Abdol Aziz Farmanfarmaian

Biographie

Iranian architect and urban planner (1920-2013). Studied architecture in Paris, graduated from École des Beaux-Arts in 1950. Founded his private architectural office in Tehran in the early 1950s, which became one of the largest and most respected in the Middle East, growing from 80 to over 400 technical staff. In 1966, his office merged with consulting engineers Reza Majd and Farrokh Hirbod to form Abdolaziz Farmanfarmaian and Associates (AFFA). His early career included designing the atomic reactor building at the University of Tehran (1957), which exposed him to the importance of engineering in architecture through collaboration with structural engineer Widelinger and Guy Panero engineers in New York. A pivotal project was the Tehran Olympic Center (Aryamehr Stadium), a 100,000-seat complex completed in 17 months for the 1974 Asian Games, using prestressed and precast concrete designed by engineer Pierre Richard of the Tesa/Bouygues consortium. Farmanfarmaian introduced advanced earthquake-resistant high-rise construction to Iran, using San Francisco building codes for structural calculations. His firm prepared the Tehran Comprehensive Master Plan with Victor Gruen Associates, establishing population and expansion limits for the city. He designed over 100 private residences, major government buildings, palaces (Niavaran, Sa'adabad), and institutional projects. His favorite works were the Iranian Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal and his personal residence (now the Belgian Embassy). During staffing shortages of the mid-1970s, the firm opened an Athens office managed by Joseph Zucker. Farmanfarmaian is considered a pioneer of consulting engineering in Iran, paving the way for future generations of architects and engineers.