The 1370s (1990s) were good years for architecture, although those active in the field may not always have felt that way, continuing to regard the period with a degree of dissatisfaction.

After the Islamic Revolution and the priorities imposed by the eight-year war, the task of advancing architecture — whose former institutional custodians had largely vacated the scene — fell to young and inexperienced inheritors. It was only natural that they could not steer the ship of architecture through the storm of revolutionary conditions unscathed. Architecture, in those years, had little of substance to say in either practice or theory.

The end of the war and the announcement of reconstruction programs was, for engineers, like the coming of rain after a long winter — the beginning of a spring thaw. By the time they found one another, the seventies had begun. Discussions about architecture commenced. Looking at contemporary architecture in Iran and the world, recent architectural movements (Issue 71), a philosophical discussion of postmodernism (Babak Ahmadi, Issue 72), the search for a third space (Shirdel, Issue 73), and the bond between tradition and modernity in contemporary architecture (Nader Ardalan, Issue 74) — the atmosphere in architecture schools lacked the drive for serious work and rigorous debate. Architectural education came under scrutiny. Those who remembered the vibrant ateliers of the past looked on with regret and longing.

Education and Professional Organization

Discussions with former graduates and the heads of the three main architecture schools about the past and present of education continued for about two years. During those same years, Azad University was rapidly establishing architecture departments across the country, to the point that its unrestrained expansion drew criticism from established architecture faculties. Despite the less-than-ideal state of graduate programs, the University of Tehran established its doctoral program in architecture.

Professional organizations were in no better shape. Post-revolutionary conditions had raised great hopes for independent professional bodies, but the path was far from smooth. The pursuit of status, membership, and so-called cultural-social work prevailed over the consolidation of economic and professional ethics. The Engineering Order organizations, recently formed in the provinces, soon fell into the quagmire of quotas and signature rights under the weight of these same tendencies.

Government neglect had pushed them to the breaking point, but development and transformation could not be halted. With low architectural fees, the new building of the Society of Consulting Engineers was built on its own land, moving from rented to owned premises. In 1374 (1995), alongside the old construction companies syndicate, the Trade Union of Consulting Engineers in Architecture and Urban Planning was formed. That same year, the Society of Architect Engineers at the University of Tehran was founded, and two years later, the Society of Consulting Urban Planning Engineers was established.

One after another, other architecture schools also formed their own associations, and last year the Iranian Society of Architects came into being. These rivers may not all converge on their way to the sea, but does anyone have a better solution?

Research, Writing, and Journals

Alongside developments in education and the profession, there was no lack of ambition for research and writing, even though writing about architecture was difficult — especially when architecture itself was largely silent. More was being written about urban planning and urban design. Some consulting engineers began research and translation work, publishing booklets whose number was not insignificant. Manouchehr Mozayeni's Time and Architecture and the translation of Edmund Bacon's Design of Cities are among the notable books of this period.

Architecture journals played an even more important role. Abadi, whose publication began in 1370 (1991), ran for six and a half uninterrupted years. Though initially urban planning-oriented, as architecture gained strength it increasingly turned toward architecture as well. It became the most comprehensive reflection of debates and activities and the largest platform for promoting competitions. The architecture and urban planning journals Soffeh and later Ravaq also contributed to this enterprise in their own ways.

Following a hiatus in Abadi's publication, its colleagues launched Memar in 1377 (1998), followed shortly by Shahr. The Cultural Research Office, largely through the efforts of Soltan-Zadeh, had launched the quarterly Architecture and Culture. It can be said that architectural periodicals have built a good capacity to accompany architectural production.

Student Movements and Competitions

The discussion of education expanded from professors and elders to students. The extraordinary demand for admission to architecture programs gradually shaped student movements. The first student congress was held in Isfahan in 1376 (1997), the second in Shiraz in 1378 (1999), and the third this year in Tabriz. Some 2,600 students participated in this year's congress. What force draws so many high school graduates from across the country into this field?

The event that most remarkably concentrated and activated the forces of architecture — despite the losses it caused and the objections to its management — was the architectural competition. The Abadi Prize for projects built after the Islamic Revolution was held in 1370 (1991), with subsequent rounds in later years. The tradition of holding competitions spread rapidly, and projects large and small were put to competition by various institutions in different cities. But the most important and influential competition was the design competition for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Academy of Sciences complex in 1373 (1994), with its large number of participants, substantial prizes, and carefully selected jury — as well as, notably, the disregard for the jury's verdict in executing the fifth-place design instead of the first. This competition had the greatest post-revolutionary impact in lending prestige to architecture and elevating the name of architects.

According to Memar magazine's review, in just the first six years of the seventies alone, 25 competitions were held — compared to only 7 in the entire decade of the sixties.

Construction Quality and Regulations

In 1374 (1995), the first Building Engineering Festival was announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, eventually becoming a permanent institution. The spread of new fashions, materials, and methods was accompanied by numerous roundtables and seminars to address the disorderly state of construction. The construction industry achieved notable advances, but the quality of execution — especially with municipalities neglecting their supervisory responsibilities in favor of revenue generation — continued on its original course, even at the cost of construction safety and the degradation of urban regulations.

Regulations, institutions, and standards are among the most important issues in organizing and reforming construction and architecture. More than twenty articles and reports on this subject alone have been published in Abadi and Memar. The Trade Union of Consulting Engineers published its professional ethics charter in 1374 (1995). Other organizations have also recognized the importance of this issue, but the problem of quota distribution currently leaves little room for ethics.

Theoretical Discourse and Memar's Role

Efforts to advance theoretical discourse have not been entirely unsuccessful: from surveying the art-historical landscape of contemporary Iranian architecture to soliciting the views of leading architects on fundamental issues, writing articles and delivering lectures on topics of interest to students and young architects, the question of criticism and the beginnings of relatively serious critical writing, the reassessment of Iran's architectural heritage and how to revive an Iranian vision in architecture, and the analysis of new events and currents in world architecture.

Memar, for its part and within its abilities, has endeavored to present the works of today's architects — whether pioneers, contemporaries, or even young practitioners — in a manner as precise, informative, and educational as possible, and in some cases accompanied by criticism, review, and evaluation. Through this, in addition to timely reflection of architectural developments, it has sought to document their historical trajectory.

The collective efforts of the seventies' architects, through arduous and exhausting work, have now borne fruit — succeeding in drawing the attention of government and society to the importance and value of architecture. Architecture, alongside other arts and in its elevated cultural position, is gradually earning the respect it deserves. Various festivals, recognition of veterans, and the designation of a special day for architecture are among the signs of this growing appreciation.

Signs of a New Dawn

Ali-Akbar Khorramshahi donated his large personal library to the Kerman School of Architecture. The Rasoulian family donated their personal residence to the Yazd School of Architecture. Mr. Nader Kazemi donated his newly built, spacious building to the Shiraz School of Art and Architecture. And Mr. Karimzadeh, owner of Behpouyan Company, made possible the first Memar Award in 1380 (2001) through his full support. The tradition of philanthropic patronage among distinguished Iranian families has been revived.

But the most important and truest sign has been the realization of projects by the country's leading architects: buildings such as the Summit Conference Hall, the Hafeziyeh Guesthouse, the Export Development Center Exhibition and Convention Hall, the National Library, the Rafsanjan Cultural-Sports Complex, the Bar Association Building, and other buildings of this caliber. The government's increasingly serious approach to architecture, exemplified by awarding the design of Iranian embassy buildings in numerous countries to selected architects, is a striking example.

The dawn of a new era of powerful and influential Iranian architecture is visible. But the great losses and sorrows of this decade must never be forgotten: we lost Pirnia, Shariat-Zadeh, Abolqassemi, and Nasrin during these very years.