2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners Announced

Six projects have been announced as the winners of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2016 as the ceremony was held on Oct. 3 in Abu Dhabi. 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 presence.

Bangladesh

Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, Dhaka (Architect: Marina Tabassum)
A refuge for spirituality in urban Dhaka, selected for its beautiful use of natural light.

Friendship Centre, Gaibandha (Architect: Kashef Chowdhury / URBANA)
A community centre which makes a virtue of an area susceptible to flooding in rural Bangladesh.

China

Hutong Children’s Library and Art Centre, Beijing (Architect: ZAO / standardarchitecture / Zhang Ke)
A children’s library selected for its embodiment of contemporary life in the traditional courtyard residences of Beijing’s Hutongs.

Denmark

Superkilen, Copenhagen (Architects: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Topotek 1 and Superflex)
A public space promoting integration across lines of ethnicity, religion and culture.

Iran

Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge, Tehran (Architect: Diba Tensile Architecture / Leila Araghian, Alireza Behzadi)
A multi-level bridge spanning a busy motorway has created a dynamic new urban space.

Lebanon

Issam Fares Institute, Beirut (Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects)
A new building for the American University of Beirut’s campus, radical in composition but respectful of its traditional context.