In our last trip to Teheran this spring, we visited some architecture classics that are worth mentioning.

We visited Jorn Utzon's Melli Bank for example. Hard to take pictures of a bank without getting in trouble, let alone a bank in Iran, but these 1970's images show clearly the intentions of the building: a large open space - filled with counters - covered by a typical Utzon roofscape, that breaks the tough persian sun into indirect slits of light.

The front facade is pushed back slightly from the street front, creating a small plaza in front of the bank, with broad stairs towards the building.

Another amazing discovery was the Museum of Modern Art, designed by Kamran Diba . Not only surprised by the presence of a Wim Delvoye exhibition in the museum, but also by the sensibility of the building and its crafted daylight solutions.

The layout of the museum is a Louisiana-inspired circular walk around a central court, filled with sculptures. In the route, the seamless transition between exhbition spaces also pushes the visitors slowly towards an underground level. This is unnoticed until the circle is finished and the visitors end up beneath the original entrance - a Kahn like brutal staircase space.

If you can find the time, do plan a trip to Teheran, not just for the architecture ;)