Seven architectural projects that shield communities from climate risk, preserve cultural heritage, and create affordable housing were honoured at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture prize-giving ceremony at the Kyrgyz National Philharmonic Hall. His Highness the Aga Khan accompanied His Excellency Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, to preside over the ceremony. A series of events this week in Bishkek has brought together architects, designers, policymakers, and community leaders to celebrate the transformative potential of architecture and urban planning to improve the world. His Highness the Aga Khan elaborated on the importance of this pursuit: “Today, with the climate more volatile than ever, architects have a great responsibility, and an opportunity, to use their creativity to design the buildings that will buffer that volatility and protect us all – and especially the most vulnerable – from climatic risk,” he said. “This quality – flexibility in the face of the unexpected – was at the heart of the jury’s concerns in this cycle of the award.”