“Sarzurzuma,” meaning the point where waves meet from different directions and get neutralized, is also the name of a reef located in the Mangrove forest of Harra, near Gouron village on Qeshm Island, Iran. The reef’s strategic formation supports the growth and stabilization of the forest. The site is also home to the endangered UNESCO heritage of traditional Iranian Lenj boat-building skills. Since 2019, studio chahar has been working on community-based architectural interventions to slow down erosion in Sarzurzuma and has created a public pavilion for the villagers. The pavilion draws inspiration from local boat-building expertise, representing a craft culture formed through exchanges between Iran and various geographical locations. It reflects a region that was once well connected to the rest of the world through the Maritime route of Hormuz Strait. 

The original prototype was constructed by salvaging old boats in Gouron village, and the new pavilion is built in collaboration with the Apprenticeshop boat-building school in Rockland, Maine. By fostering a dialogue between two disconnected geographical locations, the pavilion utilizes craft for exchange and collective learning. It also serves as an exhibition space promoting environmental activism and the protection of the Harra mangrove forest. The project is an interactive platform that addresses craft, climate change, political isolation, and place-making, through giving agency to the community. It contributes to the ongoing discussion about the role of the architect as an enabler of inclusive interventions while refusing to overlook power dynamics, as well as social, political, and environmental consequences.