Dariush Borbor ( fa, داریوش بوربور, born April 28, 1934), is an Iranian-French architect,

urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...

, designer, sculptor, painter, researcher, and writer. In 1963, Borbor established his own firm under the name of Borbor Consulting Architects, Engineers, City Planners. In 1976, he set up Sphere Iran, a consortium of four specialist consulting firms, and proposed a comprehensive National Environmental Master plan for Iran. In 1992, he created the Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies (RILIS) where he is the director. Borbor is widely regarded as one of the avant-garde architects of the modern movement in Iran; a pioneer of modern urban planning, named by some as "father of modern urban planning", and a key figure in the promotion and creation of the High Urban Planning Council (1966, fa, شورای عالی شهرسازی)."Dariush Borbor", ''Encyclopedia of Urban Planning'', ed. Arnold Whittick, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1974, p. viii. He was described by Swiss architectural critic Anthony Krafft as "one of the most innovative architects who is perhaps on the way of creating a Persian architectural style of the 20th century"; and French architectural critic

Michel Ragon Michel Ragon (24 June 1924 – 14 February 2020) was a French art and literature critic and writer. His primary focus was on anarchic and libertarian literature. Biography Ragon was born into a poor family on 24 June 1924 in Marseille, but spent ...

defined him as "the architect in search of a modern Iranian architectural style".Michel Ragon, ''Histoire Mondiale de l'Architecture et de l'Urbanisme Modernes'', vol. 2, Casterman, Paris, 1972, p. 356. He has won many competitions and received several international prizes and awards, including the

Gold Mercury International Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a Brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, s ...

from Italy, 50 Outstanding Architects of the World from the Second Belgrade Triennial of World Architecture, and the Pahlavi Royal Award.

Early life

Shah and Queen Farah at the High Urban Planning Council, Tehran, Iran, 1966

Dariush Borbor was born in April 1934. His father was Gholam Hossein khan Borbor ( fa, غلامحسین خان بوربور), one of the directors of the Iranian branch of the former

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling number ...

(AIOC), congressman, ambassador-at-large, and one of the founding members of the

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

of Iran. Borbor had his primary schooling in Iran. At the age of thirteen, he moved to the United Kingdom for his secondary education, after which he obtained his General Certificate of Education from

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1952), a Bachelor of Architecture (1958) and a Master of Civic Design (1959) both from the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. He then went to specialize in the architecture of hot dry regions at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

(1961) under the direction of the French architect and urban planner Eugène Beaudouin.

Career

Dariush Borbor Presentation of the Urban Renewal of Mashhad City centre, Mashhad, Iran,1968

While working for his PhD, he collaborated concurrently with the Swiss urban planner Professor Arnold Hoechel and the architects Robert Frei and Christian Hunziker on several projects, including the first automatic bowling alleys in

Meyrin Meyrin () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The main site of CERN, the European particle physics research organisation, is in Meyrin. Meyrin was originally a small agricultural village until the 1950s, when construction of CE ...

Commune,

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, and

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, Lebanon. In 1961, he returned to Tehran as Deputy Technical Director of Iran-Rah, the largest Construction Co. of its time in Iran. In 1963, he created his own firm under the name of Borbor Consulting Architects, Engineers, City Planners. As President and managing director, he developed and expanded the business to a large multidisciplinary organization with several in-house departments which included: architecture, urban planning, environment, structure, mechanics, electricity and interior design. The firm employed a large number of highly qualified multi-national staff and included branch offices in several major cities in Iran. A few months prior to the 1978

Iranian Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, Borbor moved to Paris, France where he founded the Borbor International Management Consultants (BIMC) to Architects, Engineers, Planners. BIMC offered consultancy services in design, management and documentation to architectural and planning firms. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles where he was involved in some architectural consultancy and research on Iranian and

Persianate A Persianate society is a society that is based on or strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art and/or identity. The term "Persianate" is a neologism credited to Marshall Hodgson. In his 1974 book, ''The Venture of Is ...

subjects. Borbor returned to Iran in 1991 and established the Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies (RILIS), a non-profit, non-political, private and independent institution dedicated to the promotion of research in the field of Iranian and Persianate studies with special emphasis on novel and creative research. He is a Consultant and active contributor to the Encyclopædia Iranica.

Prizes and awards

* 1958, Working Drawing Award, ''Architects' Journal'', London, UK * 1959, First Prize, ideas competition for a Liverpool neighbourhood, Department of Civic Design, University of Liverpool, UK * 1965, First Prize, design of Persian Pavilion, Los Angeles * 1975, Gold Mercury International Award for project management, Rome, Italy * 1976, NIOC Award, seaside resort, Mahmoudabad, Caspian coast, Iran * 1976, First Prize, 2200-unit shopping mall (Bazaar Reza, fa, بازار رضا) in Mashhad, Iran * 1976, First Prize, monument, Mashhad, Iran. * 1977, First Prize, Temple of the Grand Lodge of Iran, Tehran, Iran. * 1978, Pahlavi Royal Award, for design, construction and management, 2200-unit shopping mall (Bazaar Reza) in record eleven months * 1988, 50 Outstanding Architects of the World, the Second Belgrade Triennial of World Architecture * 2020, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) * 2021, Dariush Borbor in the EduRank 100 Notable alumni of University of Liverpool. * 2022, Dariush Borbor ranked as one of the most influential academic alumni of the University of Liverpool.

Selected projects and writings

Architecture

* 1967, The Ice Palace recreation centre, Pahlavi Avenue, Tehran * 1971, Monument Mashhad (demolished in 2010) * 1976, Museum and library, Mashhad, Iran

Regional planning

* 1963–1966, Nowshahr-Chalus Regional Plan * 1964–1965, Caspian Coast Regional Plan * 1969–1973, Abadan-Khoramshahr Regional Plan

Urban and landscape design

* 1968, Project for the urban renewal of Mashhad City Centre * 1968, Kakhk post-earthquake reconstruction * 1976, Bazaar Reza shopping mall, Mashhad

Bibliography

* Dariush Borbor, ''Majlis: Teheran, Iran'', University of Liverpool, Google Books, Liverpool, 1958. * "The Influence of Persian Gardens on Islamic Decoration", ''Architecture Formes Fonctions'', vol. 14, ed. Anthony Krafft, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1968, pp. 84–91. * D.Bourbour orbor ''Projet de Rénovation de Haram Hazrat-e-Reza à Meched'', A.A. Honar va Me'mari, Tehran, 1972. * "Iran", ''The Encyclopedia of Urban Planning'', McGraw-Hill, New York, 1974, pp. 553–567. * "The Influence of Wine Culture in Iranian Architecture and the Region", ''Wine Culture in Iran and Beyond'', Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenchaften (ÖAW) / Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 2014, pp. 259–275. * Dariush Borbor, ''Dariush Borbor Compendium of Articles, Presentations and Interviews 1954-2018'', Sahab Geographic & Drafting Institute, Tehran, 2018.

Gallery

Image:Dariush Borbor, Flowers, Aquarel, 1953.jpg, 1953, "Flowers", Aquarelle (30 x 22 cm.) by Dariush Borbor Image:Dariush Borbor, Lovers, Black and White in Unity, Oil on Canvas, 1957.jpg, 1957, "Lovers, Black and White in Unity" oil on canvas (60 cm. x 46 cm.) by Dariush Borbor, presented to Nelson Mandela in 2007 by the artist on the 50th anniversary of the painting , 1976, Bazaar Reza Shopping Mall, South Entrance, Mashhad, Iran

References

External links

*
Iran Contemporary Architect’s Site

Persian Studies Seminars, University of Cambridge

Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), From Persepolis to Isfahan: Dariush Borbor

The Architect of Free Lines, interview with Dariush Borbor (داریوش بوربور، معمار خطوط آزاد)

BBC Hard Talk Special, interview with Dariush Borbor (به عبارت دیگر ویژه: گفتگو با داریوش بوربور)

Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), «A Comparative Analysis of Contemporary Architecture in Iran and the West» by Dr Dariush Borbor (Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies), London, November 12, 2016, published on May 5, 2017

Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), «Different and Modern, yet Iranian» by Dr Dariush Borbor (BORBOR Consulting Architects, Engineers, Planners), London, November 12, 2016, published on May 5, 2017

Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF), «Iranian Architects & Architecture: Panel discussion», London, November 12, 2016, published on May 5, 2017

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borbor, Dariush Iranian architects Iranian designers Iranian sculptors French urban planners 1934 births 20th-century French architects University of Geneva alumni Alumni of the University of Liverpool Writers from Tehran Naturalized citizens of France Iranian emigrants to France Living people 20th-century Iranian people 21st-century Iranian people 21st-century French architects