Fariborz Sahba ( fa, فريبرز صهبا, born 1948 Mashhad) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

-American architect, now living between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the United States.

Education

Sahba has a master degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. In an interview with Mithaq Kazimi, he has stated that, at a very early age, he was encouraged by his mother to be an architect.

Career

In Iran, Mr. Sahba was involved in the design of a wide range of prestigious buildings, including: *The New Town of Mahshahr– South-Western Iran *The Pahlavi Cultural Center – Sanandaj, Iran *The School of Art – Sanandaj, Iran * Terraces (Baháʼí) – Haifa, Israel

Baháʼí House of Worship in New Delhi, India

In 1976, the international governing body of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

community selected Mr. Sahba to design the Baháʼí House of Worship for the Indian subcontinent in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This project, on which he worked for 10 years as the architect and project manager, was described by Canadian architect

Arthur Erickson Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He studied Engineering at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is known ...

as "one of the most remarkable achievements of our time, proving that the drive and vision of spirit can achieve miracles." With over 3.5 million visitors a year, this building, commonly known as the "

Lotus Temple The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, is a Baháʼí House of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all other Bahá’í Houses of Worship, t ...

," is one of the most visited sites in the world.

The Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb

In 1987, Mr. Sahba was assigned by the

Baháʼí World Centre The Baháʼí World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Baháʼí Faith, representing sites in or near the cities of Acre and Haifa, Israel. Much of the international governance and coordination of th ...

the task of designing 18 terraces as a majestic approach to the Shrine of the Báb, the martyred Herald of the Baháʼí faith, one of the most holy places of the Baháʼí faith. He was also appointed project manager to execute the Baháʼí World Centre building projects on Mount Carmel. The Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb received the 1998 Ephraim Lifshitz Award from the Municipality of Haifa and the 1999 Magshim Award from the Council for a Beautiful

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Awards

Mr. Sahba has received many international awards, among them the First Honor Award in 1987 for "Excellence in Architecture" from the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture, an affiliate of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. Articles about his work have been published in almost 400 magazines and newspapers throughout the world. In 1987 the

Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...

of the United Kingdom granted a special award to the Baháʼí Temple in India, with a citation: "a building so emulating the beauty of a flower and so striking in its visual impact." He has also received the Paul Waterbury Outdoor Lighting Design Award from the

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), formerly the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), is an industry-backed, not-for-profit, learned society that was founded in New York City on January 10, 1906. The IES's stated mi ...

in June 1988. In 1990, Bahaʼi House of Worship of India was recognized by the

American Concrete Institute The American Concrete Institute (ACI, formerly National Association of Cement Users or NACU) is a non-profit technical society and standards developing organization. ACI was founded in January 1905 during a convention in Indianapolis. The Institu ...

as "One of the finest concrete structures of the world". In 2000, the GlobArt Academy of Vienna, Austria granted him the GlobArt Award, for "Overcoming religious barriers" and " promoting the unity and harmony of people of all nations and social strata, to an extend unsurpassed by any other architectural monument worldwide". Fariborz Sahba - A pencil sketch by Sarbjit Bahga

Fariborz Sahba - A pencil sketch by Sarbjit Bahga

Publications

Fariborz Sahba has written and published several books. He has lectured extensively on the topics of Art, Architecture, Project Management, Culture and Environment as an official guest speaker in universities, institutes of architects, professional international conferences and organizations all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Israel, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Malaysia, India, U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Uganda and South Africa. In 1970 he founded a literary magazine for children called ''Varqá''. The magazine, which originally appeared in Persian, was later published in nine languages. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Varqa International Childrenʼ Magazine (ISSN 1708-7767), a bi-monthly magazine published in Canada up to 2006.

References

External links

The Architecture of Fariborz Sahba
by Eliza Rasiwala, Israel.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahba, Fariborz Iranian architects Iranian emigrants to Canada Canadian architects Iranian Bahá'ís Canadian Bahá'ís People from Mashhad University of Tehran alumni 1948 births Living people 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís