The task was to design a multifunctional complex near the main attraction of the city - the tomb of the 8th Imam Reza, a shrine of Shia Muslims. To visit it, 10 times more pilgrims come to Mashhad annually than to Mecca. According to the general plan that was in force until recently, the tomb complex was separated from the surrounding buildings by a wide strip of landscaping. Now a decision has been made to connect it with the city blocks by three main boulevards, which are supposed to be built up with large public, residential and commercial buildings. Such an action plan is connected with the intention of the authorities to actively develop the tourism sector in the city and use the influx of pilgrims for the benefit of Mashhad.
Tehrani worked with Iranian Design Core [4s] Architects to design a multifunctional complex for one of the main boulevards. It includes a 5-star hotel, accommodation, offices and shops, a park and multi-storey parking with a total area of about 80,000 m2. The dynamic lines of the volume of the building seem to point to the north - to where the tomb of Imam Rezi is located. In the center of the complex there is a landscaped courtyard with ponds.
Second place went to Spanish Guallart Architects along with Iranian participants: Bonsar Architecture Office and architect Delnaz Yekrangian. Their project is a composition of blocks with a "lattice" surface, on the terraces of which there are 8 gardens.
The third prize went to the Tehran workshop Fluid Motion Architects, which, as its name suggests, united all parts of the complex into a streamlined volume that resembles a folded ribbon in plan.
The honorary prize was awarded to the version of the BIG bureau and the Iranian company Ravand-E-Hamahang, which involves the construction of two V-shaped hulls.
