West Ekbatan Complex

District 5, Iran

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

The West Ekbatan Complex in District 5, Tehran, is a monumental apartment ensemble completed in 1976 by Korean architect Kim Swoo-geun. Built of concrete, the complex exemplifies the synthesis of brutalist and modernist principles with Pahlavi-era aesthetics that defined Iranian architectural ambitions during the 1970s. Its bold massing and structural honesty reflect the international brutalist movement while responding to the spatial and cultural demands of a rapidly expanding metropolis, making it a significant example of large-scale residential architecture from the pre-revolutionary period.