Iraj Kalantari Taleghani Information

Iraj Kalantari Taleghani (1937 – 21 February 2023) was an Iranian architect, noted for his contribution to the modernization of Iranian architecture. He was born in 1938 in Tehran, Iran. In 1964 he graduated with an MA in architecture from the Faculty of Fine Arts in University of Tehran. He taught architecture at the University of Tehran, Azad University, and the University of Science and Technology in Iran. In 1974 he founded Bavand Consultants, at which he held the position of head of the board of directors. On 26 September 2005, Kalantari was chosen as architect of the year by the Society of Iranian Architects and Planners. Among his famous works are the Iranian Embassy and the Ambassador’s Residence in Tbilisi, Georgia, Meigun Tourist Complex north of Tehran, Iran, and Sepid Kenar Hotel near the port city of Anzali, Iran. He died on 21 February 2023, at the age of 85.

Iraj Kalantari Taleghani was one of the well-known and well respected architects of Iran for many decades. Having started his professional career exactly sixty years ago when he graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran University, with a master’s degree in architecture. In his professional and academic productive life, Kalantari was involved in the practice of architecture, and actively participated in many professional associations and government organizations. For over 20 years he also taught design courses at a number of universities such as University of Tehran, University of Science and Industriy (Elm – o – San’at) and the Islamic Azad Uinversity. He also was a member of and contributed to several professional magazines and publications such as Memar (Architect) Magazine, Modern Architecture (Memaari– e Modern), Architecture and City Planning (Memari va Shahr-saazi), and Development (Abaadi).

In an array of publications and writings, several examples of Iraj Kalantari’s work are noteworthy: An analysis of the causes of marginal living (haashieh neshini) in seventeen cities with the population of more than 100,000 people; The modification to the urban revitalization and development law; and Typological analysis of the coastal areas of the Persian Gulf.

Architect Kalantari’s wide range of architectural projects included some notable projects such as the design and construction management of Imam Khomeini International Airport, the International University of

Qazvin, design and management of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Ambassador’s Residence in Yerevan, Armenia, and the Chai-kenaar Complex in Tabriz, Iran.

What is more interesting aspect of his architectural practice is that Iraj Kalantari was one of the most noted, and innovative architects of residential projects, especially during the golden era of Iranian architecture in the 1960s and 1970s. He combined the principles and traits of the modern architecture with the well-established manifestations of the vernacular architecture of Iran. He was indeed one of the very few architects of his time – architects such as Mehdi Alizadeh, Yousef Shari’at-zadeh, Kourosh Farzami, Latif Abolghassemi and Shahab Katouzian who all created architectural designs in this genre of the mix of the modern architecture of the West with the Iranian architecture of the past. This style of architecture provided a unique flavor to the contemporary architecture of Iran in the mid Twentieth Century.

One of the notable aspects of Kalantari’s residential projects was the fact that he designed the residences of several known artists, writers, and intellectuals, included among which were Najaf Daryabandari (writer, translator), Mahshid Amir-Shahi (novelist), Sameen Baghcheh-baan (composer, poet and writer), Homayoun San’ati-zadeh (writer, translator, researcher and philanthropist) and Karl Schlamminger (the German painter and designer who lived in Iran for years, married an Iranian lady and contributed to many architectural projects in various capacities) as well as his own brother Parviz Kalantari (artist and illustrator)