romantic Movement is one of the most important movements of the early 19th century in European art and architecture. It had a definite impact on the formation of the architecture of the 19th century and the architecture of the modern era in Europe. This movement came to Iran by intellectuals, western (such as Godard) and Iranian architects, who had studied in European universities, in late Qajar and early Pahlavi era. The observation of some of the contemporary architectural works in Iran, which have evidently been under the influence of some of the stylistic tendencies of this movement, shows the entry of this western artistic movement into the Iranian contemporary architecture in Pahlavi period. But there are a few researches about the start and influences of this movement and its impacts on Iranian contemporary architecture. Generally in these few studies, two deficiencies are quite sensible. First, none of them could explain that based on what evidences the style of a building is romantic? And also how do we could predicate the Romanticism to the style of a building? And Second Most of these researches have studied the buildings which were made on first Pahlavi period whereas there are also many examples of this style on second Pahlavi era which have not been much discussion about them. Therefore this research first tries to answer this question that why we tell Romantic to the style of a building? And then tries to come close to a new stylistics of this western architectural movement in Iranian contemporary architecture with the help of comparative analysis of the Romantic architectural tendencies and it is social contexts in the west and a logical comparison of them in Iran. Also in the pursuit of this objective, this research will probe the possibility of classification of different branch of this style in the Iranian contemporary architecture with emphasizing to second Pahlavi era. In order to gain the objectives of this research, we will at first study and critique the opinions of the critics in recognition of the style and stylistic specifications of Romanticism in the backdrop of its formation and then we will classify different branch of this movement in the Iranian contemporary architecture by reviewing the examples of architecture influenced by this movement in Iran. At the end, this research will show that Iranian Romanticism is not exactly such as European Romanticism. It is only similar to that movement in some important contents. It also will show that there are three important sub-category of Romantic Movement in the architecture of the second Pahlaviera in Iranian contemporary architecture. These three sub-categories are respectively: vernacular architecture, traditionalism and historicism. Although these three sub- categories have a little difference in the stylistic analyses but they can be considered parts of the Romantic vast movement because all of them with taking advantages of the properties and values of Iranian vernacular and local architecture have resisted against the spread and absolute acceptance of modern architecture in Iranian contemporary architecture.

Architecture criticism is a multidiscipline topic which usually related to level of success in meeting a prosperous architecture, or at least meeting the designers’ objectives. The criticism procedures should satisfy the needs of all the stakeholders who participate in architectural design process. Criticism has a lot to do with a wide range of tangible and intangible issues such as environmental, social, technical, economic, aesthetic and fictional issues. Therefore performance-based criticism is an approach to evaluate architect's success in meeting aims and objectives of all the stakeholders who might be interested in the project. It is essential to explain that the level of architectural performance is affected by “context”. Moreover high-performance architecture might be crystalized through the relationship of form and content. This paper is to make a framework for discourse of high-performance architecture in order to shape a Method to understand contemporary architecture. As well as make a substantive model to criticize strength and weakness on contemporary architecture, especially contemporary architecture of developing countries such as Iran. Contrary to much of conventional approaches, architecture criticism not only study building beyond the way it performed but also prefer to analyze hidden dimensions of architectural design process.Theoretical framework of the paper is based on understanding architecture as a comprehensive discourse. Assumption of the research indicates that architecture is a matter of discourse and comprehensive meaning of high-performance architecture might be understood by adopting the relationship between architecture and architect as a critical discourse.It is essential to describe performance-based design as way to meet demands and expectation of all the stakeholders in architectural design process, especially in programing and planning phase.The research methodology of the paper is based on discourse analysis theory in order to explain the relationship between architecture and context as matter of understanding the level of performance. Moreover the research methodology aims at revealing socio-cultural, ultra mundane, intangible and psychological characteristics of “architecture” rather than tangible and physical issues.The results of the paper show that a comprehensive approach toward architecture criticism includes five categories: 1- Relation to Context: high-performance architecture has to crystalize a meaningful learning from nature. The interrelationship of performative characteristics of architecture, recombinant materials and socio-cultural aspects of design.2- Process-Based Approach: Understanding the level of performance is to concentrate on process in order to meet stakeholders’ demands and objectives.3- General Welcoming: Performance-based design has a lot to do with collective mind.4- Recriticizing Critics of Critics: Architecture might be read in contemporary discourses.Architects sometimes have their own approach toward architecture criticism which might be called designerly way of knowing and doing which works as a new style of architectural criticism.5- Redevelopment of Future Discourse: New architectural technologies such as digitalism, prefabrication, biotechnology, recycled materials, mathematical architecture etc. are about to shape a new paradigm for future architecture. Based on theoretical developments future legacy in architecture is in need of a kind of ethno-futuristic discourse. It is essential to redevelop future discourse in programing architecture in order to understand high-performance architecture.

Architecture as a socio-cultural matter has a lot to do with past as well as future. Therefore contemporary architecture is a matter of tradition as well as modernity. It is implicit and what we know about contemporary architecture is a result of what we have learnt from traditional architecture, architectural heritage and what were written about architectural monuments; while it is a catalyst to lead to a prosperous future. It is understandable that traditional architecture of Iran is a collection of talented designers who crafted these notable monuments and valuable buildings which survived through centuries and became a part of human history, intangible traditions and tangible international heritage. ICOMOS and UNESCO do lots of researches and development plans to safeguard traditional architectural monuments or natural heritage sites which have roots in past and let us know about their values and functions. To complete this task, Docomomo International (International Working Party for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) as an international body, is to respect contemporary architecture, sites and monuments. Moreover there are some contemporary buildings which are listed in World Heritage List because of their distinctiveness, uniqueness and singularity. Literature review of the paper shows that “future legacy” plays a significant role in describing future architecture. Theoretical Framework of the paper is based on interaction of architectural performance and architectural monumentality in search for future architecture as a mean to meet future legacy in architecture. High-performance architecture might be recognized through following framework: I- Architecture: 1- distinguished architect, 2- uniqueness in architectural design, 3- high-technology and 4- uses and activity.II- Architectural Design Process: 1- client, 2- building codes and legislation, 3- public popularity and 4- Socio-cultural landscape.III- Programming and Planning: 1- team work and multi-disciplinary approach, 2- participatory, 3- flexibility and 4- comprehensive character.Based on proposed framework, a building might be recognized as a high-performance building, and then it might be seen as a candidate to become a “Legacy Architecture”. This paper aims to analyze and study contemporary Iranian architecture regarding to architectural performance in order to outdraw the silhouette of contemporary Iranian architecture and its relations to future legacy. The most important questions of the research are: 1- What is the framework of understanding performance of architectural monuments and level of their prosperity to become a legacy for future? 2- Which buildings in contemporary Iranian architecture might be seen as a future legacy in architecture? The methodology of the paper is based on quantitative as well qualitative approach. The selected methodology is to examine a theory – interaction of high-performance architecture and future legacy in architecture. The main frames of the paper are contemporary Iranian architectures from 1916 till 2016, as case studies. In order to answer the research question, two hundred of famous contemporary Iranian buildings and complexes which were built in 1916 until 2016 were selected purposely regarding to snowball sampling (chain-referral sampling). The results were strong enough to satisfy possible disadvantages such as community bias, non-random, anchoring, unknown sampling population size (while the samples were decreased from 204 to 200 in order to better categorization). The cases were examined to understand the level performance while they were known as a sample of high-performance architecture and their chance to become future legacy. The results of the paper show that some intervening issues like building owners, regularities and design guidelines, civic infrastructures and technical issues influence the level architectural performance. Quantitative analysis indicates that there are fifteen contemporary architectural monuments those who have opportunity to be called high-performance architecture and might be seen as close candidate of future legacy in architecture. It is demanded from recent generation to leave valuable legacy behind. The buildings which earn higher ranking in the examined list are those whish enjoy creative, timeless, exceptional, contextual, contemplative, mindful and meaningful design. The results confirm the desire and commitment to meet high-quality design in contemporary Iranian architecture to provide socio-culturally responsible buildings and to earn a world-wide reputation while other trends are such as temporary architecture, popular architecture, fashion design and signatory architecture do their business in recent decades as well. Success of contemporary Iranian architecture has been recognized with several regional and international awards.

The term Globalization undoubtedly has affected all parts of humanity life in current century.Globalization as a comprehensive phenomenon has influenced economical, political, social and cultural aspects of our societies. Contemporary architecture as a multidimensional category is depended on various factors and needs to be pursued in different fields, in order to reach to a perfect comprehending of it. In countries that they have not experienced modernity completely and also they have not passed the traditions, facing with global flows will cause different encounters. Although some defend the global and homogenous behaviors, the others as a reflection to that, support of particular and heterogeneous ideas. This dilemma also could be seen in traditional societies in confronting with modernity, but by the aim of global flows it has an incredible speed which could not be imagined before. By the rise of consideration to complexity theories and relational and fuzzy discourses, some kind of symbiosis ideas have aroused that are not going to omit while they are trying to connect contradictory issues together. The specifics of these points of views are going to be clarified and reviewed, so that to make clear the globalized and localized approaches in contemporary architecture and also to conceive an interconnection of them as a “glocalized” architecture.

When the civilization of man appeared, before any job, architecture was created and the Persian combined this with their technology and their art, so that their name and reputation is always exist. According to these famous honors, the contemporary architects don’t pay attention to nowadays reality. Time is flying and just a nation can be successful that understand the needs of society and also could realize the age and location of his community in this position. With the advance of technology of creating and construction and the appearance of new forms of building that need very complicated competition of math, architecture has become for every one without technology knowledge, impossible. The contemporary architects should know about aesthetics, engineering, psychology, economics, biology and in general programming. But these architects have influenced the classic custom and have been trained just like an artist. He learns and most of the time his information about the first necessary instruments for using modem technology is limited. With shrinking technical capability important decisions regarding the design of the built environment are increasingly not made by architects, meaning that architects have increasingly less control and influence over the design of the built environment. Nowadays and with the new teaching at architecture universities (after creating industrial revolution and unconscious events that create at this age or at that past) the relation of architecture and technology specially new structures either in teaching area or planning area has happened and in many other cases these two area has considered as two separate areas. Also in teaching area, the structures curriculum is taught separately from the remainder of the architecture program. Structures instruction is rarely, if ever, fully integrated into the broader architecture curriculum. In particular, creative structural design and application is left out of most architecture design studio courses. In continuation, with consideration of the diversion of the paths of architecture and structure engineering, attempt in closing their paths began and continues until today. In the meantime, a number of architecture was able to create novel buildings compatible with the industry, technology and the modern life. In this way, architecture employed technology to allow architecture to be in harmony with the changing needs of the society as far as possible. In ancient Iran, architectural and structural experts were the same people and could have been called architect- engineers. However in contrast, in the modern times, architecture and structure engineers fallows completely in different paths. At this article, we try to imply changes of compatibility of structure engineering and architecture at west and Iran, also imply the necessary of compatibility of structure and space applicably, attract other architects and engineers of structure and the way to coordinate them as closely as possible.

Geometry is considered one of the fundamental structures of Iranian traditional art and architecture, and some of its displays can be seen in most of fine ancient works. Studying geometry, as one of the main fields of Iranian art and architecture, is of more importance when it comes to the word of architecture, as it seems impossible to define it without relying on geometry. Architecture has been founded on "construction" as it is necessary to utilize accurate geometry and order; and in architecture, Order and planning are manifested as geometry. In other words, the basic factor that makes different parts of architecture united is nothing but geometry, and through this uniting and coordination between parts of architecture culture the survival and endurance of that culture becomes possible. In general, order and geometric plan assists the designer to predict the course of the plan and design. Not only the Iranian traditional architecture works from the ancient times to the Islamic era have been relied upon the geometric principles, but also the contemporary architecture is based on such principles. This study is concentrated on the exact recognition of geometric principles, intellectual roots and theoretical basics of Iranian traditional architecture in addition to the analysis of the advent of such items in the contemporary architecture. The main aim of this research is to recognize the geometric principles of the traditional architecture and its application in the contemporary architecture. In other words, we aim to answer to the question, what are the geometric principles of the traditional architecture and how is the manifestation of such principles in the contemporary architecture? The results show that the use of geometric order in the plan, along with the application of hidden geometry and creation of geometric understanding through the static sense have been more applied in the contemporary architecture compared to other characteristics of Iranian traditional architecture and the traditional architecture archetypes and motives have always attracted contemporary architects.

Since the 1920s, minimalism entered the thoughts and works of architecture. Cleanliness, the use of simple volumes and neutral colors are the most specific signs of minimal architecture. However, deep and special thoughts can be read through the analysis of intertextual signs in minimal works. Intertextuality explores the relationships between different works beyond the temporal and spatial perspective and can reveal the traces of each work in another work even with a different image and in another place of the world. The research is based on a qualitative method, with a content analysis strategy based on logical reasoning, and with the categorization of intertextual signs, in the form of internal-external cultural relations, vertical-horizontal relations and representation-reference in two contemporary Iranian minimal works, including the Islamic Republic of Iran's universities, by Hadi Mirmiran. And Laleh Park prayer hall in Tehran by Kamran Diba has been analyzed from an intertextual point of view. The aim of the current research is to explain the components of minimalism in architecture through semiotics using the intertextual method. The results of the research, along with the intertextual analysis of each work, point to the continuous relationships of the elements of the universe based on intertextual thinking.

One of the issues in theoretical architecture having been considered in recent decades is epistemology and its branches. The changeability of perception is one of the most important issues considered in this field. It is related to subjects such as the role of creativity in architectural work, audience of the architectural work and the process of the perception for understanding the work’s meaning. These subjects are derived from a branch in epistemology which is called “epistemology of texture”. According to the latest theories in this branch, all the perceptions of audiences are affected by their prejudices and their prejudices are influenced by external subjects such as history. Meanwhile, these external subjects are changing constantly. Due to this point of view, all the objects should be presented compatibly with this changeable process. Therefore, in designing architectural works, geometries which are compatible with changeability and relativity of perception should be used.The basic idea in theoretical field which will be specified in this article is considering an architectural work as a texture so that its meaning could be reviewed based on its components such as its signs in a decoding process. Thus, the major issue in this article is derived from the relationship between architecture and epistemology, especially the contemporary epistemology of texture. Considering this, there are some important questions in the theoretical field of architecture such as can a final meaning for an architectural work be assumed or can a certain framework for discussing architectural work, its architect and its audience be presented or not.Different steps for specifying and responding to these questions consists of the following stages: In thefirst stage, epistemology and its mission in encountering the other fields of knowledge will be defined. In the second stage, contemporary epistemology of texture and one of its most important principles which is called “Perception relativity” will be defined. In this part, major consequences of perception relativity in the field of interpretation and perception of the architectural works are explained. To this end, the claims of some of the most important theorists in this field such as Gadamer, Derrida and Palmer are referred to.In the third stage, the relationship between the contemporary architecture and epistemology of texture will be explained. In this part, the effects of this theoretical field on the designing process of architectural works will be shown. For reaching this target, some of the works of famous architects such as Eisenman and Tschumi will be referred to.In the next stage, the theoretical foundations of epistemology of texture will be evaluated. Finally, based on this evaluation, the findings of this research will be presented to prove that it is necessary to reconstruct the theoretical foundations of the contemporary epistemology to achieve a certain framework for reviewing the meanings of the architectural works more logically. This is due to the fact that the result of performing the recommendations presented by the contemporary epistemology of texture concludes that any framework and fixed principle for evaluating architectural works can’t be accessed.Therefore, according to these recommendations, all of the perceptions are acceptable.It is obvious that such a theory will conclude rejecting any preference among different perceptions. Consequently, it will decrease the value of perception highly. On the other hand, according to the findings of this research, the effects of the contemporary epistemology of texture on contemporary architecture will cause a kind of epistemological anarchism in the process of perceiving the meanings of the architectural works. Consequently, it will lead to rejecting any specific framework for discussing the architect, his work and audience. Therefore, it’s not a reliable theory for applying to the design process of the architectural works.In this article, interpretive-historical research has been utilized to access the cited targets in the first data gathering step. Moreover, logical-argumentative research is used in analysis of the data and drawing conclusion.At the end, it is necessary to consider some different theories in the field of the contemporary epistemology of texture such as philosophic hermeneutic, deconstruction and etc., but in this article those notes which are common among them are emphasized and verification of the issues which separate them from each other is avoided.