2019 On Site Review Report by Anna Grichting Solder 5457.IRA Enghelab Street Rehabilitation Tehran, Iran Architect Amir Anoushfar, Abdolazim Bahmanyar, Mohadeseh Mirderikvandi Client Tehran Beautification Organization Design 2016-ongoing Completed 2017-ongoing Enghelab Street Rehabilitation Tehran, Iran I. Introduction The project consists of the rehabilitation of old Tehran into a new public space along the cultural band of the Central Theatre – Opera House area of Enghelab Street, for a stretch of 2.4 kilometres. This thoroughfare is a historic east–west axis of Tehran, built along the former city walls, and a symbolic space of demonstrations and celebrations. Based on the 60-centimetre width of façade, 114 old buildings – including 54 of historical value – were restored using the dynamics of cultural participation by the property owners and users to initiate the process of rehabilitation of the façades, and to encourage preservation over demolition, with the continued maintenance of the buildings and façades. The rejuvenation of the façades (0.6 metres) has transformed the street’s appearance, acting as a catalyst for the regeneration of the whole buildings and blocks (60 metres) and the neighbourhood (600 metres), creating a comprehensive participative scheme using public and private investment. Since its completion, the scheme’s success has been demonstrated by the establishment of nine new cafés, six restaurants, a bakery, two theatres and a boutique hotel and it has activated a process of return to the centre by former businesses and new young enterpreneurs. The project has also improved relations and communications between citizens and the Municipality and it has opened a dialogue on urban landscape. II. Contextual information A. Brief historical background The city of Tehran lies on the slope of the Alborz mountains, and its elevation ranges from 900 to 1,830 metres above sea level. The urban area covers 574 square kilometres and the metropolitan area is 1,748 square kilometres, and with a population of around 8.7 million in the city and 15 million in Greater Tehran, it is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia. The capital has moved several times throughout history, with Tehran being established by the Qajar dynasty in 1796. Until the 1870s, the city was surrounded by a wall and consisted of a roofed bazaar and three main residential neighbourhoods – Oudlajan, Chale-Meydan and Sangelaj – where the majority resided. From the 1920s to the 1930s, under the rule of Reza Shah, large parts of the city were replaced with modern buildings influenced by classical Iranian architecture. With the street-widening act of 1933 and the demolishing of the city walls, the urban fabric began to change and many historic buildings were demolished to be replaced with wide straight avenues, resulting in intersecting cruciform streets that created large roundabouts, located on major public spaces such as the bazaar. The planning organisation of Iran in 1948 resulted in the first socio-economic development plan which failed to counter the unbalanced growth of Tehran, and was further accentuated with the 1962 land reforms that Reza Shah’s son, Mohammad Reza Shah, implemented under the “white revolution”. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, modern buildings and ambitious projects continued to flourish. The problem of social exclusion was addressed in the first comprehensive plan of Tehran in 1968 which was marginalised by the 1979 Revolution and the subsequent Iran–Iraq War of 1980–1988, during which time Tehran was the target of repeated Scud missile attacks and air raids. The Azadi Tower, one of Teheran’s most prominent landmarks, was built in 1971 based on a design competition in commemoration of the 2,500th year of the foundation of the Imperial State of Iran. The rapidly growing metropolis continues to expand despite international economic sanctions. Recent landmark projects include the Aga Khan Award-winning project, the 270-metre pedestrian overpass of Tabiat Bridge designed by Leila Araghian, which was completed in 2014. 1 The Tehran Beautification Organization (or Ziba Sazi) was established in 1975. It is a non-governmental organisation affiliated to Tehran Municipality and seeks to improve the quality of urban life in the Iranian capital via promoting public culture and protecting the identity of the city through innovative and technical activities, including the rehabilitation of historical buildings, the preservation of cultural artefacts, the installation of public art and lighting, and the design of street furniture. Around the year 2003, there was a renewed interest in the study of the city centre of Tehran, and in 2007 several actions were undertaken by the Municipality to reclaim the city centre by improving the quality of the urban landscape and by seeking to make the urban core more attractive for inhabitants, businesses, users and tourists. Enghelab Street is a major trunk route connecting Enghelab Square to Imam Hossein Square, from east to west of Tehran for a distance of 5 kilometres. The street’s full name is Enqelab-e Islami (Islamic Revolution Street) and it was named in honour of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Its former name was Shah Reza Street after the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty. Built along the former fortifications, the street was the limit betweent the historical centre and the new faubourgs and gradually started to host new institutions for the city. The central section of the avenue plays an important role in the historical memory of the city with landmarks such as Tehran University, Alborz College, Daneshjoo Park, the City Theatre, Roudaki Hall and Valiasr Junction. It remains a space of celebrations, demonstrations and protests: known for the events that led to the Iranian Revolution, it is also considered a place for social and civic interactions. During the Pahlavi 1 period, dn 1933, the first urbanisation regulations on “modification of pavements and street” were introduced and the 12 Naseri gates and surrounding walls were destroyed. By filling trenches, new streets in four sides of the city were constructed, and they were named Shahreza (current Enghelab) in the north of Tehran, Shoush in the south, Shahnaz (17 Shahrivar currently) in the east and 30-Meters in the west. New areas in the city were expanded around the east–west axis of Enghelab Street and the north–south axis of Ferdowsi Street. The majority of official, public and cultural buildings likes universities, hospitals, foreign embassies etc. are located along and around these streets. During the Pahlavi 2 period, the city expansion continued between 1941 and 1953 along the main and old part of the city (in the vicinity of Shahreza – now Enghelab – Street). The aristocracy started to build on Enghelab and land and subsidies were given to the Persian minorities – Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians – to develop and build along the avenue. A metro and public transit system had been planned by the Shah but was not realised until much later. A flyover bridge named College Bridge, after Alborz College, was built in the middle of the street, initially as temporary infrastructure for an international sports event in 2015, and was never demolished. It has been the location of many protests as recently as 2018. There have also been some projects to transform the space under the bridge (https://shavmad.com/portfolio/college-bridge-underspace-development/). Today, the aristocracy and new urban rich have moved to the north of Tehran, and the social fabric has been modified. Many buildings were, and still are, abandoned or used as storage spaces, and the street façades have been masked by commercial signs and cooling blocks, and have suffered from intense pollution. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, this area has not witnessed any development over the past 30 years. B. Local architectural character, including prevalent forms and materials Enghelab Street is a symbol of the current modern architectural era in Iran. Enghelab means “Avenue of the Revolution”, as Imam Khomeiny came down this avenue, and today it is used for demonstrations against the hijab. The buildings built on this street were the first high-rise buildings in Tehran and are used as apartments and flats. Most of them have balconies which did not exist during the Qajar period due to the introverted architectural style that then prevailed. It can be said that the Pahlavi period marked the advent of a more extroverted architectural style in Iran in which people enjoyed balconies and had access to the outdoors. The buildings existing on Enghelab Street can be categorised into several groups based on their materials, which include stone, mosaics, washed cement and bricks. Brick buildings were mostly built in the Pahlavi 1 period between 1926 and 1941, while cement buildings were built in Vartan architectural style 2 between 1941 and 1978. Stone buildings were designed in the Pahlavi 2 period in modern style. From the structural aspect, buildings are classified into three groups: • Buildings made of masonry materials without any particular structure. In these buildings, erected in the Pahlavi 1 period, the walls bear the weight of the roofs, or a wooden structure may be seen at times. Roofs are sloped with Iranian wooden trusses. • Buildings with load-bearing walls in which wooden beams are replaced by metal ones. In these buildings roofs are arched with metal beams. • Buildings with metal structures. C. Climatic conditions Tehran features a cold semi-arid climate which is largely defined by its geographic location, with the towering Alborz mountains to its north and the country’s central desert to the south. It can be generally described as mild in spring and autumn, hot and dry in summer, cold and wet in winter. Because the city is large with significant differences in elevation among various districts, the weather is often cooler in the hilly north than in the flat southern part of Tehran.