Faculty
Architecture and Urban Planning

The centre dates back to more than half a century ago, with the 1966 launch of the Institute of Art History and Restoration, when the then National University of Iran, the Italian Institute for Middle and Far East (ISMEO), and the Faculty of Architecture, Florence University, were working on major restoration projects. The Institute aimed to train specialists for the restoration of historic buildings: An objective achieved through the collaboration between the Organisation of Preservation of Ancient Buildings, the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, SBU, through apprenticeship courses held by its faculty members. After the 1983 reopening of the university, the department started its second life under the title ‘Department of Architecture History and restoration of Buildings and Urban Fabrics’. An expansion in teaching and research topics, and a nationally increasing need to study and systematically restore historic buildings resulted in the Department’s expansion of both teaching and research activities. On the teaching side two new courses were launched, namely, MA in Iranian Architecture Studies (2005), and MA in Restoration and Revitalisation of Historic Buildings and Fabrics (2008).

On the other hand, a decades-long history of accurate documentation and restoration resulted in a wealth of documents related to Iran’s historic buildings and towns, prompting the Faculty authorities to initiate in 1983 a new unit called the ‘Centre for the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning’s Documents and Research’.

A merger in 2018 between the Centre for Documentation and Research and the Department of History of Architecture and Restoration created the present-day centre, whose remit comprises of running MA in Iranian Architecture Studies, MA in Restoration, and Regeneration of Historic Buildings and Fabrics, Centre for Architectural Document, as well as history and theory courses in BA/BSc programme.