Pahlavi National Library

Tehran, Iran, 1978

This project's organizational pattern, structural concept and overall aesthetic approach reflects the distant image and themes of the great Persian architecture of the past. Though the concept is contemporary in method, technique, design, and expression (as should be in any genuine work of art), it aims to capture and transform the vital spirit of Persian architecture without literally imitating its already well-known familiar forms. This approach is evident throughout the entire design, in a consistent use of dual-central symmetry as the main axes of access and circulation, which enhance its dignified monumentality. This justifies the purpose of this learning institution focussing on the study of Iranology, sited in a dominant position in a grand urban design scheme.