Did you know that by combining 120 cm deep greenhouses with residential units, you can reduce heating energy consumption in Tehran by up to 90% in the winter season!!!
​​​​​​​Now you can naturally purify and scent the polluted air with your four-season flowers in the greenhouse 

It is important for you to know that according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the pollution of indoor spaces of buildings has been reported to be two to five times higher than outdoor air !!
In addition to the entry of polluted air from outside, the use of chemicals in the manufacture of most home appliances increases home pollution. A wide range of pollutants such as smoke, toxic substances, chemical emissions, highly volatile compounds from home appliances such as MDF and flooring and furniture, insecticides, detergents, etc. are present in homes and cause pollution.
Therefore, if we have to stay at home due to outdoor air pollution, we must purify the air inside the home. One of the efficient and cost-effective ways is to return to God-given nature and use plants that absorb air pollution as a natural and effective tool to provide a lively environment in residential homes.
In addition to creating greenery, beauty and a positive psychological effect, these plants remove toxic substances from the air and metabolize chemicals and convert them into harmless compounds. Plants can purify more than 87 percent of the toxic substances in the environment, provided that there is at least one 15-centimeter plant for every 9 square meters of a residential house.
Considering that it is not possible to grow many plants in residential houses due to inadequate light and air, the presence of designed greenhouses in residential units as the only available solution allows many plants to grow in the house and eliminate pollution.

You might say to yourself that having a greenhouse in the summer in the climate of Tehran in the temperature of forty degrees Celsius would be annoying, but we thought of everything. We considered the angle of the sun's rays in the summer and designed the greenhouses and shaders in such a way that direct sunlight does not enter the greenhouse and the rooms.
In addition, considering that most Iranian houses are cooled in the summer with air washers, the excess air blown into the house is removed from the greenhouse and causes complete ventilation of the greenhouse and heat is removed, our calculations with the Design Builder software show that even in the summer, energy consumption is reduced by five percent with these greenhouses.

We placed this design and idea in Tehran's Fatemi neighborhood, Etemadzadeh Street.
The result of our efforts and calculations was a 12-story, 24-unit residential complex whose greenhouses work with several spaces in the house and demonstrate a new lifestyle of human interaction with its environment.
The warm air from the greenhouse enters the rooms on winter days with an absorbent wall system, the air that is purified, oxygenated, scented, and softened in addition to being preheated.
The greenhouse's vents are also closed on winter nights, and this space acts as an insulator for the building.
In this design, by using God-given solar energy, 90 percent less pollution is produced than a complex without greenhouses.
​​​​​​​Also, the greenhouses are irrigated automatically, even in the absence of the homeowner, through a pipeline connected to the units' water treatment system.
Overall, the building's energy consumption has been reduced by fifty percent, and the waste of fossil fuel and water resources has been eliminated.

Design Team: Afaq Architecture Group
​​​​​​Under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Rima Fayyaz, faculty member of Tehran University of Art and member of the specialized committee of the National Building Regulations, topic 19​​​​​​​