In the Fifteenth Memar Award, Ms. Soheila Beski, after years of tireless effort, was no longer among us. Yet we felt her spiritual presence more vividly than ever. It was as though she watched with her ever-vigilant eyes to see whether we remained faithful to those values she had laid as the foundation of Memar Nashr Institute. Of course we are faithful, and shall remain so, and these values will always guide us: integrity, defending professional values at any cost, an inclusive vision (welcoming diverse viewpoints to participate in Memar Magazine, the Memar Award, and all other activities of the institute, as long as they remain within the language of architecture), and a commitment to the highest possible productivity. We strive toward the fulfillment of a vision in which young architects restore Iranian architecture to its days of glory, hoping that hundreds of flowers bloom along this path.
The fifteenth edition of the Memar Award was held with 164 entries, judged in two phases. In the first phase, from among the projects that had submitted their documentation, semi-finalists were selected across four categories, and they were asked to present their materials for the second round of judging.
The second-phase jury session was held on the 11th of Mehr, with Han Tumertekin and Arshia Mahmoudi joining the panel of jurors: Seyedreza Hashemi, Mohammadreza Nikbakht, and Farhad Ahmadi.
Han Tumertekin, an architect from Turkey, replaced Ms. Kathryn Falkner, who had been previously announced as a juror but was unable to attend the jury sessions due to visa complications.
The judging criteria and methodology for the Memar Award are as follows:
Judging criteria:
- Creativity and innovation in design, and innovation in the use of materials and building technology
- Creative confrontation with the specific challenges of a project, including: economic limitations, particular site conditions in terms of dimensions and proportions, legal regulations and procedures (especially in cities), technical difficulties, and more
- Precision and innovation in detail design
- Attention to the surrounding environment and climatic conditions, environmental values, and social commitments
Naturally, the final judgment on each project is made not by assigning scores for each of the above criteria and averaging them, but through an assessment of the work as a whole.
The Memar Award judging program and methodology: All projects are divided into four categories — Apartment Buildings, Individual Dwellings, Public Buildings, and Renovation — and the following stages are carried out for projects in each group:
1. All works within the same category are displayed together for the jurors to review. After examining all entries, projects that every juror has rejected are eliminated. Even if a single juror favors retaining a project, it will not be removed.
2. From among the semi-final entries, each juror selects their preferred projects — without ranking — using their personal-color sticker, which now indicates a positive vote. Projects that no juror has selected as a top choice are eliminated. The selected projects become the finalists.
3. Each juror independently selects their first, second, and third choices from among the finalists. Three points are awarded for first place, two for second, and one for third. The sum of all jurors' scores determines the final rankings.
4. The jurors may designate some finalists as deserving of special commendation. Upon the agreement of the other jurors, this designation is confirmed.