About Nader Ardalan

In 1977 Ardalan moved his base of design operations to Boston, when he accepted an invitation to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Yale’s School of Architecture. He also established an architectural firm in Boston associated with his office in Tehran called Mandala International, where he designed numerous projects including Nuran, a solar satellite city outside Isfahan and the Center for the Celebration of Music for Tehran. In 1979, he founded Nader Ardalan Associates in Boston, where he designed several hotel projects for His Highness the Aga Khan in Pakistan and the Universel, the Center for all Religions, in Paris.

The Harvard experience allowed Nader to carry out research on comparative architectural theories and on world sacred architecture. The unique opportunity to participate in the Jerusalem Studios at GSD resulted in his publication, “Blessed Jerusalem” in 1983 that dealt with the preservation studies of the visual and historic character of the Old City, with particular reference to Bab Hutta Quarter. Ardalan expanded his survey of traditional settlements to the Persian Gulf region and East Asia, starting with the research and publication of the work entitled, “The Masjid-Al-Harem” in Mecca. This search was much aided by the advent of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture program, for which he served on The Steering Committee and thus had the opportunity to journey throughout these regions. Ardalan once said, “I was made conscious of the unity of cultures as expressed in the various great architectural traditions of the world. In fact, the universal and mythic dimensions of architecture that transcend the limitations of place and time have taken my personal attention in my more recent writings and designs.”