AKDN | Architecture

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, established in 1977, is considered one of the most renowned and prestigious awards of its kind.

It plays an important role in influencing global architectural discourse and promoting innovative solutions to problems faced by many societies. At its inception, architectural discourse reflected Western preoccupations. There was a vacuum of knowledge of the architecture of Muslim civilisations. The Award championed many of the concerns that are now common today: sustainability, human scale, climate adaptation and quality of life. To address these issues, the Award is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation and landscape architecture. 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. See more about the Award

The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) educates architects, planners, teachers and researchers who can contribute to meeting the building and design needs of Muslim communities. Established in 1979, it is supported by a series of endowments from His Highness the Aga Khan. It aims to improve the teaching of Islamic art and architecture, enhance the understanding of Islamic architecture, urbanism and visual culture, and to increase the visibility of Islamic cultural heritage.

The Programme’s faculty, students and alumni have played a substantial role in advancing the practice, analysis and understanding of Islamic architecture as a discipline and cultural force. Find out more

Archnet.org is an online complement to the Award, the Historic Cities Programme and AKPIA. It aims to be the most comprehensive archive of online resources on architecture, urban design and development in the Muslim world. It features collections, resources and documentation from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, AKPIA and donated collections of historic archives and documentation.

The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme plans and implements urban regeneration projects. These include the restoration of historic structures and the creation and rehabilitation of public spaces, parks and gardens.

We work with communities to plan and upgrade these projects, which revive neighbourhoods well beyond the project site. With accompanying infrastructural improvements for residents, training in traditional construction and craft techniques, employment and tourism opportunities, the initiatives spur social, economic and cultural development.

Find out more about the Programme’s work in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Mali, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan and Tanzania.