Dezeen Magazine

11 of the best new buildings from Iran's architectural awakening

Iran's contemporary architecture scene is on the brink of a boom after the lifting of economic sanctions. We've collected together 11 of the best examples from the country's new crop of buildings and bridges.


Termeh Office Building by Farshad Mehdizadeh and Ahmad Bathaei

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Located in Hamedan, northern Iran, this office and retail building has a brick facade that extends out to create a wave-like roof that members of the public can climb and sit on. Find out more about Termeh Office Building »


Mosha House by New Wave Architecture

Three views/A house by New Wave Architecture

Designed to the make the most of its steep hillside site outside Tehran, Mosah House consists of three stacked boxes that are each angled towards a different view. Find out more about Mosha House »


Kahrizak residential building by CAAT Studio

Kahrizak residential building by CAAT Studio

Angled brick screens shade the interiors of this housing block in Tehran by CAAT Studio, with the gaps and perforations in the material used to help ventilate the spaces. Find out more about Kahrizak »


Tabiat Bridge by Leila Aragian

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Designed by young Iranian architect Leila Araghian, this is currently the largest pedestrian bridge in the country at 270 metres long. It connects Tehran's Abo Atash Park and Taleghani Park across a busy highway. Find out more about Tabiat Bridge »


Andarzgoo residential building by Ayeneh Office

Andarzgoo residential building by Ayeneh Office

The six-storey Andarzgoo building has an apartment on each floor, and was designed to offer a calm, restrained presence in a neighbourhood that is crowded with different building types, materials and heights. Find out more about Andarzgoo »


Sharifi Ha House by Next Office

Sharif-ha House by Nextoffice

Next Office – one of the more prolific of the new firms emerging in Iran's capital city – designed this private home two years ago. Rotating rooms on its facade were added to make the most of the local temperature extremes, pivoting out to create open summer rooms and turning inwards in colder weather. Find out more about Sharifi Ha House »


Apartment No 1 by AbCT

dezeen_Apartment No 1 by AbCT_1sq

Built using stacked offcuts from the local stonecutting industry, this apartment block in Mahallat was designed by Architecture by Collective Terrain. Find out more about Apartment No 1 »


Saba Apartment building by TDC Office

Saba apartment by TDC Office

Wavy wooden shutters contrast with the uniform grid arrangement of recessed windows across the front of the Saba Apartment block in Tehran by TDC Office. The shutters can be spaced out by hand by the occupants of each flat to create a unique arrangement. Find out more about Saba Apartment »


Office block by LP2 Architecture Studio

Office block on Tehran, Iran by LP2 architecture studio

Wooden louvres and shutters are popular features for new buildings in Iran, offering an contemporary take on traditional methods of controlling heat and light. The ones on this office block by LP2 rotate, and are complemented by recessed balconies and openings. Find out more about the office block »


Villa for Younger Brother by Next Office

Villa for Younger Brother is a house in Tehran designed by Alireza Tahgaboni

The second Next Office project on our list is a house in Lavasan – a wealthy area dubbed the Beverly Hills of Tehran. It splits down the middle to create a sheltered space at the rear, with a dramatic sharply pointed entrance. Find out more about Villa for Younger Brother »


Bagh-Janat by Bracket Design Studio

Bagh-Janat residential architecture with timber and travertine cladding in Isfahan Iran by Bracket Design Studio

Rather than louvres and shutters, this house in Isfahan has windows covered with the same wooden slats that clad the rest of the house, making the openings almost invisible when closed. Find out more about Bagh-Janat »