Khuzestan Governor Palace: Historiography of a Contemporary Building

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 Architecture Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

2 Independent Researcher

3 Postgraduate of Iranian Architecture Studies, Independent Researcher

10.22052/jias.2024.255230.1316

Abstract

Khuzestan Governor's Palace is a building belonging to the first Pahlavi era, but the existing appearance is more similar to the common architectural style of the second Pahlavi era. The present article has discussed this contradiction and, using the historical research method, has delved into the past of the building and clarified the course of its developments, and in this search has revealed new facts about this valuable building. According to the results of the current research, the Governor's Palace building was undoubtedly built and used in the first Pahlavi era, but in the middle years of 1950’s, major and extensive repairs and changes were made to the building. The architects of these changes were three prominent architects in the history of contemporary Iranian architecture, namely Mohsen Foroughi, Ali Sadegh and Kiqobad Zafar Bakhtiar, and its design was executed under the direct supervision of Foroughi and Sadegh. In this renovation, Foroughi and Sadegh completely changed the appearance of the garden and the landscape around the first Pahlavi Palace. The design of the building and the garden around it was changed from the European designs common in the late Qajar-early Pahlavi period to a design inspired by Iranian garden and modern construction with references to Iranian architecture. As a rule, the success of this experience was not without influence in the selection of Foroughi for the newly established Niavaran Palace mansion a few years later. In palace renovation, in addition to architectural aspects, the design and implementation of facilities with new engineering methods is also important. The heating system of the palace, which has disappeared today, was designed by Bhutan Company and its cooling system was designed by engineer Mehdi Bazargan, a mechanical engineer and a famous contemporary political activist.

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