Aga Khan Award for Architecture

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Aga Khan Award for Architecture

https://the.akdn/en/how-we-work/our-agencies/aga-khan-trust-culture/aga-khan-award-for-architecture

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation and landscape architecture. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies across the world, in which Muslims have a significant p

resence. The selection process emphasizes architecture that not only provides for people's physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural expectations. Particular attention is given to building schemes that use local resources and appropriate technology in innovative ways, and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts elsewhere. The Award is governed by a steering committee chaired by His Highness the Aga Khan. A new committee is constituted each cycle to establish the eligibility criteria for project submissions, provide thematic direction in response to emerging priorities and issues, and to develop plans for the future of the Award. The steering committee is responsible for the selection and appointment of the master jury for each Award cycle, and for the Award's programme of international seminars, lectures, exhibitions and publications.

12/06/2026

A look back at a recent ceremony in Hohhot, celebrating the West Wusutu Village Community Centre - one of the seven winning projects of the 2025 Award cycle.

03/06/2026

Through our Living Lessons series, we revisit projects recognised by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture — not as fixed historical achievements, but as living ideas that continue to inform how we build, care, and live today.

Our next focus is the 2007 winner: The Walled City.
At its core, it raises a simple but urgent question: how can architecture become a tool for coexistence?

In Nicosia, the rehabilitation of the historic walled city became more than a conservation project. It evolved into a forward-thinking urban initiative where rehabilitation acted as a catalyst for positive coexistence, bringing together opposing communities through a shared civic vision.

Developed collaboratively by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot planners, architects, and institutions, the project sought to preserve the cultural and architectural legacy of the divided historic centre while restoring its role within contemporary urban life. Through the careful rehabilitation of streets, infrastructure, housing, public spaces, and historic buildings, the initiative gradually reactivated the social and economic vitality of the city.

Nearly two decades later, The Walled City remains a living lesson in how architectural intervention can foster social sustainability through dialogue, continuity, shared space, and collective memory.

👉Link in bio for more information about the project.

Photos: © Dimitri Vattis and Hasan Huyesen

01/06/2026

How can cultural heritage contribute to peace-building in societies affected by conflict?

This questions was at the heart the 5th European Heritage Hub Forum, which took place last week in Nicosia, Cyprus, hosted by Europa Nostra and Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia as part of the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2026.

In his intervention as part of the panel discussion “Heritage as a Vector for Peace in (Post) Conflict Societies”, Farrokh Derakhshani contributed perspectives rooted in the Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s long-standing engagement with architecture, culture, and society, underscoring the importance of heritage as a living resource for more inclusive and peaceful futures.

The Nicosia Master Plan project, winner of a 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, was discussed during the Forum as an example positive change, with lessons to learn for a better future.

Photos: ©Josef Rabara

29/05/2026

During a ceremony in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, celebrating the architectural team, craftsmen and artists behind the West Wusutu Village Community Centre — one of the seven winning projects of the 2025 Award Cycle — Farrokh Derakhshani presented commendation letters to those involved in the project, including lead architect Zheng Pengju.

Photo credit: © ZHAO Mingzhuo

22/05/2026

Through our Living Lessons series, we return to works recognised by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, re-examining them not as historical achievements, but as enduring ideas that continue to teach us how to build, care, and live today.

Our next focus is on the Bridge School in in Fujian, China.

In the small river-crossed village of Xiashi, originally in decline, the Bridge School transforms a basic infrastructural need into a civic and social space. Built directly on a bridge, it connects the two riverbanks while reactivating a fragmented rural context.

The bridge becomes more than circulation. It is a shared space for learning, gathering, and everyday life, where education is embedded within the community. Children move above flowing water through a light, open structure that feels continuous with the landscape, as if it had always been there. Its relevance lies in precision rather than scale: small physical details shape encounter, pause, and interaction, reinforcing a sense of belonging.

More than fifteen years later, Bridge School remains a living lesson in how architecture can generate social sustainability through connection between people, place, and time.

👉Link in bio for more information about the project.

Photos: © Li Xiaodong Atelier

12/05/2026

Welcome to our Insight series, where we break down architectural ideas through data, visuals, and motion.�For our first Insight, we’re heading to West Africa.

In the heat of Burkina Faso, the Gando Primary School by Francis Kéré shows how smart design can replace energy.�A simple double roof, local materials, and natural ventilation create cool, comfortable classrooms - no AC needed.

Architecture that works with climate, not against it.

07/05/2026

We are pleased to share that Farrokh Derakshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, has been inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

The ceremony took place on 6 May 2026 in Vancouver, during which Farrokh also delivered a Keynote speech.

This distinction, one of the RAIC - IRAC highest honours, recognises individuals whose work has had an international impact and represents a lifetime contribution to architecture.

For decades, Farrokh has helped shape global architectural discourse through his leadership of the Award, advancing a vision of architecture as a tool to improve quality of life—rooted in social impact, cultural continuity, and pluralism.

Aga Khan Development Network
Aga Khan Trust for Culture

06/05/2026

Continuing his visit across Canada, Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, stopped at the Ismaili Centre Vancouver to discuss the role of design in fostering global pluralism and community.

In a deep-dive conversation with architect Farouk Noormohamed for the Ismaili Centre Speaker Series, Farrokh explored how architecture transcends brick and mortar to build social fabric. He highlighted the Award’s mission to honor projects that prioritize human dignity and enhance the quality of life, emphasizing that the most impactful spaces are born from collaboration rather than a single hand.

The Ismaili B.C.

05/05/2026

As part of his visit to Canada, Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Award, spoke at Inform in Vancouver on Monday May 4.
Focusing on architecture’s capacity to generate positive social, spatial, and cultural impact, the talk drew on the 2025 shortlisted projects of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The session was introduced and moderated by Trevor Boddy.
Watch the full lecture via the link in bio.

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