Zav Architects Creates an Environmentally-Sensitive Complex on the Island of Hormuz
May 5, 2021
By Vera Sacchetti
When it comes to hospitality, it might be difficult to find more generous and selfless hosts than the Iranian people. That’s underscored by the context: Iran is home to some of mankind’s most incredible architectural and engineering feats, from the Persian qanat water supply system in arid regions to the majestic Meidan Emam Square in Isfahan, as well as the country’s bazaars and religious buildings that have gone on to influence and shape the built environment of many other cities around the world. Even Le Corbusier was transformed by his travels in Persian territory, and that influence can be seen in the Swiss architect’s use of illumination and color in his religious and residential spaces.
While the principles of Western modernity seem to have taken over building culture in Iran in more recent years, studios such as Tehran-based Zav Architects seek to incorporate and reappropriate Iranian architectural tradition by working with local materials and construction techniques. Such is the case with a project on the small island of Hormuz, which opens up to the strait of the same name in the south of the country. Called Majara, it is a 17-suite guest residence that completes the second phase of Presence in Hormuz, an environmentally-sensitive, three-part complex by Zav that’s intended to draw in tourists and support the community. Zav, by the way, is a Persian word that roughly translates to builder.
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