediate reading of the entire space. Instead, architecture unfolds gradually through the body's movement, allowing perception to emerge over time rather than through a single visual moment. Changes in proportion, restricted sightlines, and subtle shifts in spatial compression and release encourage visitors to construct the space through continuous physical engagement.
Light operates as the primary architectural medium throughout the project. As visitors move deeper into the pavilion, daylight is progressively reduced, allowing the eye to slowly adapt to darker conditions. This controlled transition temporarily suspends visual certainty, shifting attention from immediate recognition toward heightened bodily awareness. Rather than functioning as illumination alone, light becomes a temporal device that regulates perception, extending the duration of spatial experience and reinforcing the relationship between movement and sensory adaptation.
The circulation culminates in an unexpected spatial expansion. At the end of the route, visitors encounter a suspended luminous sphere positioned above a shallow pool of diesel fuel. Instead of emitting direct illumination, the light is reflected upward from the liquid surface, activating the surrounding concrete walls through diffuse reflections and deep shadows. The contrast between the compressed approach and the openness of the final chamber establishes a moment of perceptual release. Here, space is defined less by physical boundaries than by the interaction of reflection, darkness, depth, and atmospheric light.
Adjacent to this final space, a semi-enclosed area invites visitors to pause. Separated from the exterior by surrounding walls, it offers a temporary withdrawal from the visual and acoustic intensity of the event outside. The project intentionally shifts from movement to stillness, transforming the visitor from a participant in circulation into an occupant of space. The architecture encourages prolonged presence rather than continuous passage, emphasizing contemplation over observation.
Material selection reinforces the pavilion's perceptual framework. Exposed concrete provides a neutral yet tactile surface capable of absorbing and reflecting subtle changes in light. Steel defines the structural system with minimal visual presence, while diesel fuel serves simultaneously as a reflective medium and an olfactory element. Its distinctive smell introduces a sensory layer that cannot be represented visually, extending the architectural experience beyond sight. Space is therefore understood through the overlap of vision, smell, bodily movement, and temporal duration, producing a multisensory environment in which perception continuously evolves.
An unforeseen incident during the exhibition became an integral part of the project. A temporary power outage caused the suspended luminous sphere to descend and briefly touch the surface of the diesel fuel, generating unpredictable patterns across the liquid. Although entirely accidental, this event revealed the pavilion's capacity to accommodate chance as part of its architectural narrative. Rather than diminishing the work, the incident demonstrated how temporary conditions, environmental contingencies, and the passage of time can actively participate in the production of spatial experience. In this sense, Liminal Pavilion is not conceived as a fixed object but as an evolving field of perception—one in which architecture emerges through the continuous interaction between space, body, material, atmosphere, and the unforeseen.
Measuring approximately 8 × 5 meters with a height of 4 meters, the pavilion is organized around a single linear circulation route constructed primarily from exposed concrete and steel. Visitors enter through a deliberately compressed opening before moving along a gently inclined ramp. The sequence is intentionally controlled to prevent an immediate reading of the entire space. Instead, architecture unfolds gradually through the body's movement, allowing perception to emerge over time rather than through a single visual moment. Changes in proportion, restricted sightlines, and subtle shifts in spatial compression and release encourage visitors to construct the space through continuous physical engagement.
Light operates as the primary architectural medium throughout the project. As visitors move deeper into the pavilion, daylight is progressively reduced, allowing the eye to slowly adapt to darker conditions. This controlled transition temporarily suspends visual certainty, shifting attention from immediate recognition toward heightened bodily awareness. Rather than functioning as illumination alone, light becomes a temporal device that regulates perception, extending the duration of spatial experience and reinforcing the relationship between movement and sensory adaptation.
The circulation culminates in an unexpected spatial expansion. At the end of the route, visitors encounter a suspended luminous sphere positioned above a shallow pool of diesel fuel. Instead of emitting direct illumination, the light is reflected upward from the liquid surface, activating the surrounding concrete walls through diffuse reflections and deep shadows. The contrast between the compressed approach and the openness of the final chamber establishes a moment of perceptual release. Here, space is defined less by physical boundaries than by the interaction of reflection, darkness, depth, and atmospheric light.
Adjacent to this final space, a semi-enclosed area invites visitors to pause. Separated from the exterior by surrounding walls, it offers a temporary withdrawal from the visual and acoustic intensity of the event outside. The project intentionally shifts from movement to stillness, transforming the visitor from a participant in circulation into an occupant of space. The architecture encourages prolonged presence rather than continuous passage, emphasizing contemplation over observation.
Material selection reinforces the pavilion's perceptual framework. Exposed concrete provides a neutral yet tactile surface capable of absorbing and reflecting subtle changes in light. Steel defines the structural system with minimal visual presence, while diesel fuel serves simultaneously as a reflective medium and an olfactory element. Its distinctive smell introduces a sensory layer that cannot be represented visually, extending the architectural experience beyond sight. Space is therefore understood through the overlap of vision, smell, bodily movement, and temporal duration, producing a multisensory environment in which perception continuously evolves.
An unforeseen incident during the exhibition became an integral part of the project. A temporary power outage caused the suspended luminous sphere to descend and briefly touch the surface of the diesel fuel, generating unpredictable patterns across the liquid. Although entirely accidental, this event revealed the pavilion's capacity to accommodate chance as part of its architectural narrative. Rather than diminishing the work, the incident demonstrated how temporary conditions, environmental contingencies, and the passage of time can actively participate in the production of spatial experience. In this sense, Liminal Pavilion is not conceived as a fixed object but as an evolving field of perception—one in which architecture emerges through the continuous interaction between space, body, material, atmosphere, and the unforeseen.
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