Morocco Oasis Retreat competition 3rd Prize winner - Maryam Salamiaraghi

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 3rd prize winner of our "Morocco Oasis Retreat" competition – Maryam Salamiaraghi from Turkey!

Maryam Salamiaraghi

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

Maryam Salami is an Iranian licensed architect, interior designer, and constructor. She received a Master of Architecture from the South Tehran branch in 2015. She began her career in architecture as an executive architect designer in 2005 at the age of 20 while still studying. In 2014, she established Olay Architecture Studio, where she continues her independent practice. Olay is an architecture and interior design studio in Tehran with six employees (both in-office and outsourced). Over the years, she has collaborated with many renowned architects, including Fluid Motion Architects (Reza Daneshmir), and contributed to various projects. These include the design of Tehran Metro Station, commercial and office buildings, swimming pools and sports complexes, residential developments, green and public spaces, and more. In 2008, she collaborated with the Morton Fire Department from England on the design of a fire station in Tehran, which included training, shelter, and residential facilities. She also has experience working with Linea and Space Offices in Istanbul on the Hilton Hotel interior design project in Tehran in 2018. Maryam has won several national and international design competition awards, including Kaira Looro and Archstorming. In 2023, she received the Architecture MasterPrize in the Interior Design category for The Pomme Garden.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

She is passionate about foreign ancient culture in design, detail design,construction ,humanitarian and Sustainable architecture and working on projects across different scales including residential, commercial,education, mixed-use,landscape,public spaces and official.in these years olay focused on sustainable architecture , local materials and climate solution and design and construct the pomme garden,event school and Residential apartments and villas in Tehran. In addition, participating in competitions with the theme of sustainable architecture, such as maternity centre in Senegal,community center in india,school for Palestine, house of the future in dubai and etc.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

She is interested in preserving the environment and creating solutions for sustainable design with respect for nature. From her perspective, luxury is not the use of expensive materials and elements in architecture. Luxury means the optimal use of existing materials and equipment along with integrating and respecting nature and giving a common share of light, air and natural view to the architectural space.Adaptive architecture and interior design are some of her other interests. She is also very interested in the ancient culture of different nations, traditional and local perspectives in architecture, traditional solutions and their integration with modern architecture. In this regard,she has also become one of the top 100 offices in the revive on fiverr competition in 2025.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Since the trend of sustainable architecture in Iran is very weak and even insignificant, she is forced to work in other countries due to her strong interest in this style. She believes that, in order to gain recognition, work on a global level, and improve her knowledge and benchmarks, she should participate in architectural competitions. Her goal is to establish herself as an international architect and office.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Clarify your goal. If you live in a country that sees, understands, and values your art, continue working. But if you have a bigger vision and your environment is not in line with your dreams and you desire to be seen on a global level, international architecture competitions are the best option.