The Senate House of Iran in Tehran, completed in 1959, features a distinctive marble-grid façade framed by two 25-metre bronze columns designed as enlarged interlocking chains. This structure remains a central achievement for Heydar Ghiai, an architect who helped shape the trajectory of Iran’s modern architectural movement during the mid-20th century.
Education and Early Influences
Heydar-Gholi Khan Ghiaï-Chamlou was born in Tehran in 1922. He pursued architectural studies at the University of Tehran before moving to France to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1948 until 1953. Upon his return to Iran in 1954, he joined the academic staff at his former university, where he instructed and influenced a new generation of Iranian architects. His professional approach frequently incorporated elements of European modernism and the International Style, characterized by the utilization of modern construction technologies and materials such as aluminium.
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Ghiai secured several significant government commissions throughout his career. Between 1954 and 1959, he collaborated with Mohsen Foroughi to design the Senate House of Iran. His portfolio of public works further expanded with the completion of the Ministry of Water and Electricity building in 1959, the Palace of Fine Arts in 1960, the Mashhad Hospital in 1963, and the Ministry of Agriculture building in 1970. In 1968, he was appointed architect to the imperial court, though his proposal for a palace complex at Farahabad was not approved by the Plan and Budget Organization.
International Collaboration
Beyond Iran, Ghiai participated in the design of the Maison de l'Iran at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. Alongside collaborators Mohsen Foroughi, André Bloc, and Claude Parent, he developed a residence for approximately 100 students. The building, finished in 1969, relies on a macrostructure consisting of three welded-steel frames standing 38 metres high, from which the residential floors are suspended. The project was renamed the Fondation Avicenne in 1972 and received official status as a French historic monument in 2008.
Private Commissions
In addition to his large-scale state buildings, Ghiai managed a variety of private projects in and near Tehran. These included residential houses and apartment buildings, as well as hospitality and entertainment venues such as the Carlton and Hilton hotels, the Moulin Rouge and Radio City cinemas, the Tehranpars Cinema, and the Tehran Pars Casino and drive-in theatre.
Fast facts
- Born: 1922, Tehran
- Died: 6 September 1985, Antibes
- Education: University of Tehran and Beaux-Arts de Paris
- Notable work: Senate Palace (Tehran)
- Collaboration: Maison de l'Iran
- Occupation: Architect
Questions readers ask
What is the Fondation Avicenne?
Formerly known as the Maison de l'Iran, this student residence in Paris was designed by Ghiai with collaborators and completed in 1969.
Where did Heydar Ghiai spend his final years?
He lived in France and died in Cap d'Antibes on 6 September 1985.
Achievements
- Notable work: Tehranpars Cinema
- Notable work: Radio City Cinema
- Notable work: Senate Palace (Tehran)
- Notable work: Parsian Esteghlal International Hotel
- Trained at Beaux-Arts de Paris and University of Tehran
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