the starkness of iran's desert developments is captured by manuel alvarez diestro

for his latest photography series, manuel alvarez diestro transports us to the isolated landscape of iran’s deserts. amid the vast expanse of rolling land and mountain peaks, the images hone in on new housing developments. from afar the tower blocks appear as models in miniature, while closer up, the true scale of the buildings can be appreciated. 

all images © manuel alvarez diestro

as the population of iran continues to grow the development of new constructions for housing and business purposes are found outside of main cities and particularly tehran. in these territories of stark isolation people can find more affordable housing and escape the traffic congestion and pollution of big cities.

this decentralisation effort can be seen in many other cities across the middle east. however, where it could be surprising for many is the tremendous amount of construction found in the desert. as a photographer of construction developments manuel alvarez diestro has found the most striking juxtaposition of buildings against the landscape, where towers are perched on the earth like architecture maquettes.

with this project alvarez diestro found his own photographic paradise where he tries to unveil the beauty of the open structures as part of a biblical landscape. in his opinion these landscapes are ‘part of the realm of the mind’ rather than an existing space. 

project info:

photography: manuel alvarez diestro

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom