Take a second to imagine a building or a room. Chances are you are envisioning flat rectangular surfaces and straight lines. Whether it be walls, beams or windows, most architectural elements come in standard and extremely practical orthogonal shapes. However, the pandemic has shed light on designs that are not only functional, but also that improve our mood and well-being. In that sense, the power of curved, free-flowing surfaces is unmatched, which explains why they have been making a comeback as a modern design trend. Adopting beautiful nature-inspired shapes, organic curls and bends energize rooms and make users feel good. In fact, neuroscientists have shown that this affection is hard-wired into the brain; in a 2013 study, they found that participants were most likely to consider a space beautiful if it was curvilinear instead of rectilinear. In short, humans love curves.

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In this interview by Parametric Architecture, NEXT Office's founder, Iranian architect Alireza Taghaboni, talks about his approach to design, describing how he reinterprets the principles of traditional Iranian architecture and translates the cultural and climatic context into his work. The interview covers the conceptual thinking behind several projects, as the architect discusses dichotomies such as mass-void, introversion-extroversion as being the recurrent themes of his designs.