Modernism Movement and Contemporary Architecture of Iran

Modernism is one of the most important and influential movements in contemporary societies which is ancestor of modern life style. The theoretical framework of the subject indicates that modernism has a lot to do with urban development and architecture, especially in Islamic countries as well as contemporary architecture of developing countries. The reign of the Qajar could be considered as the main origin of modernization of architecture of Iran. The aim of this article is to explain the status in which modernism entered into contemporary architecture of Iran. Based on the theoretical framework of the research, interaction of modernism and architecture could be studied in six categories such as: 1- plan 2- façade 3- decorating 4- materials 5- new elements and 6- new space. The main research questions are: 1- How did modernism affect the contemporary architecture of Iran when it entered in Qajar’s era? 2- Which of the above-mentioned six issues have been changed in modern movements? And 3- How could change and continuity process be explained regarding to new generation of modern architecture in Iran? Sixty samples were selected randomly from among national heritage list of Qajar buildings and were analyzed by discussion group which includes five architectural experts. The findings of the study demonstrated that the effect of modern movement on contemporary Iranian architecture deepened based on matter of time. For example at the beginning modernized elements appeared in facade and at the end in architectural design. The gap between appearance of modern thought and appearance of modern architecture design school called “theoretical reification” which may explain the process in which modern concepts transmitted from thought to architecture in Qajar era. The results of the paper show that modern architecture of Iran is based on imported elements from the west.