During the overall evaluation of the Grand Memar Award for 1384 (2005), it was noted that a new architectural movement appears to be taking shape—one distinctly different from the fashionable trends that dominated in previous years. This emerging tendency, while exhibiting notable diversity and growth in terms of typology and stylistic classification, draws upon specific and meaningful design principles, which are discussed in this article. At the same time, the composition of works selected by the jury—who were largely unaware of the identities, backgrounds, and social standing of the competition's participants—reflects a reality we have repeatedly articulated over the past decade through articles and discussions: that the way out of the architectural crisis, which had frozen the country's architecture for years, is being realized by a young generation of innovative thinkers who, in the previous decade, were still university students. Perhaps now it is time for government and public institutions to pay some attention to this generation, who represent the country's true potential and have many years of experience, progress, and production ahead of them.
New Trends
Independence
One of the merits of the new trend is its relative independence and distance from the ideologically imposed debates that had long dominated professional and academic discourse. Until the mid-1370s (mid-1990s), superficial biases—and perhaps an anxiety over the absence of an art that would embody the revolutionary spirit—had led some university professors and government officials, under the banner of reviving lost identity, to compel designers and students to incorporate simplified and imitative elements of Iran's historical Islamic architecture into their work. Although experience demonstrated that architecturally stronger works were those in which the presence of identity-related elements was more restrained, the wholesale abandonment of cultural-historical concerns related to Iranian architecture that occurred in the following decade did not ultimately serve contemporary Iranian architecture well either.
In opposition to traditionalism, the younger generation of architects—along with some from earlier generations who sought transformation—turned to the most extreme tendencies, which were constantly promoted through foreign professional journals as the authentic truths of the new postmodern era. For a long time, the majority of students and a number of professional designers, in whatever opportunities they found away from the reality of the market and the backward academic environment, engaged in stylistic experiments concerning the abstract architectures of the 1980s and 1990s, whose principal concern was the application of non-Euclidean geometries in architecture through forms consonant with graphic art, sculpture, and painting.
But now it appears that, having passed through that phase, progressive architects have moved toward an independent tendency grounded in the objective conditions of society, and the extremist inclinations from both sides have given way to a rational interpretation of contemporary architecture and the real premises of design practice in Iran.
Idea
If, until a few years ago, the preoccupation of many architects—whether consciously or unconsciously—was to find an appropriate style to represent a society in transformation and opening toward global developments, designers today are pursuing the consolidation of the truths within their own work by presenting original and genuine ideas for the small problems they encounter daily in professional practice. Most projects entering the competition presented distinct ideas, and these ideas were rooted in the projects' actual premises. The borrowed geometric diagrams that Eisenman, Greg Lynn, and the like had once popularized were scarcely to be found anymore.
Designers have come to understand that in architecture, as in other fields and disciplines, what matters more than taste is the depth of engagement with problems and the manner of approaching them. This is precisely why the best works of Iranian architecture in recent years have reached a level worthy of discussion on the global stage. They seem to have found a rational solution to the local-versus-global dualism: a professional standard and approach to problems at a global scale, combined with design fundamentals grounded in data and knowledge drawn from local objective conditions.
In reality, the stylistic and formalist efforts accompanied by special effects and based on pseudo-intellectual foundations have given way to a more or less independent tendency that draws upon historical foundations—both modern and pre-modern architectural history—as appropriate and in relation to the design concept. Overall, designers have demonstrated relatively good control over the design process: rather than jumping from one branch to another, they are able to develop specific, well-considered ideas and remain faithful to them down to the smallest details. Even where a design draws upon an external reference, this is done with greater maturity than before, and the designer endeavors to digest and assimilate borrowed ideas. The expansion of relations between Iran and advanced countries, the growth of tourism abroad, and the spread of the internet and international media have also enabled our architects to develop a more precise understanding of contemporary world architecture. Apparently, the presence of major figures in architecture and global criticism—such as Isozaki, Maki, Botta, Jencks, Gudvio, and Sonesnes—has not been without influence either.
Attention to Objective Project Conditions
This matter has several dimensions, all of which show considerable progress:
— Attention to the typology and appropriate character of various educational, administrative, industrial, religious, and other spaces
— Attention to the physical program and primary objectives of the project
— Use of the site's specific characteristics to generate the project's core ideas
— Effort to establish a connection with the urban fabric or surrounding natural environment, and attention to prominent landmarks and existing visual references that influence design
— Attention to climatic conditions and ambient light
— Effort to establish a kind of relationship with architectural heritage, which is particularly evident in the restoration and renovation works that participated in the award
Technology and Materials
Buildings constructed in recent years also indicate notable progress in terms of technology. Structures are designed and executed with greater precision, and compared to the past, they have a more coherent relationship with the architectural design. The variety of materials used in buildings has increased, and their quality has also improved. Construction details are designed and executed with greater care and are consistent with the overall form of the building.
Overall, it can be said that the relationship between the whole and its parts has seen considerable improvement. Many designers—for example, the first-place project—have endeavored to add value to inexpensive materials such as corrugated metal sheeting, affordable stone and brick, sandwich panels, and simple plaster facades through distinctive design approaches.
The progress of architecture in the aforementioned areas is partly owed to the increase in construction products and imports in recent years, in terms of quality, variety, and quantity. New companies that, alongside offering new building materials, provide the relevant technical knowledge to designers have played an important role.
Conclusion
All of the above developments indicate that architecture is on a good path, and provided it is not hindered by obstructive upstream factors such as negative economic fluctuations, a bright future lies ahead. Architectural work and discourse have become more sophisticated, more realistic, and more professional compared to the past, and have drawn closer to good international standards. Of course, the country's architecture is not yet in a position to make fundamentally new and substantive propositions of global significance that could also influence the course of world architectural history. However, it should be noted that some Iranian architects in recent years have managed to win first-place rankings in international competitions with their innovative ideas. Some of these designs, such as the two projects that won first and second prizes in the competition for a house for children, plants, and animals, are truly original and outstanding works by two young Iranians.
In any case, it seems that society is gradually recognizing the role of architecture in improving quality of life through principled design, and designers too are becoming prepared to respond to the material and spiritual needs of society. The role of the architect as author, and the characteristics of innovative and artistically valuable work, are slowly gaining recognition among architects and the public alike. In this context, architectural criticism and professional journals, which have seen considerable growth in the past decade, play an important role. It is essential that officials of government and public institutions also attend to this sensitive and significant moment in the history of contemporary Iranian architecture, and by creating opportunities for the emergence of good talent, contribute to the overall elevation of architectural standards and the realization of outstanding artistic works. Progress in architecture, as in scientific and research fields, requires the acceptance of risk, experimentation, trial, and even error—and distinguished work can never be achieved effortlessly by following pre-written prescriptions.