Damavand Garden is located in the village of Ahmadabad, a district of Damavand in eastern Tehran, nestled in the scenic foothills of the Alborz mountains. Situated in a region known for its fresh, cool climate, the property is a garden villa with an approximate area of 8,000 square meters. In the past, the garden encompassed a larger area, part of which was later separated and transferred to another owner. The restoration of the property was entrusted to the office of Firooz Firooz and Associates in the autumn of 2010, and was completed in the autumn of 2012. The central design approach for this project was to restore the site with minimal intervention while enriching the meaning and experience of the owner’s summer retreat. The placement of the existing facilities and buildings within the garden was largely preserved, while select structures were optimized according to the renovation plan to enhance their functionality. This strategy—balancing preservation with refinement—was driven by the intent to heighten the nostalgic and pleasurable qualities of the space for the owner.

On the western edge of the property, a triangular configuration of the main house (228 sqm, two stories), the guesthouse (56 sqm), and the swimming pool had already existed. This arrangement held a strong latent potential to foster a sense of gathering and create memorable perspectives. With carefully designed lighting, paving, and spatial axes, the area was reimagined as a dynamic setting—capable of bringing family members together throughout the day for meals, relaxation, and shared leisure.

The Damavand Garden is structured around a principal longitudinal axis that links the eastern and western entrances, establishing the garden’s primary organizational framework. This central axis ensures spatial coherence and internal unity throughout the site.

The western entrance, historically used for vehicular access, has been reconfigured as a private pedestrian entry. Upon entering from this gate, visitors encounter a terrace framed by the main building, a mature plane tree, and the reflecting pool. Positioned at the highest point of the garden, this terrace constitutes the most private area and offers panoramic views over the entire landscape. This initial vantage point shapes the first perception of the garden as a unified spatial entity.

From this terrace, descending along the main axis provides a sequential spatial experience, as one moves through the fruit plots, engaging directly with the garden’s interior spaces. This pathway culminates at the eastern entrance, which accommodates both vehicular and pedestrian access, marking the transition between the garden’s private and public zones.

Two secondary north-south paths intersect the main axis, providing access to ancillary structures and support facilities, including the caretaker’s house, greenhouse, and parking areas. These pathways enhance functional connectivity while preserving the overall compositional integrity of the garden.

As Michel Foucault rightly states: “The historical Iranian garden was a sacred space, encompassing the four corners of the world within its quadrilateral layout, along with a more sacred central area that served as the focal point of the universe—where the pond and water channels converged All the plants in the garden benefited equally from this ‘microcosm’ of the world.”

In Etemad garden, a square-shaped pond is located along the main axis at the center of the garden, defining a small spatial zone around itself. This pond, considered the “eye of God” within the garden, symbolically represents water and reflects the deep Iranian reverence for it, as well as their enduring admiration and love. Moreover, the water system is performing multiple functions simultaneously: supplying water to different parts of the garden, irrigating plants, displaying water, and moderating the microclimate. In this system, the “juy” (water channels) play a prominent role. Flowing along pathways and at the base of trees, these channels both distribute and guide water and present it in visually appealing ways. In Damavand Garden, traditional Iranian irrigation methods are employed: the garden beds are irrigated using the flood irrigation technique, while along the main axis, water flows continuously at the base of the trees. The view along the main garden avenue—a symmetrical street flanked by two water channels along orderly rows of trees—represents a quintessential Iranian landscape, a pattern still observable in streets and urban spaces across Iran today.

In Damavand Garden, the planting design has been carried out with consideration of the existing trees and buildings, as well as following traditional Iranian garden planting principles. Along the main axis, cypress trees are interspersed among the existing fruit trees to create a symmetrical order and perspective along the axis. In the wider sections of the path, designed for vehicular access, a row of amber trees (Liquidambar) is planted on both sides of the axis, emphasizing the variation in path width, the hierarchy of spaces, and the distinction between more public and more private areas of the garden. Around the buildings, planting patterns vary according to sightlines, views, and the functional use of space. Given that the main building is not located at the center along the main axis—contrary to the conventional geometry of Iranian gardens—the bed opposite this building contains shorter plants, shrubs, flowers, and groundcovers to preserve the primary view of the veranda. Meanwhile, an old plane tree and a row of Persian maples (Trebizian maples) along the pool establish focus and spatial enclosure, shaping this section of the garden as a coherent unit. Similarly, in front of the secondary building and greenhouse, small beds of vegetables and herbs have been planted, while shrubs like oleander around the caretaker’s house reduce visibility into the private areas of the garden. Another fundamental principle of planting design in Damavand Garden is color planning and attention to the four seasons, a characteristic of Iranian gardens. Trees and flowers are selected and planted based on flower color, flowering season, fruiting period, autumn foliage color, and whether they are deciduous or evergreen.

The design of Damavand Garden became an occasion to revisit the tradition of Persian garden-making, to explore its inner essence, and to reflect on the values and hidden qualities it embodies. In a Quadrilateral Layout, Damavand Garden is set on an irregular plot of land stretched along an east–west axis. The boundaries of this terrain are marked by rows of poplar trees planted at its four corners, an allusion to the rectangular form of the Persian garden. This four-sided geometry, regardless of the constraints of topography, environment, or obstacles, defines the essential expanse of the Persian garden and is replicated in its smaller subdivisions as well.

Above all, the quadrilateral represents order. This order symbolizes the presence and mastery of humankind, distinguishing cultivated, re-created nature from the wild and untamed. In Damavand Garden, the emphasis on this form also carries symbolic meaning. The quadrilateral embodies the material and earthly realm and, in Islamic architecture, relates to the element of soil. It is a symbol of “human” and “nature,” standing in contrast to the circle, which signifies the “divine” and “celestial.” This reminds us that the garden is not a fragment of heavenly paradise but a terrestrial one—a piece of nature that sets itself apart from the outside world, seeking its beauty and perfection within.