Montreal, Canada, 6 June 2025 – The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) posthumously inducted His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as an Honorary Fellow of the RAIC College at a convocation ceremony held this week in Montreal.

The fellowship recognises individuals of international professional eminence or those who have rendered distinctive service to the profession or to the community at large, nationally or internationally.

One of the most prestigious honours the institute can confer on a non-member, this lifetime honour acknowledged His Late Highness’s longstanding passion and commitment to enhancing the built environment to uplift communities, promote pluralism and foster dignity.

“The remarkable accomplishments of His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV span various aspects of the field of architecture as part of his broader social and economic development work, particularly the specialised cultural programming undertaken through the Aga Khan Trust for Culture,” read the RAIC citation.

Initiatives such as the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, which he established in 1977, reflect his inclusive vision of architectural excellence – one that responds meaningfully to cultural, social and environmental contexts across diverse regions of the world. 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. The 16th award cycle will take place later this year.

Upon accepting a Gold Medal from the RAIC in 2013, His Late Highness said, “Is it not true that the quality of our lives is fundamentally shaped by the spaces in which we live, spaces that provide physical security, and spaces where we seek spiritual enrichment? They are spaces where we work, and where we pause from work; where we expand our minds and restore our health, places where we congregate and where we meditate; and they are places where we are born, as well as places of final rest.”

Accepting the honour on behalf of His Late Highness was Dr Mahmoud Eboo, Representative of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat to Canada, who addressed attendees gathered for the ceremony on Tuesday 3 June.

“On behalf of His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan, his family and the Ismaili Muslim Community, I wish to thank the RAIC for the great honour of conferring this Fellowship on His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, in recognition of his lasting contributions to society and the built environment,” Dr Eboo said.

“The legacy he leaves behind, through the extraordinary structures that have been built... are a reflection of his commitment to spaces and places that can be transformational and that can bring beauty, joy, inspiration and harmony for all who experience them.”