Description
Since
the 1950s, rapid population growth in Tehran
has created huge pressure for land on which
to build, resulting in the destruction of many
of the public and private gardens that once
graced the city. As part of a wider range of
measures to limit urban sprawl, Tehran Municipality
has supported efforts to protect the natural
environment of the Alborz Mountains that form
the city's northern perimeter. During the late
1970s, a 12-hectare park - Jamshidieh Stone
Garden - was created at the foot of the mountains.
It proved to be highly popular, and in 1992
the municipality commissioned the park's architects
- Baft-e-Shahr Consulting Architects and Urban
Planners - to prepare a wider study for the
outlying areas north of Tehran. The first part
of the study to be implemented was a 30-hectare
park, Bagh-e-Ferdowsi, set in a series of steep,
south-facing gullies scattered with loose rocks
and boulders. To assess the site's potential,
the design team camped there for a month, and
their design emerged, to a large extent, from
the natural topography.
The
primary intervention is a series of stone-paved
paths and steps that rise up the hill, providing
views over the city. Along these paths, areas
for sitting, refreshment and entertainment have
been created within the natural topography,
including four cultural houses built to represent
the distinctive styles of Iran's Azeri, Kurdish,
Turkmen and Zagros ethnic groups. The paths
ultimately lead to a sculpture garden being
developed to the east and to hiking trails into
the upper valleys.
The
routes explore a number of themes, both cultural
and natural. The entry point is a paved open
space dominated by a statue of Ferdowsi (940-c
1020), the Iranian epic poet after whom the
park is named. From this space, a wide stepped
pathway forms a "cascade passage", which branches
into a network of routes across the site, bordered
by a variety of indigenous plants chosen for
their form, colour and suitability to the environment.
Between the paved paths, copses of trees have
been planted to provide shade and colour during
the changing seasons.
The
primary material is rough-hewn stone, collected
from the site or quarried from higher up the
mountain ridge. Retaining walls and terraces
have been constructed in undulating patterns
according to the size and shape of the stones,
minimizing cutting, and many large boulders
have been made into focal points for spaces
along the routes. In a number of places, outcroppings
of rock have been imaginatively sculpted into
forms such as fish, lizards and bears, creating
an environment where respect for nature can
be playfully developed among the young.
In
the design of the four cultural houses, traditional
materials and forms reflect the way of life
of the groups represented. Red stone was brought
in from Azerbaijan for the Azeri house; the
Zagros house takes the form of an open-sided
nomadic tent; while the Turkmen cultural house
comprises a series of circular spaces with distinctive
domed roofs, derived from traditional yurts.
Water
is one of the main organizing elements in traditional
gardens. With no natural source of water available
on the site, the designers ingeniously created
water channels that lead from drinking fountains
in the public spaces. Lighting is another important
aspect of the design, with all of the principal
paths to the summit illuminated by pole-mounted
lights. The distinctive patterns made by the
lights against the slopes of the Alborz Mountains
are now a landmark for the city below.
The
project, which was completed in 1997, enjoys
great popularity and has had a direct and positive
impact on the city, alleviating pressure for
development on the slopes of the Alborz Mountains
and creating an environment where people, nature
and culture thrive. An imaginative reinterpretation
of the traditional Persian "paradise"
garden adapted to modern needs, Bagh-e-Ferdowsi
pays testimony to the importance of environmental
design within the overall process of urban development.
Jury Citation
This
project has been chosen for its innovative approach
to environmental design, which limits urban
development and promotes an awareness of conservation
and nature amongst the urban population of Tehran.
As a setting for outdoor recreational and cultural
pursuits, the park provides spaces for contemplation,
family recreation and social interaction, and
for the appreciation of local culture and entertainment.
Imaginative use of materials, playful sculptures
and indigenous landscaping draw on the best
traditions of garden design in the region. In
an age of global consumer culture, with the
spread of stifling and homogeneous urban forms,
this "nature-urban" public park constitutes
a refreshing and welcome change.
