Dariush Zandi
Dariush Zandi left his native Tehran to go to New York when he was 19. His university years in the United States gave him ample opportunity to experience the western way of living. He graduated as an architect, and joined a Manhattan/Soho firm, Claude Samton & Associates, which specialises in designing houses, parks and recreation areas. He still keeps in touch with the principle of this firm, Claude, and visits his former colleagues regularly. After this, Dariush worked with Jafar Tukan Architects in Amman, Jordan, before returning to the US to continue his studies.
He completed his master’s degree in urban-design, architecture and town planning and, after further international travels, joined Dubai Municipality, where he was Senior Architect and Town Planner from 1981 to 1994. His work involved town planning, parks and recreation projects; he was also project coordinator for several major projects, including the Dubai master plan and the restoration of Sheikh Saeed’s House (the former residence of Dubai’s ruling Al Maktoum family) and Hatta Heritage Village.
Currently, he works in the capacity of an architectural adviser/consultant for international projects. Dariush Zandi brings over 35 years of design and planning experience and over 25 years of experience working in the Middle East. Drawing from a geographically and culturally diverse background, Mr. Zandi has made significant contributions to major design and planning projects in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Jordan, and the United States, including parks and recreational facilities, historic restoration, and environmental conservation projects.
Mr. Zandi currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the UAE Architectural Heritage Society and founder of two organizations registered in Dubai, UAE under the names of Total Design, and Total Arts.
Dariush is the founder of Total Arts, at The Courtyard, a complex designed and built by him. The gallery specialises in Middle Eastern arts and aims to discover and expose new artists, as well as enrich the culture of the UAE.
Dariush is an avid collector of contemporary Middle Eastern arts himself, and has made his collection available for viewing in the gallery, with the long-term goal of turning it into a Museum of Middle Eastern Contemporary Art.
In addition, alongside his architecture field Dariush studied film and photography in New York, and has been working as a professional photographer for the last 35 years and his photographs have appeared in many books and magazines. He is the author of a four volume of Off-Road in the Emirates and co-author of Architectural Heritage of the Gulf.
Education
Master of Architecture: University of Pennsylvania, 1980
Master of City Planning, with certificate in Urban Design: University of Pennsylvania, 1979
Bachelor of Architecture: School of Architecture and Environmenta lStudies, City College, City University ofNew York, 1977
Bachelor of Science in Architecture: School of Architecture and Environmental Studies, City College, City University ofNew York, 1976
Professional & Civic Activities
Vice Chairman: UAE Architectural Heritage Society
Chairman: Total Design, Dubai, UAE
Chairman: Total Arts, Dubai, UAE
Publications
“Architectural Heritage of the Gulf” (co-author),1994
Contributions to: “Encyclopaedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World,” edited by Paul Oliver, 1996
