Title: Restoration and Revitalization of Jahan-nama Historical Garden (Master Thesis)
Client: Iran University of Science and Technology
Location: Shiraz, Iran
Status: 1996 – Design Development
80’000 m2 historical garden, located in the cultural and historical axis of Shiraz, 200m south of Koran gate, in northwest side of “Hafeziyeh garden”,
Shiraz is a city in one of the most historical and cultural areas in Iran.
In addition to the classic steps of restoration and revitalization of the historical garden, there was a vital challenge to reflect Molla-Sadra’s philosophy in the design. Through the challenge of framing and reframing our vision and the existing architecture in over
60 alternative designs, the best architectural solution emerged.
In his philosophy, “The Essential Movement”, Molla-Sadra, teaches that there can be no change (movement) in the surface of things without a change (movement) in their essence, or every change in the surface indicates a change in the essence. The concept design attempts to demonstrate this theory through Architecture. The solution was to divide the movement in to two parts.
1) “Movement in the surface” follows the reasons of movement out of themselves, we introduce it as the “Linier Movement”
2) “Movement in the Essence” follows the reasons of movement from within not
without, we introduce it as the “Circular Movement”
The symbolism of movement becomes clearer in our architectural solution by paying attention to the existing potentials of the garden, the upper city plan along with the cultural center in the following light.
1) The garden is divided in to two interflowing inner and outer gardens. Outer garden plays the role of (movement) in the surface and the inner garden has the role of the
(movement) in their essence.
2) The gardens are composed of two grids of rows of trees, one grid is composed of a
local ever green and the other is made exclusively of trees with seasonal change.
3) The ever green grid in the outer garden which is the entrance garden flows in the direction of the “outer source”(a spring in the mountains) as the seasonal trees in the same garden do not.
4) The ever green grid in the inner garden flows in the direction of the inner source where the seasonal tree grid flow in the direction of the outer source