Local Cultures – Global Spaces
Abstract
By investigating the buildings at Iran’s first modern University, Tehran University, founded in 1934, this research explores the entwinement between expressions of local and global as manifested in the design and construction of the University. Designed by Beaux-Arts graduates, the University is often criticised for being European in design and expression, lacking an in-depth connection to the local identity. Facilitated through unique archival findings, this paper, however, discusses that the University has strong traits related to the local as well as global in both its design and construction. In order to convey its argument convincingly, the research refers to the notions of ‘Third World Modernism’ and ‘Other Modernism’ to distinguish Iran’s modern architecture from similar trends in the West, manifested through the application of local design elements and local construction techniques. The paper, moreover, highlights the continuation of this in-between approach (between local and global) in shaping Iran’s current architecture.
Dr Peyman Akhgar (B.Arch, M.Sc. Arch, PhD) is a Lecturer in Architecture and Design in the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Griffith University. Peyman studied architecture in Iran, Italy and Australia, where he acquired deep knowledge about architecture and design. Completing his PhD in 2021, Peyman started his academic career at the University of Queensland, and then in 2023, he joined Griffith University. Peyman’s research interest lies in the critical role of architecture as an ‘agent of change’ to create meaningful socio-political spaces in the Global South and Australia.