The second edition of the Grand Me'mar Award was dedicated to post-revolution residential architecture. From approximately one hundred submitted works in the categories of individual dwellings, apartments, and large residential complexes, the five-member jury — Mehdi Alizadeh, Hadi Mirmiran, Ali Akbar Saremi, Kambiz Nazeramoo, and Kamran Afshar Naderi — selected twenty exemplary works and ranked the top five. The following catalog presents the winning projects and jury selections, documenting a cross-section of Iran's residential architecture in the years following the 1979 Revolution.
Winners
Sadri Residence
Location: Isfahan
Architects: Mohammad Reza Ghane'i & Ali Sheykholeslam
Work No.: 105
The Sadri Residence occupies a narrow 71-square-meter plot in Isfahan. Through skillful spatial manipulation, the architects created a rich sequence of interior spaces that recall the complexity and intimacy of traditional Iranian houses. The design features a basement with service areas and a pool, a ground floor with kitchen, salon, bedrooms, yard, and parking, and a first floor with living room, store, and closet areas.
The building's exterior is characterized by vaulted stone forms, colored mosaic panels, and textured surfaces. Inside, the spaces unfold through vaulted ceilings, mezzanine levels, narrow corridors with hanging lanterns, and passages that create a layered experience of light and shadow. The jury praised this work for approaching the "essence of the Iranian house" and bringing urban spatial complexity to a constrained residential plot.
Elahiyeh Residential Building
Location: Tehran
Architect: Behrouz Bayat
Work No.: 133
The Elahiyeh Residential Building is a multi-story apartment complex in Tehran's affluent Elahiyeh neighborhood. The facade demonstrates a restrained modernist vocabulary with careful massing, balcony projections, and a muted color palette of gray and blue tones. The building represents a thoughtful approach to urban apartment design that balances privacy with openness to the street.
House of Navvab Safavi
Location: Isfahan
Architects: Mohammad Reza Ghane'i & Ali Sheykholeslam
Work No.: 104
The House of Navvab Safavi, also in Isfahan, showcases the same architects' versatility. The design features a prominent glass curtain wall with blue-painted steel structure, large interior volumes with double-height spaces, and a modernist vocabulary that contrasts with the traditional approach of their first-place entry. The building demonstrates how contemporary architectural language can be adapted to the Isfahan context.
House No. 3
Location: Shiraz
Architect: Mehrdad Iravanian
Work No.: 102
House No. 3 in Shiraz presents a bold modernist statement with exposed metallic ductwork, curved stainless steel elements on the facade, and a composition of geometric volumes around a garden courtyard. The design embraces industrial aesthetics while maintaining a residential scale and relationship with its garden.
Kamraniyeh Residential Complex
Location: Tehran
Architect: Faramarz Sharifi
Work No.: 159
The Kamraniyeh Residential Complex in Tehran draws on historical Iranian architectural motifs — arched windows, decorative brickwork, and stone cladding — reinterpreted in a contemporary multi-unit residential context. The complex creates visual richness through the interplay of projecting volumes, varied window sizes, and textured surfaces.
Jury Selections
The following fifteen works were selected by the jury as exemplary works of post-revolution residential architecture.
Villa Lavasan
Location: Lavasan
Architect: Bahram Shokouhian
A villa in the Lavasan hills northeast of Tehran featuring a distinctive green roof structure, extensive balconies overlooking the mountain landscape, and a modern interpretation of the hillside villa typology.
Manzarieh Residential Complex
Architect: Darioush Shahnavaz
A multi-building residential complex with a modernist vocabulary of cubic volumes, flat roofs, and a restrained material palette. The complex demonstrates a coherent approach to medium-density residential development.
Building No. 22
Architect: Reza Ali-Abadi
A residential project featuring distinctive patterned facade panels in blue and white, with an architectural language that references the decorative traditions of northern Iran while maintaining a contemporary structural system.
Khatereh Panj Dari (Memory of Five Doors)
Architect: Mohammad Aghili
A modernist white villa with clean geometric forms, a swimming pool, and generous interior spaces with double-height ceilings. The design creates a dialogue between the intimate domestic program and an open, light-filled spatial experience.
Villa Salahuddin Kala
Location: Salahuddin Kala, Northern Iran
Architect: Shahryar Ghadimi
A villa with a prominent wooden structure and covered veranda, drawing on the traditional timber architecture of Iran's northern provinces. The design creates a generous shaded outdoor living space appropriate to the Caspian climate.
Building No. 81
Architect: Reza Ali-Abadi
A residential villa with a spiral staircase, tiled hip roof, and a composition that blends traditional villa proportions with modern detailing. The second entry by Ali-Abadi selected by the jury.
Pirayesh Building
Location: Tehran
Architect: Faryar Javaherian
A multi-story residential building with stone cladding, a disciplined fenestration pattern, and a skylight feature. The design brings a sense of material permanence and architectural order to the urban apartment typology.
House of Gordan
Architect: Firouz Firouz
An organically-shaped residence in terracotta and earth tones, with curved walls, circular openings, and vault-like forms. The design explores an expressionist architectural language that recalls adobe and earthen building traditions.
Elahiyeh Residential Building (Second Entry)
Location: Tehran
Architect: Behrouz Bayat
An additional residential building in the Elahiyeh neighborhood by Behrouz Bayat, featuring an elegant brick entrance with ornamental chandelier and a contemporary facade with glass and metal elements. A second project by Bayat recognized alongside his prize-winning entry.
Villa Malekar
Architect: Rashid Khomarlou
A striking villa with angular geometric forms, a dramatically pitched roof, and a sculptural presence. The interior features a curved ceiling element and expansive views. The design demonstrates a bold formal language in residential architecture.
House of Morshed Zadeh
Architect: Amirhossein Taheri
A compact urban house with brick cladding and a projecting illuminated volume that creates a lantern-like effect at night. The design maximizes spatial quality within a tight urban lot through vertical organization and strategic openings.
Villa Fashandak
Location: Fashandak
Architect: Hossein Naseri
A rural villa with traditional brick and stone construction, featuring a distinctive octagonal tower element with a copper roof. The design draws on local vernacular traditions while introducing contemporary spatial arrangements.
Sa'adat Abad Building
Location: Tehran (Sa'adat Abad)
Architect: Behrouz Pakdaman
A residential building in Tehran's Sa'adat Abad district featuring a cylindrical glass corner element, modern facade composition, and a mountain-backed setting. The design addresses the challenge of creating architectural identity in Tehran's rapidly developing residential neighborhoods.
Negaran Residential Building
Location: Tehran
Architect: Mohammad Reza Nikbakht
A tall residential tower with a curved facade and a distinctive base featuring arched openings. The building demonstrates a monumental approach to urban residential architecture with attention to the street-level experience.
Pars Yek Residential Complex
Architect: Darioush Shahnavaz
A large-scale residential complex with a curved plan configuration. The typical floor plan shows multiple residential units arranged along a crescent-shaped layout, with a landscaped central courtyard. The second entry by Shahnavaz selected by the jury.