The winning projects, engineers and companies for the 10th annual Middle East Architect Awards were revealed on November 22 at a ceremony in Dubai, with three Iranian projects among them.
The highly-anticipated award, the Middle East Architect of the Year, was given to Iranian architect Farshad Mehdizadeh of Farshad Mehdizadeh Architects.
Born in Isfahan, Mehdizadeh started his professional career at the Fluid Motion Studio in Tehran. Later he went on to work for the Lab Architecture Studio in Melbourne, Australia.
Mehdizadeh has designed award winning projects, namely his Abadan residential building which won first prize in the national Memar awards of Iran and high recognition in the Middle East Awards.
He acquired a master’s degree at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, in Barcelona, Spain, after which he returned to Iran and established his own firm, Tehran Architecture Studio.
Mehdizadeh focuses research on geographically context-based architecture and the impact of geography on architecture in general.
Two More Awards
Projects from Iran were a highlight this year, with Keivani Architects winning the Residential Project of the Year for its Tehran-based Orsi Khaneh house.
‘Orsi Khaneh’ is a residential apartment block located in Tehran’s Gisha District. It includes faceted window frames and stained glass.
The importance of light, water, plants and frames of Iranian architecture are incorporated in its design.
Keivani Architects was established by two brothers Nima and Sina Keivani in 2009. The creation of meaningful, enriched and innovative spaces takes center-stage in their architecture. Social, environmental and economic sustainability is in the core of their projects.
Hajizadeh & Associates’ Chabahar Free Zone Complex in the south of Iran picked up the Concept Design of the Year Award.
The project is located in the southern Sistan and Baluchestan Province, home to the country’s only port in the Indian Ocean.
Inspired by the desert and plateaus, since the province accounts for one of the driest regions in Iran, the project mimics ‘kapar’, a shed in southern Iran that responds to the climate and culture of the geography.
One manifestation of the inspiration is the complex’s low-level entrance gate, which ensures that the people bow before entering.
The 10th annual Middle East Architect Awards recognizes the best projects and people in the architecture community across the Middle East. With projects ranging from the world’s tallest towers to one-off villas, and individual nominations from veteran designers as well as bright young architects just starting out, the event is seen as a yardstick of success in the region’s architecture industry.
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