Dariush Borbor

Dariush Borbor (Persian: داریوش بوربور, born April 28, 1934), is an Iranian-French architect, urban planner, designer, sculptor, painter, researcher, and writer. He made important contributions to modern architecture and city planning in Iran.

In 1963, Borbor established his own firm called Borbor Consulting Architects, Engineers, City Planners. Later, in 1976, he founded Sphere Iran, a group of four expert consulting firms. He also created a national plan to help protect Iran's environment.

Borbor is widely respected for his work. Some call him a pioneer of modern urban planning in Iran, even naming him the "father of modern urban planning." He helped start the High Urban Planning Council in 1966. Critics from Switzerland and France have praised his unique style and innovative designs. Borbor has received many awards for his work, including the Gold Mercury International from Italy and recognition as one of the 50 Outstanding Architects of the World.

Early life

Dariush Borbor was born in April 1934. His father, Gholam Hossein khan Borbor, was an important director of the Iranian branch of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and helped found the Grand Lodge of Iran. Borbor began his schooling in Iran and later moved to the United Kingdom at age thirteen. He studied at the University of Cambridge, earned a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Civic Design from the University of Liverpool, and then specialized in architecture for hot, dry regions at the University of Geneva.

Career

Dariush Borbor worked with famous planners and architects while studying for his PhD, helping build projects like automatic bowling alleys in Geneva and Beirut. In 1961, he went back to Tehran and became a leader in a big construction company. In 1963, he started his own firm, Borbor Consulting Architects, Engineers, City Planners, which grew into a large team with many experts in different fields.

Before the 1978 Iranian Islamic Revolution, Borbor moved to Paris and started a new company giving advice to architects and planners. Later, he went to Los Angeles for more work and research. In 1991, he returned to Iran and created the Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies to support learning about Iranian culture. He also helps with the Encyclopædia Iranica.

Prizes and awards

Dariush Borbor received many awards for his work. In 1958, he won a Working Drawing Award from the Architects' Journal in London. He also won first prize in a design competition for a neighborhood in Liverpool in 1959.

Later, he received several more honors, including a Gold Mercury International Award in 1975 and the Pahlavi Royal Award in 1978. In 2020, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, and in 2022, he was recognized as one of the most influential academic alumni of the University of Liverpool.

Selected projects and writings

Dariush Borbor worked on many interesting projects. In architecture, he designed the Ice Palace recreation centre in Tehran in 1967, a monument in Mashhad in 1971 (which was later demolished in 2010), and a museum and library in Mashhad in 1976.

He also helped plan regions, such as the Nowshahr-Chalus area from 1963 to 1966 and the Caspian Coast from 1964 to 1965. In urban design, he worked on renewing the center of Mashhad City in 1968 and helped rebuild Kakh after an earthquake the same year. In 1976, he designed the Bazaar Reza shopping mall in Mashhad.