Join us for a talk by Hossein Amanat, founder of Amanat Architect and recipient of an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from UBC in 2024. A reception, sponsored by Bosa Development, will follow the talk.
Hossein Amanat established his international reputation when, as a young graduate in 1966, he won a nationwide competition for the design of the Shahyad/Azadi monument in Tehran, now the symbol of modern Iran. This early success led to commissions for some of Iran’s most prestigious modern buildings. He was among the first Iranian architects who distinguished their work by adhering to contemporary principles while applying lessons from traditional architecture.
The overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 altered the course of Amanat’s life. Devoted to the Bahá’í faith, a persecuted minority in Iran following the Islamic Revolution, Amanat and his young family fled into exile. After a brief stay in Europe, they immigrated to Canada in 1980 where Amanat established an expanded and diversified architectural practice.
Over several decades, Amanat was commissioned by the Bahá’í community to design the Bahá’í world centre complex in Haifa. His body of work for the Bahá’í also includes religious and cultural centers in Dallas, Seattle, and Washington D.C., as well as in Samoa. Amanat has also designed institutional and commercial projects in China, the United States, and Canada.
Hossein Amanat’s architecture has garnered numerous design awards and invitations to lecture on art and architecture around the world. He is one of the first teachers in the School of Architecture at the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education. Amanat has also served UBC in meaningful ways, as a visiting critic at SALA and as a recent member of a committee that successfully raised funds for a new faculty position in Persian Studies.