Reinterpreting Form, Space, and the Design Process in Residential Houses of Tehran (1950s–1970s)

Abstract

The architecture of contemporary Iran has undergone a tumultuous and intricate trajectory of formation and development over the past century. The diverse formal manifestations of contemporary architecture reveal numerous contradictions and complexities that challenge our understanding of this period. Contemporary Iranian architecture, particularly in Tehran during the 1950s to 1970s, experienced fundamental transformations in both nature and identity. This study seeks to reinterpret the concepts of form and space within the design process of residential houses in Tehran during these decades and to reconstruct the architectural movements and discourses of the period through a deep analytical lens on contemporary Iranian—especially Tehran’s—architecture. The main research question is: What was the predominant approach of third-generation architects in the residential design process? In the first part, the study employs the case study and interpretive–analytical methods, while in the second part, it utilizes document analysis and descriptive methods. Data collection in the first part was conducted through examination of selected architectural case samples, and in the second part through the use of documents and written sources (books, research studies, and academic articles). The analytical framework of this study is interpretive–analytical in nature. The findings indicate that the paradigm shifts in architectural design, along with transformations in the influencing factors of architectural formation on one hand, and the inclination toward popular art on the other, are both reflected in the architectural output and in the evolution of thought within the design process. The architectural morphology of Tehran’s residential buildings in the 1950s demonstrates modernist characteristics; in the 1960s, features of high modernism and stylistic ambiguity are evident; and in the 1970s, there emerges a tendency toward traditionalism, characterized by the use of Iranian–Islamic geometry.