Hormuz used to be famous for its port, located at the strategic location of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in southern Iran. The port is now used for oil shipments from the Middle East. The island’s nature is rich with unusual, surreal landscapes. Unfortunately, the people of this beautiful, conveniently located island in terms of tourism and political issues live in a constant struggle for economic stability, mired in illegal transportation using local boats. Presence in Hormuz is a series of urban developments implemented by a local civic organization to provide additional opportunities for the local community.
Presence in Hormuz is more of a trust and interaction building project than a residential development. Through it the authorities are trying to encourage people’s participation in local urban planning, to take into account their interests in everything. Architecturally, the project takes the form of numerous small domed houses built in an unusual clay technique. The technique was invented by local resident Nader Halili who decided to use pressed earth and sand to build the houses. In general, it is a good solution: domed structures are characteristic of the region, and the small size is convenient because it is not difficult for local craftsmen and low-skilled workers to build several such houses.
Architecture has the ability to be a mediator in the golden mean, which integrates the interests of different groups, from the state and investors to different classes and groups of people. Majara does this by bringing together landowners from the neighboring port of Bandar Abbas, who organize the annual Ormuz lend-art drive, investors from the capital Tehran, and local Ormuz residents as partners in the project.
In an economically unstable sanctions environment, increasing GDP generates social change, which this project achieves by:
- Economic construction for the benefit of the client.
- allocating a large part of the budget for labor costs, and not for expensive imported materials, for the benefit of the local population, expanding its capabilities, offering training in construction skills.
- Adaptive and forward-looking space scenario, which can respond to unprecedented needs for the benefit of the client and the island.