Dariush Borbor

Dariush Borbor (Persian: داریوش بوربور, born April 28, 1934), is an Iranian-French architect, urban planner, designer, sculptor, painter, researcher, and writer. In 1963, Borbor established his own firm under the name of Borbor Consulting Architects, Engineers, City Planners. In 1976, he set up Sphere Iran, a consortium of four specialist consulting firms, and proposed a comprehensive national environmental master plan for Iran. In 1992, he created the Research Institute and Library of Iranian Studies (RILIS) where he is the director. Borbor is a respected contributor to modern architecture and Iranian studies. He has been described as one of the avant-garde architects of the modern movement, a pioneer of modern urban planning in Iran, named by some as "father of modern urban planning", and a key figure in the promotion and creation of the High Urban Planning Council (1966, Persian: شورای عالی شهرسازی). He was described by Swiss architectural critic Anthony Krafft as "one of the most innovative architects who is perhaps on the way of creating a Persian architectural style of the 20th century". French architectural critic Michel Ragon defined him as "the architect in search of a modern Iranian architectural style". He has won many competitions and received several international prizes and awards, including the Gold Mercury International from Italy, 50 Outstanding Architects of the World from the Second Belgrade Triennial of World Architecture, and the Pahlavi Royal Award.