With 90+ categories and 300+ jurors, the Architizer A+Awards is the world’s definitive architectural awards program. Following the announcement of the winners in May, we are pleased to share the stories behind the winners of the 2015 Awards program — see all of them here.
Diba Tensile Architecture won the 2015 A+Award, Popular Choice, for the Highways & Bridges Category with Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge connects two parks with an undulating, multilevel pathway on which users might linger.
Your name: Leila Araghian
Firm name: Diba Tensile Architecture
Location: Tehran, Iran
Education: Master of Architecture
© Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
First architecture/design job:
Tabiat Bridge [the A+Award-winning project] is my first architectural project. Before that I had designed and built numerous membrane structures at different scales.
Design hero and/or favorite building (and why):
I don’t have one specific hero in design. I like the Portuguese architects, such as Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Aires Mateus … I like their works because they look simple but at the same time have a bit of complexity which makes it rich. I am a fan of Rem Koolhaas, not for his projects, but for the way he thinks and analyzes the subjects.
© Diba Tensile Architecture
Among your fellow A+Award winners, what is/are your favorite(s)?
The Blue Planet, Glacier Skywalk, and Shipyard Cranes Lighting Giants are my favorite projects among the winners.
Who would be your dream client, and why?
A client who trusts me as the architect and does not interfere in my work too much, and preferably the one who is in charge of the public projects with preferably unlimited budget. Because what you can do as an architect feels much more rewarding when it is done for all the members of the community and can be used free of charge (compared to a private project that is used only by its owner or a building for which you need to pay to enter).
© Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
What do you find exciting about architecture and design right now?
The possibility to affect the environment which can affect the human experience of the space seems fascinating to me. It makes me feel powerful.
See all of the 2015 A+Award Winners here and all of the Winner Q+As here — and order the book from Phaidon here.