Influence of Traditionalism in Tendencies of Iranian Contemporary Architecture

Since the process of modernism in Iranian architecture and after formation of the post-modernist thought, tendency to apply some of the principles, concepts and elements of traditional architecture became widespread. Traditionalism approach in the course of different eras of Iranian Architecture, before and after revolution in Iran; has appeared in different ways and intentions. The thought fields of these eras are distinct to Culturalism, Modernism, post-modernism. Within all the mentioned groups, traditionalism comes to view through the different framework and fundamental principles. Tradition is defined as the continuation of a set of principles, concept and foundations formed gradually in the thought of architects and has been dynamic, according to the environmental conditions and other effective factors in architecture domain; and it is expected that it continues to be dynamic as the time passes. An overview of the thoughts and speech of a number of contemporary architects reveals that most of them have had a glance at sustainable foundations and concepts in traditional architecture. The impact of different thoughts about tradition and traditionalism is reflected on the various trends of Iranian contemporary architecture which some of them apply the sustainable concepts and values of traditional architecture as imitated patterns or as abstractive concepts. Some others reject traditionalism completely and its continuity of the past and finally, trends which go for the presentation of the values and concepts of the traditional architecture in a new form among modern universal movements alongside globalization.