Ağa Han Architecture Awards

Aga Khan Awards for Architecture is an international award established in 1977 by Aga Khan IV and presented every three years. The award aims to recognize projects in architecture, urban planning, conservation, and landscape design in regions where Muslims live, taking into account social, cultural, and environmental contexts. Criteria include not only aesthetic achievement but also the use of local materials, sustainability, responsiveness to user needs, and cultural continuity. The program, managed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, documents, evaluates, and shares selected projects with the public.

Historical Background

The Aga Khan Awards for Architecture emerged with the goal of bridging modern architecture with traditional Islamic aesthetics. Since the first award ceremony in 1980, the program has advanced the preservation of cultural heritage in the Islamic world, supported local architectural practices, and encouraged projects aligned with contemporary design principles. Coordinated by the Aga Khan Cultural Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, the process positions architecture as an instrument of social transformation.

Over time, the scope of the program has expanded to include awards in diverse fields such as urban planning, rural development, post-disaster reconstruction, and educational facilities. Since the 2000s, concepts such as social impact, local participation, and environmental sustainability have assumed a more central role in the evaluation process.

Evaluation Process and Jury Structure

The Aga Khan Awards for Architecture stand out for their rare, detailed, and multi-layered evaluation process. Nominee projects are not assessed solely through visuals and documentation but are thoroughly examined through on-site visits and interviews with users. During this process, the physical, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of projects are evaluated as an integrated whole.

Each award cycle features an independent Master Jury composed of architects, academics, urban planners, and cultural experts from different countries. The jury defines the ethical and thematic framework of the award and selects the winning projects. The Technical Review Committees, which contribute to the evaluation process, analyze nominated projects in the field and prepare detailed reports based on criteria such as technical competence, user experience, sustainability, and local context.

The award is not limited to Islamic countries. Projects from any region with a significant Muslim population are eligible for nomination. As a result, buildings in countries with Muslim minorities such as China, India, the Philippines, and Portugal have also received the award.

Notable Projects

Projects recognized by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture are distinguished not only by their technical and aesthetic excellence but also by their user experience, relationship with local context, and social impact. The award encourages examples that contribute to values such as cultural continuity, environmental sensitivity, and social inclusivity beyond the physical qualities of buildings.

In 2007, the METI Handmade School in Rudrapur, Bangladesh, attracted attention for its creative use of local materials and community participation in the construction process. The building, which harmonized natural elements such as wood and compressed earth with contemporary design, merged sustainability with aesthetics while providing a high-quality learning environment for students and villagers. The project stands as an original example of integrating traditional building techniques into modern architectural practice.

In 2010, the Restoration of Diyarbakır Ulu Camii was nominated for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture but was not among the winning projects. It was nonetheless highly regarded by the selection committee.

The Restoration of Ulu Camii is significant not only as the rehabilitation of a historic structure but also as the reactivation of public space. The restoration process preserved the building’s historical layers and reconnected it with the community’s religious and cultural life, enabling local residents to actively use the mosque for worship and social activities.

In 2022, the Argo Contemporary Art Museum and Cultural Centre in Tehran, Iran, was created through the transformation of a former brewery, representing the conversion of industrial heritage into a space for contemporary art.

In the same year, the Community Spaces in Cox’s Bazar project in Bangladesh, built for Rohingya refugees, focused on the social function of architecture through the creation of temporary shelters and public spaces under challenging humanitarian conditions. These structures were constructed using local materials and participatory design processes, responding to both practical needs and cultural expectations.