Omid Hosseinian Engineering Group

The Caro Pastry Shop project represents a sophisticated engineering challenge in managing contradictory uses—integrating retail, high-volume industrial production, administration, and a private residential unit—within a single five-story structure, unified under a modern and contemporary design identity. The central challenge was ensuring the functional quality and comfort of every floor, especially those adjacent to the residential space.

• Title: Caro Pastry Shop: The Compatible Coexistence of Contradictory Uses in QaemShahr"s Modern Context
• Designer: Omid Hosseinian Engineering Group
• Location: Qaem Shahr
• Typology: Mixed-Use (Commercial, Industrial, and Residential)

The technical philosophy relies on a robust concrete structure featuring a waffle slab system (two-way ribbed slab). This engineering choice resulted in a singular architectural achievement: an exceptional, uniform unobstructed ceiling height of 4.5 meters across all five stories.

This height is more than a metric; it is a spatial enabler:

• Volumetric Quality: In the retail (Ground Floor, 560 sqm) and administrative (Third Floor) areas, this volume creates a sense of grandeur and openness, significantly improving natural light penetration deep into the large floor plates.
• Industrial Requirements: In the industrial workshops (First and Second Floors, 310 sqm each), the 4.5-meter height substantially enhances ventilation and the extraction of fumes and heat generated by ovens and mixers, thereby elevating the hygienic and safety standards of the work environment.
•   Plan Flexibility: The waffle slab enables a fully Open-Plan concept across large areas, vital for the flexible arrangement of industrial machinery and retail displays without the obstruction of internal columns.

Functional Logic and Material Aesthetics

The vertical organization is governed by stringent functional logic. The separation of the Wet Pastry Workshop (First Floor) from the Dry Pastry Workshop (Second Floor) was a critical decision, allowing for independent environmental control (humidity and temperature) and preventing production workflow contamination.

Materials in the design actively reflect this segregation:

• Modern, Hygienic Texture: In all commercial and workshop areas, the use of high-quality stone and ceramic ensures durability and ease of maintenance while providing a clean, minimalist aesthetic that reflects the precision required in pastry making.
•  Residential Contrast: This modern industrial logic is deliberately broken on the Fourth Floor, where the 142-square-meter residential unit utilizes conventional, warmer materials to evoke a sense of home and disconnect from the industrial environment below.

The Acoustic Separation Challenge

The architectural integrity of the project culminates on the residential Fourth Floor. The greatest challenge was mitigating the transmission of vibrations and acoustic pollution originating from the heavy mixers, ovens, and mechanical systems operating in the industrial floors. Achieving complete functional and acoustic isolation required sophisticated insulation solutions and the implementation of dedicated, independent mechanical systems for the dwelling, ensuring the quality of residential life is not compromised by the building"s industrial nature.

The Caro project, through the intelligent use of concrete structure and the waffle slab system, stands as a benchmark for modern mixed-use buildings successfully managing conflicting uses under the highest technical and comfort requirements.