Designing Didar Park - Babolsar
The design project for "Didar Park" is strategically located in one of the sensitive urban areas of Babolsar, on a site carrying the city’s historical memory: the compound of the former Qajar-era Municipality building. Confronting such a valuable context necessitated an approach that transcended typical landscaping, defining the space as an "Urban Joint" between the historical past and the contemporary urban fabric. With the construction of a new city hall and the subsequent functional change of the Qajar structure, the decision was made to transform the courtyard from a closed, low-traffic administrative area into an open, dynamic public realm.
- Project Name: Didar Park
- Designer: Omid Hosseinian Engineering Group
- Area: 3,200 sq.m.
- Location: Babolsar, Old Municipality Compound
- Typology: Pocket Park
At Omid Hosseinian Engineering Group, our goal was to enhance green space per capita and meet the city"s urgent need for interactive spaces. We opted for the Pocket Park model to revitalize this part of the urban texture on a small scale but with significant impact, creating a secure and inviting environment for citizens. The project"s underlying geometry and structural skeleton are based on the reinterpretation and abstraction of the ancient Persian Garden archetype, "Chahar-Bagh." The design endeavored to retain the geometric spirit and systematic nature of the Persian Garden, allowing its form to adopt a modern expression suitable for the site’s constraints and contemporary demands.
The visual and movement axes, similar to the classical model, guide the viewer; however, their final destination has fundamentally changed. At the axis intersection, a singular, irregular, sculptural element replaces the cliché of a traditional fountain or kiosk. This strategic shift grants the project a contemporary identity while avoiding mere imitation. This central element, functioning as the project’s Focal Point, is an intricate and artistic fusion of materials: its main structure is formed by exposed concrete (symbolizing permanence), while its skin incorporates Plexiglass calligraphy and light-filled glass panels, injecting cultural softness into the concrete mass.
On the functional layer, the concept of "Didar" (Meeting) and social interaction was central to all design decisions. A diverse range of pause spaces were designed, each offering a distinct spatial quality, from the Odeon (stepped seating) that facilitates observation and small gatherings, to wall galleries and integrated benches, all strategically positioned to foster social dialectics.
Crucially, Didar Park is a democratic project committed to the principles of Universal Design and Spatial Justice. All pathways, slopes, and accesses were meticulously detailed to accommodate mobility-impaired users (wheelchairs and canes). Furthermore, the integration of tactile paving for the visually impaired is an integral ethical component, realizing the right to the city for all citizens.
In the Landscape Design, our strategy prioritized respect for the site"s ecology and avoidance of destructive intervention. The existing, registered old trees, which constitute a historical registry of the site, were carefully preserved, and the design was flexibly shaped around them. Complementing this layer of historical greenery, new planting incorporates local species compatible with the northern climate (such as citrus), alongside Weeping Willow trees near seating areas, which provide maximum shade and create a poetic atmosphere for users.
The night-time Lighting Scenario is carefully engineered to enhance security and spatial legibility. Linear lighting integrated into the pavement reproduces and traces the main Chahar-Bagh axes. Hidden lighting beneath the heavy concrete and brick benches visually separates them from the ground, lending an effect of lightness and suspension, maintaining the visual coherence of the park components around the clock.