University of Isfahan

Traditional ‘madreseh’, schools which provided space for learning and simple living, were contained in one complex. The typical madreseh consisted of rooms for sleeping and study on the periphery of a square or rectangular garden where the building often hard-edged the blue and spacious sky. Pools, running water and fountains, which represent life in the dry, waterless environment, made these gardens into delightful oases. The garden, geometrically divided into parcels of green, fruit trees edged by vertical cypris trees, duplicates the serenity and abundance of the Garden of Eden. The dimension of the garden never defies the dimension and height of the building elevation. This characteristic contributes to architectural dominance over environment, which also reaffirms the conquest of man over universe.

Here again, far from the realities and delights of old Persia, we had an opportunity to create a vernacular architecture indigenous to central Iran. This complex, containing Schools of Literature, Languages and Social Sciences, was horizontally broken down into departments. We created an open-ended axis interconnecting with a variety of courtyards, providing space for outdoor readings, so prevalent in Iranian study habits.