In this fascinating piece, Nick Mafi from Architectural Digest narrates new Iranian contemporary architecture drawing attention to its efforts to be recognized by global media. Mafi takes a closer look at some distinctive projects of Iran, which become prominent in recent years. 

Mafi defines this paradigm as a 'significant cultural shift' regardless of the fact that its pro-Western stronghold from 1979's Islamic revolution. The piece underscores 'more trendy, formalist (with Iran motifs), bold and 'sexy' style of Iranian architecture -which emerges as a massive trend nowadays.

One of the most noticeable examples in recent years is the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge in Tehran, designed by Diba Tensile Architecture / Leila Araghian, Alireza Behzadi. The project won 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and it attracts many tourist attention with its bold, curvaceous, hillier and topographic structure connecting two parks in the city.

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''Right now, the massive trend in Iran is to design and build structures with the goal of being recognized by the media,'' says Hooman Koliji, associate professor of architecture, planning, and preservation at the University of Maryland. “Therefore, there is an implicit effort and competition to create forms that look different and, dare I say, sexy.” This approach to modern architecture has garnered great results for Iranian talents such as Leila Araghian, whose design of Tehran’s Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge took home the prestigious 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, bestowed every three years. Certain elements of Araghian’s bold, modern design (pictured above) incorporate motifs of Iranian architecture dating back centuries. With its close proximity to the spectacular Alborz mountain range, the Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge became an instant viewing gallery for the building’s natural surroundings......Continue Reading

Top image: A ski resort designed by RYRA Studio. Image © Persia Photography Centre

> via Architectural Digest