IRANIAN EMBASSY

BEIJING, CHINA

Completed 1983

Resumption of historically close Sino-Iranian relations was at the root of Iran's desire to physically represent itself in the heart of another ancient land through a landmark embassy in Beijing's diplomatic quarter. At a time when most public buildings were designed to cultural context, the Iranian embassy in Beijing was to allude to the Persian architectural tradition. The complex consists of the chancery, ambassador's residence and reception building, a small Persian language school, service building, and swimming facilitites. Honoring the north-south grid common to the cultures who built the Forbidden City and the Safavid Ispahan, units of the project face south to create four interconnecting courtyards (hayats): for visitors (hayat-i-birouni), the Ambassador's private residence (hayat-i-andarouni), the pool, and the chancery. The axis of the largest courtyard, (hayat-i-birouni), is deliberately altered to a diagonal in order to distinguish itself from convention, permitting an elongated succession of fountains and pools recalling persian gardens, while providing an impressive vista point from a major throughfare outside the main gate. This 45 degree axis points to the spacious portal (eyvan) of the reception pavillion which draws one into the domed core similar the Ispahan's Hasht Behesht.