Argo Factory (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: کارخانه آرگو), is a contemporary

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

and cultural centre housed in a former brewery in

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. Argo Factory is part of the

Pejman Foundation The Pejman Foundation is an Iranian Nonprofit organization, nonprofit art foundation, established by Hamidreza Pejman in 2015,Thomas Erdbrink (20 October 2017)Selling the Porsche to Promote Iranian Art ''The New York Times''Myrna Ayad (03 May 2016 ...

’s sites.

History

Constructed in the early 1920s
Argo Factory
was one of the first industrial factories in Iran. In the 1960s, it became a major drink manufacturing factory until environmental issues led to its permanent closure in the 1970s. In 2016,

acquired and reconstructed the factory. The factory got its name, Argo, from "the name of the beer once made there".

Architecture

In spite of its unique architectural features – high smokestacks and strategic geographical position at the heart of the city – the factory was neglected for years and eventually turned into a tumbledown building for almost four decades.

Restoration

Structural Foundations

The new underpinning structure, designed by structural engineer Behrang Bani Adam, allows the architectural expression to maintain a restrained conversation between the old metal (halabi) roofs of Tehran houses and new floating (concrete) roofs of the museum that are the only new addition to the exterior form of the original factory. The design taps into the DNA of traditional local metal roofs and rewrites them as five performative floating roofs: each considering an unrepeated lighting atmosphere, for the cultural program underneath it. The restoration of the Argo Factory began with addressing its deteriorated structure. To stabilize the building, the team inserted new structural foundations, crucial for its long-term preservation. The architects retained the original load-bearing brick walls, which expressed the industrial character of the factory. This decision balanced structural safety with historical integrity. By maintaining the walls, the project respected the original materials while integrating contemporary design solutions.

Elevated Concrete Roofs

At the Argo Factory, five elevated concrete roof volumes rise 50 centimeters above the original brick walls, discreetly concealing climate control and mechanical systems within the Roof. This design not only enables efficient integration of modern infrastructure but also allows natural light to filter into the 8.5-meter-high galleries. Inspired by Tehran’s traditional halabi (metal) roofs, the new addition respectfully contrasts the historic structure, while the use of concrete—necessitated by sanctions—reinforces the site's industrial identity.

Spatial Expansion of Argo Factory

The project significantly expanded the building’s original footprint by approximately 85%, increasing the area from 480 m² to 1,890 m². Argo Factory stands as Tehran's first private contemporary art museum established since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. It offers artists versatile spaces with varied ceiling heights reaching up to 15 meters, providing greater flexibility for exhibitions and installations. Now a prominent cultural hub in the city, the factory attracts both local and international visitors. Its successful transformation has also inspired the renovation of surrounding buildings, playing a key role in the cultural revival of downtown Tehran. The factory has undergone two phases of renovation, the most recent during 2018/19. In partnership with New-York based architecture firm ASA North, Argo Factory was transformed from nearly four decades of desertion, winning awards such as the

Aga Khan Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Imām of the Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ilism, Ismāʿīli Shia Islam, Shias. The current holder of the title is the ...

Award for Architecture in 2022.

Awards

Due to its special design, Argo factory received a lot of attention and managed to receive major architectural awards at the global level. In 2022, this building, along with two other Iranian projects, among 463 submitted works from 16 countries, was included in the list of final candidates for the

Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fie ...

, and from this list, six projects were selected as the final winners. Argo Factory, redesigned by Ahmadreza Schricker (ASA North), was among these winners. The

is given in three-year periods. Argo Factory also won the 2022

Dezeen ''Dezeen'' is an online architecture, interiors and design magazine based in London, with offices in Hoxton, as well as New York City and Shanghai. History ''Dezeen'' was launched in London by Marcus Fairs at the end of November 2006. Its New ...

Architecture Award, organized by the

website. These awards include three categories: architecture, interior and design, with 14 categories in each category. Finally, the final winner will be selected from each section and will be honored as the three special works of

Architecture Award. In the fifth edition of these awards, Argo Factory was among the names of selected projects in the final stage or short list of this international competition in the cultural buildings section, and became the final winner of this section and also became the

Awards 2022 architecture project of the year.

Programs

Argo Factory is part of

’s constellation of sites. Pejman Foundation supports art and culture through a program of exhibitions, talks, and events.

Exhibitions

* Neïl Beloufa - 2017 * Nose to Nose -

Slavs and Tatars Slavs and Tatars is an art collective and "a faction of polemics and intimacies devoted to an area east of the former Berlin Wall and west of the Great Wall of China known as Eurasia". Founded in 2006 as a collaboration between artists and designe ...

- 2017 * Elsewhere Interactive VR Installation - 2018 * Nazgol Ansarinia: The Room Becomes a Street - 2020 * “For the sake of Calmness” A project by

Newsha Tavakolian Newsha Tavakolian (; born 1981) is an Iranian photojournalist and documentary photographer. She has worked for ''Time'' magazine, ''The New York Times'', ''Le Figaro'', and ''National Geographic''. Her work focuses on women's issues and she has be ...

- 2020 * “In the Midst” vol. 1 - 2021 * Video at Large Selection of videos from the collection of Paris

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

- 2021 * Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam: Unrealised Projects - 2021 * Vanishing Point; A Selection of Pejman Collection - 2022 * “Truth Lies not in One Dream, but in Many”

The One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

narrated b
Roberto Villa
��s Photos - 2022 * Remembrance of Things Present; An Exhibition by ASA-North - 2023

References

External links

Official Website
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Contemporary Art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

Architecture in Iran Contemporary art galleries in Iran Art museums and galleries in Iran Tourist attractions in Tehran