Aga Khan Award for Architecture Announces Master Jury for 2010
Geneva, 8 January 2010 – The members of the Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced today. The Jury, which selects the recipients of the Award, will convene in January to review the 401 nominated projects and select approximately 25 finalists, which will then be subject to on-site reviews by independent experts. The Jury will meet for a second time in June to select the Award recipients from the group of finalists. Recipients will be announced at a ceremony in autumn 2010.
The nine members of the Master Jury for the 2010 Award cycle are:
Professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne
Professor, Department of Philosophy, Columbia University, USA
Mr. Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj
Architect; Chief Executive Officer, Syria Trust for Development
Professor Salah Hassan
Art historian and curator; director of Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, USA
Ms. Faryar Javaherian
Architect and curator; co-founder of Gamma Consultants, Iran
Mr. Anish Kapoor
Artist, UK
Professor Kongjian Yu
Landscape architect and urbanist; founder and dean of Graduate School of Landscape Architecture, Peking University, China
Mr. Jean Nouvel
Architect; founding partner, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, France
Ms. Alice Rawsthorn
Design critic, International Herald Tribune, UK
Mr. Basem Al Shihabi
Architect; Managing Partner, Omrania & Associates, Saudi Arabia
See biographies of Master Jury members (PDF).
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, established in 1977, is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, urban and regional design, conservation and landscape architecture. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence. The selection process emphasizes architecture that not only provides for people's physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural and spiritual expectations. Particular attention is given to building schemes that use local resources and appropriate technology in an innovative way, and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts elsewhere. The Award is currently in its 11th triennial cycle.
The Award is governed by a Steering Committee whose current members are: His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman; Mohammad al-Asad (Founder and chairman, Center for the Study of the Built Environment, Amman); Homi K. Bhabha (Director of the Humanities Center, Harvard University, USA); Norman Foster (Founder and chairman, Foster + Partners, London); Glenn Lowry (Director, Museum of Modern Art, New York); Rahul Mehrotra (Principal, RMA Architects, Mumbai, India); Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA); Farshid Moussavi (Partner, Foreign Office Architects, London); Han Tümertekin (Principal, Mimarlar Tasarim Danismanlik Ltd, Istanbul). Farrokh Derakhshani is the director of the Award.
The Award seeks nominations from the broadest possible range of architectural interventions (nominations for the 11th Cycle were closed in October 2009; nominations for the 12th cycle will be accepted starting January 2011). All types of building projects that affect today’s built environment may be submitted. These include works of architecture that range from modest, small-scale projects to sizable complexes. All forms of planning practices on the urban as well as regional scales are encouraged, and large projects and long-term initiatives that are not yet fully completed – such as master plans, area preservation projects, and community upgrading schemes, among others – are eligible so long as a tangible portion of the project has been completed in a manner that demonstrates its long-term potential success and viability. There are no fixed criteria for the type, nature, location, or cost of projects to be considered, although eligible projects must be designed for or used by Muslim communities, in part or in whole, wherever they are located.
The Award is part of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture which, in turn, is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The AKDN is a group of non-denominational development agencies, created by His Highness the Aga Khan, with complementary mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalisation of historic cities. The AKDN agencies work to improve living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender. Working in the fields of economic, cultural and social development, AKDN aims to provide choices and opportunities to communities so that they can realise and determine their own development. More information on the Award, the Trust, and the AKDN can be found on our website: www.akdn.org.
For more information, please contact:
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
P.O. Box 2049
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland Website: www.akdn.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (41.22) 909.72.00
Facsimile: (41.22) 909.72.92
http://www.akdn.org/Content/937/Aga-Kha ... y-for-2010
Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture
15 May 2010 | Bibliotheca Alexandrina - Administrative Department | Seminar | Open For Public
The Award is a cultural event funded jointly by the EU Delegation to Egypt and Dayra Foundation for Culture and Arts, as part of their interest in promoting creativity and innovation. On the sidelines of this event, Dr. Ismail Serageldin and Dr. Saleh Lamie will deliver a lecture. An exhibition of some Award-winning projects will be also held parallel with the lecture.
Contact Person: Hanan Abd Elrazek
Phone: 1338
Email: [email protected]
Event Schedule Location Date From: To: Activity Admission
Great Hall - BACC 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Seminar By invitation only
BACC B1 - OA Exhibition 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Exhibition By invitation only
Great Hall - BACC 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Seminar Open For Public
BACC B1 - OA Exhibition
http://www.bibalex.org/Events/EventDeta ... px?ID=8750
15 May 2010 | Bibliotheca Alexandrina - Administrative Department | Seminar | Open For Public
The Award is a cultural event funded jointly by the EU Delegation to Egypt and Dayra Foundation for Culture and Arts, as part of their interest in promoting creativity and innovation. On the sidelines of this event, Dr. Ismail Serageldin and Dr. Saleh Lamie will deliver a lecture. An exhibition of some Award-winning projects will be also held parallel with the lecture.
Contact Person: Hanan Abd Elrazek
Phone: 1338
Email: [email protected]
Event Schedule Location Date From: To: Activity Admission
Great Hall - BACC 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Seminar By invitation only
BACC B1 - OA Exhibition 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Exhibition By invitation only
Great Hall - BACC 15 May 2010 10:00 17:00 Seminar Open For Public
BACC B1 - OA Exhibition
http://www.bibalex.org/Events/EventDeta ... px?ID=8750
http://www.akdn.org/akaa/presskit.asp
Aga Khan Award Press Kit 2010
Resources
Press Releases (English, Arabic and Français)
Project Descriptions
Background Information
Downloads
Shortlisted projects descriptions - PDF format (English, Arabic and Français)
High resolution images
Videos
Broadcast-Quality Video
Contact the Press Officer
Telephone: +41 22 909 7200 / E-mail: [email protected]
For high-resolution images and more information on the shortlisted projects, click on the thumbnails or on the links below.
Aga Khan Award Press Kit 2010
Resources
Press Releases (English, Arabic and Français)
Project Descriptions
Background Information
Downloads
Shortlisted projects descriptions - PDF format (English, Arabic and Français)
High resolution images
Videos
Broadcast-Quality Video
Contact the Press Officer
Telephone: +41 22 909 7200 / E-mail: [email protected]
For high-resolution images and more information on the shortlisted projects, click on the thumbnails or on the links below.
http://www.1234economy.com/press-releas ... mber-2010/
Aga Khan Award for Architecture - November 24, 2010 - Doha
After announcing the 19 international projects shortlisted for the 33rd edition of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in May at the MoMA in New York, the names of five winners, selected by the jury (Jean Nouvel, Faryar Javaherian, Anish Kapoor, Alice Rawsthorn Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, Salah M. Hassan, Basem Al-Shihabi and Kongjian Yu) will be announced November 24 in Doha.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, to enhance understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as it is expressed through architecture. His method is to seek and recognize excellence projects that address significant concerns such as aesthetics, issues of social (housing, education, employment ...), the improvement and development community restoration, reuse and conservation of private and public spaces, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. Supported in this effort by a prestigious Executive Committee members include His Highness the Aga Khan, Mohammad al-Asad, Glenn Lowry, Homi Bhabha, Mohsen Mostafavi, Norman Foster, Rahul Mehrotra, Farshid Moussavi and Han Tümertekin.
Aga Khan Award for Architecture - November 24, 2010 - Doha
After announcing the 19 international projects shortlisted for the 33rd edition of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in May at the MoMA in New York, the names of five winners, selected by the jury (Jean Nouvel, Faryar Javaherian, Anish Kapoor, Alice Rawsthorn Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Omar Abdulaziz Hallaj, Salah M. Hassan, Basem Al-Shihabi and Kongjian Yu) will be announced November 24 in Doha.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, to enhance understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as it is expressed through architecture. His method is to seek and recognize excellence projects that address significant concerns such as aesthetics, issues of social (housing, education, employment ...), the improvement and development community restoration, reuse and conservation of private and public spaces, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. Supported in this effort by a prestigious Executive Committee members include His Highness the Aga Khan, Mohammad al-Asad, Glenn Lowry, Homi Bhabha, Mohsen Mostafavi, Norman Foster, Rahul Mehrotra, Farshid Moussavi and Han Tümertekin.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/ ... nours.html
Souq Waqif vies for Aga Khan honours
Thursday, 04 November 2010 03:55
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Qatar’s Souq Waqif is one of the 19 contenders in the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture whose winners will be revealed in a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art on November 24.
Souq Waqif has been described as a ‘revitalisation project, a unique architectural revival of one of the most important heritage sites in Doha… aimed to reverse the dilapidation of the historic structures and remove inappropriate alterations and additions.’
The 164,000 sq m souq which is home to around 500 shops has become a famous tourist attraction for the fusion of traditional and modern elements such as its sophisticated lighting system.
“In complete contrast to the heritage theme parks that are becoming common in the region, Souq Waqif is both a traditional open-air public space that is used by shoppers, tourists, merchants and residents alike, and a working market,” says a brief description of the project.
“This is the first time that the award ceremony will be held in a GCC country,” Shamsa Rashid, Communications and Outreach Member told the local media yesterday.
Rashid said the 19 nominees from 16 countries were shortlisted from around 400 nominations from around the world.
The award, considered one of the most coveted architecture awards in the world, carries a cash prize of $500,000.
Though she did not elaborate on the criteria which were determined by a nine-member expert panel, some common features stand out among the finalists such as sustainability and environmental awareness.
“The award aims to inspire designers, architects, engineers municipalities, builders, clients and master craftsmen to erect buildings with social consciousness, not just iconic but has significant impact on the lives of the people in the communities they’re in,” she said. This is not the first time Qatar has become a finalist in the 11 cycles of the award. In fact Qatar National Museum won in the first cycle of the award back in 1980.
The other 18 nominees are from Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Turkey. The list is diverse and includes schools, residential buildings, centres, mosques, wetlands, heritage sites and a textile factory, among others.
Established in 1977, the award, which is held once every three years, is part of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the Muslim world.
AKTC is a one of the focus areas of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) founded by HH the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. AKDN focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution building and promotion of economic development.
In Islam’s ethical tradition, religious leaders not only interpret the faith but also have a responsibility to help improve the quality of life in their community and in the societies in which they live.
The Peninsula
Souq Waqif vies for Aga Khan honours
Thursday, 04 November 2010 03:55
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Qatar’s Souq Waqif is one of the 19 contenders in the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture whose winners will be revealed in a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art on November 24.
Souq Waqif has been described as a ‘revitalisation project, a unique architectural revival of one of the most important heritage sites in Doha… aimed to reverse the dilapidation of the historic structures and remove inappropriate alterations and additions.’
The 164,000 sq m souq which is home to around 500 shops has become a famous tourist attraction for the fusion of traditional and modern elements such as its sophisticated lighting system.
“In complete contrast to the heritage theme parks that are becoming common in the region, Souq Waqif is both a traditional open-air public space that is used by shoppers, tourists, merchants and residents alike, and a working market,” says a brief description of the project.
“This is the first time that the award ceremony will be held in a GCC country,” Shamsa Rashid, Communications and Outreach Member told the local media yesterday.
Rashid said the 19 nominees from 16 countries were shortlisted from around 400 nominations from around the world.
The award, considered one of the most coveted architecture awards in the world, carries a cash prize of $500,000.
Though she did not elaborate on the criteria which were determined by a nine-member expert panel, some common features stand out among the finalists such as sustainability and environmental awareness.
“The award aims to inspire designers, architects, engineers municipalities, builders, clients and master craftsmen to erect buildings with social consciousness, not just iconic but has significant impact on the lives of the people in the communities they’re in,” she said. This is not the first time Qatar has become a finalist in the 11 cycles of the award. In fact Qatar National Museum won in the first cycle of the award back in 1980.
The other 18 nominees are from Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Turkey. The list is diverse and includes schools, residential buildings, centres, mosques, wetlands, heritage sites and a textile factory, among others.
Established in 1977, the award, which is held once every three years, is part of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the Muslim world.
AKTC is a one of the focus areas of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) founded by HH the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. AKDN focuses on health, education, culture, rural development, institution building and promotion of economic development.
In Islam’s ethical tradition, religious leaders not only interpret the faith but also have a responsibility to help improve the quality of life in their community and in the societies in which they live.
The Peninsula
Aga Khan Award of Architecture, officially launched its website in Arabic, and featured in BBC
Kindly note that the Aga Khan Award of Architecture officially launched its website in Arabic today at: http://www.akdn.org/arabic/akaa_home.asp The launch is part of the ongoing preparations for the Award ceremony, which will be hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar in November 2010.
ِِAlso, please noted that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, AKAA 2010 will be featured in a three-part documentary series, “Architects on the Frontline”, to be broadcast on BBC World television (www.bbcworldnews.com) on 20 November at 07:30 and 20:30; on 21 November at 13:30 and 17:30; on 27 November at 07:30 and 20:30; on 28 November at 13:30 and 17:30; on 4 December at 07:30 and 20:30 and 5 December at 13:30 and 17:30. (All GMT Zone).
A monograph featuring the projects of the AKAA 2010, with essays by Mohammad Al-Asad, Farshid Moussavi, Mohsen Mostafavi, Hanif Kara and Oleg Grabar as well as members of the Award Master Jury is published by Lars Müller Publishers www.lars-mueller-publishers.com and will be available soon.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage architecture and other forms of intervention in the built environment of societies where Muslims have a significant presence. The Award is given every three years and recognises all types of building projects that affect today’s built environment, from modest, small-scale projects to sizable complexes. All form of planning practices on the urban and regional scales are encouraged, such as infrastructure and transportation undertakings; development in rural landscapes; housing initiatives; industrial facilities and workplaces; educational and health campuses; new towns, urban conservation and the re-use of brown field sites.
Shall you have any further question, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
M. Adham Al-Sayed
Communication Officer,
Aga Khan Development Network, Damascus - Syria
Tel: +963-11-3343610/11
Mob: 00963-933-464-404
Fax: +963-11-3343613
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.akdn.org/arabic
Kindly note that the Aga Khan Award of Architecture officially launched its website in Arabic today at: http://www.akdn.org/arabic/akaa_home.asp The launch is part of the ongoing preparations for the Award ceremony, which will be hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar in November 2010.
ِِAlso, please noted that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, AKAA 2010 will be featured in a three-part documentary series, “Architects on the Frontline”, to be broadcast on BBC World television (www.bbcworldnews.com) on 20 November at 07:30 and 20:30; on 21 November at 13:30 and 17:30; on 27 November at 07:30 and 20:30; on 28 November at 13:30 and 17:30; on 4 December at 07:30 and 20:30 and 5 December at 13:30 and 17:30. (All GMT Zone).
A monograph featuring the projects of the AKAA 2010, with essays by Mohammad Al-Asad, Farshid Moussavi, Mohsen Mostafavi, Hanif Kara and Oleg Grabar as well as members of the Award Master Jury is published by Lars Müller Publishers www.lars-mueller-publishers.com and will be available soon.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage architecture and other forms of intervention in the built environment of societies where Muslims have a significant presence. The Award is given every three years and recognises all types of building projects that affect today’s built environment, from modest, small-scale projects to sizable complexes. All form of planning practices on the urban and regional scales are encouraged, such as infrastructure and transportation undertakings; development in rural landscapes; housing initiatives; industrial facilities and workplaces; educational and health campuses; new towns, urban conservation and the re-use of brown field sites.
Shall you have any further question, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
M. Adham Al-Sayed
Communication Officer,
Aga Khan Development Network, Damascus - Syria
Tel: +963-11-3343610/11
Mob: 00963-933-464-404
Fax: +963-11-3343613
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.akdn.org/arabic
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-2 ... oject.html
Chinese Bridge School, Saudi Green Project Lauded in Aga Khan Awards
By Ayesha Daya - Nov 24, 2010 3:00 AM ET
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture this year was won by five projects including a school built as a bridge uniting a Chinese village and the restored center of Tunisia’s capital Tunis.
The revitalization of a Saudi Arabian valley, a Spanish museum and a Turkish factory also share the biggest prize in architecture, according to a statement today by the organizers.
“We give the award not to ideas but to completed projects which have architects, builders and users involved,” Farrokh Derakhshani, the award’s director, said in Doha. “We also look at issues that the award has not been able to address in the past. Millions of people work in industrial buildings every day, so we tell our nominators to look out for such projects.”
Winners will collect their prizes, totaling up to $500,000, this evening at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He established the award in 1977 to “recognize architectural excellence” that addresses the needs of societies in which Muslims have a presence, according to the website of his philanthropic organization, the Aga Khan Development Network.
A total of 401 projects applied for this year’s awards and 19 were shortlisted. The winners were picked by an independent nine-member jury including French architect Jean Nouvel, Indian- born sculptor Anish Kapoor and Columbia University philosophy professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne.
Emre Arolat Architects designed the winning Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne, Turkey, where floor-to-ceiling windows give workers views of gardens and recreational areas.
Spiritual Center
Another winner was Li Xiaodong’s Bridge School in China’s Fujian Province, connecting the village of Xiashi that lies on two sides of a creek. The school, built on steel trusses with a bridge below, is “the physical and spiritual centre of what was a declining village,” the award website said.
Arriyadh Development Authority’s restoration of the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, a valley near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh that had been exploited in an “aggressive and environmentally destructive manner,” according to the project description, was selected for its creation of parks, providing water treatment and encouraging tourism.
“We revised the eligibility criteria for the 2010 cycle to add planning practices,” said Derakhshani. “Planning is very important. If you have bad planning, the city growing around it will have bad architecture.”
The Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis’s urban revitalization of the city won for its planning, including the restoration of theaters and markets.
The Madinat al-Zahra Museum was praised for its role “as a place to interpret” the 10-century palace city of Madinat al- Zahra in Cordoba, Spain, one of the most extensive early Islamic archaeological sites in Western Europe. The museum “blends seamlessly into the site and the surrounding farmland,” the project description says.
The award is made every three years and is being awarded for the 10th time this year. It is larger than the $100,000 Pritzker Prize, awarded annually since 1979 for “significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.”
To contact the writer on the story: Ayesha Daya in Doha at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Steve Voss at [email protected]; Mark Beech at [email protected].
Chinese Bridge School, Saudi Green Project Lauded in Aga Khan Awards
By Ayesha Daya - Nov 24, 2010 3:00 AM ET
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture this year was won by five projects including a school built as a bridge uniting a Chinese village and the restored center of Tunisia’s capital Tunis.
The revitalization of a Saudi Arabian valley, a Spanish museum and a Turkish factory also share the biggest prize in architecture, according to a statement today by the organizers.
“We give the award not to ideas but to completed projects which have architects, builders and users involved,” Farrokh Derakhshani, the award’s director, said in Doha. “We also look at issues that the award has not been able to address in the past. Millions of people work in industrial buildings every day, so we tell our nominators to look out for such projects.”
Winners will collect their prizes, totaling up to $500,000, this evening at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He established the award in 1977 to “recognize architectural excellence” that addresses the needs of societies in which Muslims have a presence, according to the website of his philanthropic organization, the Aga Khan Development Network.
A total of 401 projects applied for this year’s awards and 19 were shortlisted. The winners were picked by an independent nine-member jury including French architect Jean Nouvel, Indian- born sculptor Anish Kapoor and Columbia University philosophy professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne.
Emre Arolat Architects designed the winning Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne, Turkey, where floor-to-ceiling windows give workers views of gardens and recreational areas.
Spiritual Center
Another winner was Li Xiaodong’s Bridge School in China’s Fujian Province, connecting the village of Xiashi that lies on two sides of a creek. The school, built on steel trusses with a bridge below, is “the physical and spiritual centre of what was a declining village,” the award website said.
Arriyadh Development Authority’s restoration of the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, a valley near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh that had been exploited in an “aggressive and environmentally destructive manner,” according to the project description, was selected for its creation of parks, providing water treatment and encouraging tourism.
“We revised the eligibility criteria for the 2010 cycle to add planning practices,” said Derakhshani. “Planning is very important. If you have bad planning, the city growing around it will have bad architecture.”
The Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis’s urban revitalization of the city won for its planning, including the restoration of theaters and markets.
The Madinat al-Zahra Museum was praised for its role “as a place to interpret” the 10-century palace city of Madinat al- Zahra in Cordoba, Spain, one of the most extensive early Islamic archaeological sites in Western Europe. The museum “blends seamlessly into the site and the surrounding farmland,” the project description says.
The award is made every three years and is being awarded for the 10th time this year. It is larger than the $100,000 Pritzker Prize, awarded annually since 1979 for “significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.”
To contact the writer on the story: Ayesha Daya in Doha at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Steve Voss at [email protected]; Mark Beech at [email protected].
As Received
Forwarded courtesy of From: Zina Khan
See below for the "DOHA AWARD" given to the Aga Khan by QATAR !
Arabic to English translation
Our embassy in Paris celebrated with an "award Doha",..
Paris - flag: rose ceremony active Qatari Embassy in Paris roof of the "Award Doha, the capital of Arab Culture" award in honor of the codes that worked hard to publicize the Arab culture in the West, to the extent it is difficult to imagine what we can add it.
Which culminated in a series of timely honoring exceptional personality in the field of thought and culture and the arts, which takes up space in the fabulous space EU and the Arab-Muslim alike, which is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, which stands at the head of one of the most important global institutions working for the legacy of Arab architecture, the Islamic world .
The attraction of this event, which establishes itself for a wedding and Cultural Award culminate in awards, confirmation of the status of this celebration that turned into one of the most important dates of the capital of light and culture, a crowd of an exceptional collection of elite elite of the symbols of art and literature, thought and culture, as the press and the diplomatic corps.
In his speech, the way he stressed Ambassador Mohammed leontiasis Kuwari, Qatar's ambassador to France and patron of the award "It is an extraordinary encounter, I feel it, thrilled, where he received this evening one of the characters broader impact and more kindness and righteousness in the world .. a personal look at the art and culture as tools of openness and tolerance and dialogue between peoples and religions, particularly between East and West, man, its commitment to multi-dimensional spiritual, humanitarian and cultural rights.
In short, he is an exceptional man, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.
Addressing the Prince Aga Khan, saying:
"His Highness, you are the spiritual leader, who is recognized and admired beyond your denomination. Home of the world. Openness and global citizenship and cultural pluralism is part of your nature .. You are calling for a humanitarian rather than political Islam. Islam of compassion, tolerance and respect for human dignity.
He added: "You as well as an advocate for the love between human beings, avant-garde and creative. Your work inspired many of the major global institutions, According to the teachings of Islam, fired, forty years ago, "Aga Khan Development Network", the aim of improving the living conditions of the poorest people, and promote economic development and social progress in the least developed countries.
Keen to point out here that you seek to the good of all without discrimination on the basis of gender, origin or religion.
The nobility of this commitment clinch the admiration of all. "He added:" His Highness, you are also a pioneer in art and specifically Islamic art. Cultural passions, no longer allows us to count your initiatives in this field, they are numerous.
 I am thinking in particular, "the Aga Khan Program for the benefit of historical cities", aiming to revive the exceptional sites in the Islamic world.
Or Aga Khan Museum, which houses a collection of over 3 thousands of Islamic art, which will open its doors next year in Toronto. The opening of such an institution in a country like Canada, is a powerful symbol. "
And then went Ambassador Kuwari to talk about "the Aga Khan Award for Architecture", which was established 30 years ago, and that reward excellence in the field of engineering in Muslim societies, pointing out that the ceremony will be held this year in Doha under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of Qatar , on 24 December.
He said, "His Highness, and I have never said that the culture of a locomotive for peace as much as a tool for the future of Islam. You embody, cum laude, with this philosophy, adopted by the State of Qatar fully.
Proof of this is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center, whose mission is specifically to help non-Muslims to understand Islam, through art and culture, and encourage peaceful relations between peoples. "
And the price of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir in promoting a spirit of tolerance and commitment to the Islamic nation about the starting parameters for the future.
The pride of the deep friendship that unite His Highness the Emir and his appreciation for his wisdom in the victory for moderation and dialogue among civilizations and religions.
Aga Khan says...And the price of Qatar's vision in that the maintenance of identity is essential to make it set up in this context to set the example in the protection and care of nation's cultural heritage, which is employed to go about its future, pointing out that Qatar is managed wisely high that the balance between preserving the past and the future vision of aspiring to progress.
He said that Qatar has worked with equal force to maintain market standing, at the same time construction of the Museum of Islamic Art at the new, which deserves greeting and gratitude, because the national policy wise has triumphed with exceptional success of originality and contemporary at the same time, what distinguishes Qatar is this wisdom-dimensional integrated .. Respect the past and the courage to sail confidently into the future.
He said: The command which led me to establish the Aga Khan Award in 1977, is that the concern was really about the future of the architectural heritage of the Islamic world. Where she wondered who teaches architecture, and architecture in the Islamic world?
The surprise was revealed by our investigation that there was no in the Islamic world as a whole, whether in Africa or the Middle East, or Turkey or Iran or in other Islamic regions, any teacher of Islamic art, architecture is configured in the framework of Islamic culture itself.
Indeed, all professors of architecture in the Islamic world may Ttelmzu at the hands of engineers have learned outside the framework of our Islamic world ... Can you imagine what that means, and any future awaits the Islamic architecture.
And he said: "Qatar represents for me the country that possess the courage to maintain a deep respect for the past, and looking at the same time to the future with confidence, courage and imagination ... In order not to make Islam and Islamic civilization just news from a distant past ... But it is a civilization have valuable for the future.
He added: I am I share with Qatar a lot of common values, and for this I am very happy to be celebrating the granting of the Aga Khan Award for this year in Doha, in Rihab that architectural extraordinary built any. M. Me. (American architect of Chinese descent, yes, Ming Pei ).
He said: Before I draw my map, yes, Ming the museum, he asked me of any building in the Muslim world who shake his feelings more? My answer was and is the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Because it is an icon on the degree of aesthetic all Muslims, as the finest architecture is based on the relationship between fairy free space and the space built.
I know that, yes, Ming Pei has been taken as a model of the mosque when the plans for the construction of this museum in Doha.
This is the mosque, Al-Kharafi architecture jewel of Fatimid Cairo was keen Prince Aga Khan on the maintenance and restoration, and turn it from a new Islamic architect said is unmatched by any embroidery, said in built-up area sizes of infinite space.
Says Prince Nicolas Petrovis Njicoc, the heir to the crown of the mountain green "Montonnigero": "The absence of this dialogue, and establish the causes of ignorance, the other has led in my country, in the context of conflicts Union, the former Yugoslav, to what led him to Saddam and the wars and unrest dragged to the peoples of the earth almost the whole of .
 We are still in the region suffer from the deposits of these clashes, and live in constant anxiety, fear of recurrence. And despite the fact that men of the place on the ability, all sense of the word, communication and navigation integration and work hand in hand towards a better world. "
He said: I was excited to attending this celebration exceptional generosity by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed leontiasis Kuwari symbol on the degree of significance of the symbols of the Islamic world, His Highness Prince Aga Khan IV, which appeals to the dialogue and love, and who has been promising the values and civilization of Islam in the most beautiful pictures , especially through the arts and architecture.
He added: We have I had a feeling I am in the bosom of this beautiful and ancient Embassy, I was in the company of symbols of humanity, those who have a real belief in the value of life, and the value of progress, and the values of truth and goodness and beauty.
He adds: It is not by chance that the Doha interested in honoring this giant symbol, which calls for national policy; according to what has become known across the land now, and as recounted by various media in the world, the same values, and win for the same concerns. Where Qatar has chosen to invest in people and culture and hope. And make knowledge of a ride to sail toward the future, at the same time striving to preserve the legacy of the past and the cultural pride Bmorotha hitter in the soil of history. All this making it the country a bright and agreed on it and is willing to work with him all the confidence and love. "
From tip explains Mr. Chris Janucheki, Head of Public Relations Secretariat of His Highness the Aga Khan's banner, on this festive, and prospects of historical: I have explained His Highness Prince Aga Khan in his speech how much was proud of this honor, which is summarized by the Qatari embassy in Paris, giving him "Award Doha Capital of Arab Culture ", especially if these correspond to the award ceremony with the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture in Doha later this year. Which can be described as honored high-value, which comes at the moment the value, in a timely manner. "
And he stopped Mr. Janucheki demonstrates's flag on the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture, which will be under the patronage of His Highness the Amir in Doha in the twenty-fourth of December, as: "the only award in the Islamic world which has to encourage Islamic architecture and maintain the privacy of civilization in the process of creative and consistent football in the same time.
 Which is not given in relation to the aesthetic of buildings and distinctive architecture only, but also, or more especially of the role played by the architecture, engineering in the lives of people living around it. "
He said: "The choice of Doha as the venue for this award this year, given as the capital of Arab culture, and the sense acceptable to His Highness the Aga Khan this sense, therefore, comes this honor Imitating Award Doha agree appropriate, and the gesture of a great and relevant code high in this direction," .
He stressed Mr. Dominique Baudis - Head of the Arab World Institute in Paris and the Attorney-European - in an interview with Alraipaly the importance of this award, which was the initiative of His Excellency Ambassador Kuwari, in the rapprochement between the Arab culture and European culture, and to create more bridges of communication and rapprochement between the two banks, which rose from for which the Arab World Institute in Paris in particular.
 According to this meaning of the institute was keen to pursue this award here, and the rest of weddings taking place in Doha culture throughout the year. Participated in Doha two weeks ago at a meeting of Arab Ministers of Culture, which took place in mostly on the horizon. "
He said: "It's a good idea to play Qatar in honor of His Highness Prince Aga Khan, because it represents the Islamic figure job, both at the cultural level or social status in the Arab world and Islamic world. But in particular in relation to its important role in the definition of the values of Islam, the tolerant and the convergence of civilizations, and a victory for language convergence and openness on the other. Therefore, this honor to his person and his best is not strange for me to Qatar, which in turn chose to win all of these principles.
For his part, Mr. Kerim Valimamod - Chairman of the National Advisory Council of the Ismaili Muslims in France - honoring summed up by Qatar on Prince Karim Aga Khan that happened on the degree of importance, and magnificence, especially as it is at the moment which will host the Doha ceremonial delivery of the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture of the year. Thus, the Prince's Award for Doha, the capital of Arab culture is based standalone added after this date will witness the great Doha. "
He said: The Speech of HE Ambassador Kuwari in this regard warmed our hearts and we felt with them honoring the entire community, and that the era of convergence between the components of the nation has taken overlooking the open arms ... This is why His Highness the Aga Khan was a degree of pleasure during the festivities, and his heart was bright hope also noticed in his speech on the occasion.
He stressed in this connection: "Culture is an important factor for communication and rapprochement between the components of the nation, and between the Arab and Islamic culture and civilizations of the world. Kantara which it may combine creative munificence among peoples, nations and civilizations."
For his part, explains Ambassador Kuwari's flag that the "Award Doha, the capital of Arab culture", which wanted the embassy in Paris to keep abreast of which weddings Doha Pttawaijha Capital of Arab Culture for 2010, what was to be completed if they are not awarded for a Muslim intellectuals adults in the West, which His Highness Karim Aga Khan, who plays a major role in the dialogue of civilizations and rapprochement between peoples. In recognition of the cultural institutions founded by the Arab and Islamic world in North America and South America.
He said: "There is nothing old historical gathering of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and His Highness Prince Aga Khan at the same time associated with his organization's relationship and close association with national cultural institutions.
He has chosen to Doha in particular for the granting of the award of the World Islamic Architecture in honor of the Doha the capital of Arab culture, so we wanted to reciprocate honor and give him the award Doha on the eve of his departure for Doha, which will by honored guest at the twenty-fourth of December to deliver the Aga Khan Award in a grand museum of Islamic and under the auspices His Highness the Emir of Qatar.
Forwarded courtesy of From: Zina Khan
See below for the "DOHA AWARD" given to the Aga Khan by QATAR !
Arabic to English translation
Our embassy in Paris celebrated with an "award Doha",..
Paris - flag: rose ceremony active Qatari Embassy in Paris roof of the "Award Doha, the capital of Arab Culture" award in honor of the codes that worked hard to publicize the Arab culture in the West, to the extent it is difficult to imagine what we can add it.
Which culminated in a series of timely honoring exceptional personality in the field of thought and culture and the arts, which takes up space in the fabulous space EU and the Arab-Muslim alike, which is His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, which stands at the head of one of the most important global institutions working for the legacy of Arab architecture, the Islamic world .
The attraction of this event, which establishes itself for a wedding and Cultural Award culminate in awards, confirmation of the status of this celebration that turned into one of the most important dates of the capital of light and culture, a crowd of an exceptional collection of elite elite of the symbols of art and literature, thought and culture, as the press and the diplomatic corps.
In his speech, the way he stressed Ambassador Mohammed leontiasis Kuwari, Qatar's ambassador to France and patron of the award "It is an extraordinary encounter, I feel it, thrilled, where he received this evening one of the characters broader impact and more kindness and righteousness in the world .. a personal look at the art and culture as tools of openness and tolerance and dialogue between peoples and religions, particularly between East and West, man, its commitment to multi-dimensional spiritual, humanitarian and cultural rights.
In short, he is an exceptional man, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.
Addressing the Prince Aga Khan, saying:
"His Highness, you are the spiritual leader, who is recognized and admired beyond your denomination. Home of the world. Openness and global citizenship and cultural pluralism is part of your nature .. You are calling for a humanitarian rather than political Islam. Islam of compassion, tolerance and respect for human dignity.
He added: "You as well as an advocate for the love between human beings, avant-garde and creative. Your work inspired many of the major global institutions, According to the teachings of Islam, fired, forty years ago, "Aga Khan Development Network", the aim of improving the living conditions of the poorest people, and promote economic development and social progress in the least developed countries.
Keen to point out here that you seek to the good of all without discrimination on the basis of gender, origin or religion.
The nobility of this commitment clinch the admiration of all. "He added:" His Highness, you are also a pioneer in art and specifically Islamic art. Cultural passions, no longer allows us to count your initiatives in this field, they are numerous.
 I am thinking in particular, "the Aga Khan Program for the benefit of historical cities", aiming to revive the exceptional sites in the Islamic world.
Or Aga Khan Museum, which houses a collection of over 3 thousands of Islamic art, which will open its doors next year in Toronto. The opening of such an institution in a country like Canada, is a powerful symbol. "
And then went Ambassador Kuwari to talk about "the Aga Khan Award for Architecture", which was established 30 years ago, and that reward excellence in the field of engineering in Muslim societies, pointing out that the ceremony will be held this year in Doha under the patronage of His Highness the Emir of Qatar , on 24 December.
He said, "His Highness, and I have never said that the culture of a locomotive for peace as much as a tool for the future of Islam. You embody, cum laude, with this philosophy, adopted by the State of Qatar fully.
Proof of this is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center, whose mission is specifically to help non-Muslims to understand Islam, through art and culture, and encourage peaceful relations between peoples. "
And the price of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir in promoting a spirit of tolerance and commitment to the Islamic nation about the starting parameters for the future.
The pride of the deep friendship that unite His Highness the Emir and his appreciation for his wisdom in the victory for moderation and dialogue among civilizations and religions.
Aga Khan says...And the price of Qatar's vision in that the maintenance of identity is essential to make it set up in this context to set the example in the protection and care of nation's cultural heritage, which is employed to go about its future, pointing out that Qatar is managed wisely high that the balance between preserving the past and the future vision of aspiring to progress.
He said that Qatar has worked with equal force to maintain market standing, at the same time construction of the Museum of Islamic Art at the new, which deserves greeting and gratitude, because the national policy wise has triumphed with exceptional success of originality and contemporary at the same time, what distinguishes Qatar is this wisdom-dimensional integrated .. Respect the past and the courage to sail confidently into the future.
He said: The command which led me to establish the Aga Khan Award in 1977, is that the concern was really about the future of the architectural heritage of the Islamic world. Where she wondered who teaches architecture, and architecture in the Islamic world?
The surprise was revealed by our investigation that there was no in the Islamic world as a whole, whether in Africa or the Middle East, or Turkey or Iran or in other Islamic regions, any teacher of Islamic art, architecture is configured in the framework of Islamic culture itself.
Indeed, all professors of architecture in the Islamic world may Ttelmzu at the hands of engineers have learned outside the framework of our Islamic world ... Can you imagine what that means, and any future awaits the Islamic architecture.
And he said: "Qatar represents for me the country that possess the courage to maintain a deep respect for the past, and looking at the same time to the future with confidence, courage and imagination ... In order not to make Islam and Islamic civilization just news from a distant past ... But it is a civilization have valuable for the future.
He added: I am I share with Qatar a lot of common values, and for this I am very happy to be celebrating the granting of the Aga Khan Award for this year in Doha, in Rihab that architectural extraordinary built any. M. Me. (American architect of Chinese descent, yes, Ming Pei ).
He said: Before I draw my map, yes, Ming the museum, he asked me of any building in the Muslim world who shake his feelings more? My answer was and is the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Because it is an icon on the degree of aesthetic all Muslims, as the finest architecture is based on the relationship between fairy free space and the space built.
I know that, yes, Ming Pei has been taken as a model of the mosque when the plans for the construction of this museum in Doha.
This is the mosque, Al-Kharafi architecture jewel of Fatimid Cairo was keen Prince Aga Khan on the maintenance and restoration, and turn it from a new Islamic architect said is unmatched by any embroidery, said in built-up area sizes of infinite space.
Says Prince Nicolas Petrovis Njicoc, the heir to the crown of the mountain green "Montonnigero": "The absence of this dialogue, and establish the causes of ignorance, the other has led in my country, in the context of conflicts Union, the former Yugoslav, to what led him to Saddam and the wars and unrest dragged to the peoples of the earth almost the whole of .
 We are still in the region suffer from the deposits of these clashes, and live in constant anxiety, fear of recurrence. And despite the fact that men of the place on the ability, all sense of the word, communication and navigation integration and work hand in hand towards a better world. "
He said: I was excited to attending this celebration exceptional generosity by His Excellency Ambassador Mohammed leontiasis Kuwari symbol on the degree of significance of the symbols of the Islamic world, His Highness Prince Aga Khan IV, which appeals to the dialogue and love, and who has been promising the values and civilization of Islam in the most beautiful pictures , especially through the arts and architecture.
He added: We have I had a feeling I am in the bosom of this beautiful and ancient Embassy, I was in the company of symbols of humanity, those who have a real belief in the value of life, and the value of progress, and the values of truth and goodness and beauty.
He adds: It is not by chance that the Doha interested in honoring this giant symbol, which calls for national policy; according to what has become known across the land now, and as recounted by various media in the world, the same values, and win for the same concerns. Where Qatar has chosen to invest in people and culture and hope. And make knowledge of a ride to sail toward the future, at the same time striving to preserve the legacy of the past and the cultural pride Bmorotha hitter in the soil of history. All this making it the country a bright and agreed on it and is willing to work with him all the confidence and love. "
From tip explains Mr. Chris Janucheki, Head of Public Relations Secretariat of His Highness the Aga Khan's banner, on this festive, and prospects of historical: I have explained His Highness Prince Aga Khan in his speech how much was proud of this honor, which is summarized by the Qatari embassy in Paris, giving him "Award Doha Capital of Arab Culture ", especially if these correspond to the award ceremony with the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture in Doha later this year. Which can be described as honored high-value, which comes at the moment the value, in a timely manner. "
And he stopped Mr. Janucheki demonstrates's flag on the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture, which will be under the patronage of His Highness the Amir in Doha in the twenty-fourth of December, as: "the only award in the Islamic world which has to encourage Islamic architecture and maintain the privacy of civilization in the process of creative and consistent football in the same time.
 Which is not given in relation to the aesthetic of buildings and distinctive architecture only, but also, or more especially of the role played by the architecture, engineering in the lives of people living around it. "
He said: "The choice of Doha as the venue for this award this year, given as the capital of Arab culture, and the sense acceptable to His Highness the Aga Khan this sense, therefore, comes this honor Imitating Award Doha agree appropriate, and the gesture of a great and relevant code high in this direction," .
He stressed Mr. Dominique Baudis - Head of the Arab World Institute in Paris and the Attorney-European - in an interview with Alraipaly the importance of this award, which was the initiative of His Excellency Ambassador Kuwari, in the rapprochement between the Arab culture and European culture, and to create more bridges of communication and rapprochement between the two banks, which rose from for which the Arab World Institute in Paris in particular.
 According to this meaning of the institute was keen to pursue this award here, and the rest of weddings taking place in Doha culture throughout the year. Participated in Doha two weeks ago at a meeting of Arab Ministers of Culture, which took place in mostly on the horizon. "
He said: "It's a good idea to play Qatar in honor of His Highness Prince Aga Khan, because it represents the Islamic figure job, both at the cultural level or social status in the Arab world and Islamic world. But in particular in relation to its important role in the definition of the values of Islam, the tolerant and the convergence of civilizations, and a victory for language convergence and openness on the other. Therefore, this honor to his person and his best is not strange for me to Qatar, which in turn chose to win all of these principles.
For his part, Mr. Kerim Valimamod - Chairman of the National Advisory Council of the Ismaili Muslims in France - honoring summed up by Qatar on Prince Karim Aga Khan that happened on the degree of importance, and magnificence, especially as it is at the moment which will host the Doha ceremonial delivery of the Aga Khan Award for Islamic Architecture of the year. Thus, the Prince's Award for Doha, the capital of Arab culture is based standalone added after this date will witness the great Doha. "
He said: The Speech of HE Ambassador Kuwari in this regard warmed our hearts and we felt with them honoring the entire community, and that the era of convergence between the components of the nation has taken overlooking the open arms ... This is why His Highness the Aga Khan was a degree of pleasure during the festivities, and his heart was bright hope also noticed in his speech on the occasion.
He stressed in this connection: "Culture is an important factor for communication and rapprochement between the components of the nation, and between the Arab and Islamic culture and civilizations of the world. Kantara which it may combine creative munificence among peoples, nations and civilizations."
For his part, explains Ambassador Kuwari's flag that the "Award Doha, the capital of Arab culture", which wanted the embassy in Paris to keep abreast of which weddings Doha Pttawaijha Capital of Arab Culture for 2010, what was to be completed if they are not awarded for a Muslim intellectuals adults in the West, which His Highness Karim Aga Khan, who plays a major role in the dialogue of civilizations and rapprochement between peoples. In recognition of the cultural institutions founded by the Arab and Islamic world in North America and South America.
He said: "There is nothing old historical gathering of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and His Highness Prince Aga Khan at the same time associated with his organization's relationship and close association with national cultural institutions.
He has chosen to Doha in particular for the granting of the award of the World Islamic Architecture in honor of the Doha the capital of Arab culture, so we wanted to reciprocate honor and give him the award Doha on the eve of his departure for Doha, which will by honored guest at the twenty-fourth of December to deliver the Aga Khan Award in a grand museum of Islamic and under the auspices His Highness the Emir of Qatar.
http://archrecord.construction.com/news ... a_khan.asp
Revealed: Winners of 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
November 24, 2010
By Jenna M. McKnight
Bridge School in Xiashi, China
Photo © Aga Khan Award for Architecture/Li Xiaodong Atelier
The Bridge School in rural China is one of five award recipients. Click on the slide show button to see all of the winners. slide show
The five winners of the prestigious 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture will be announced today at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar. The projects (listed below) range in scope and purpose, from an urban revitalization scheme in Tunisia to a small school in rural China.
Established in 1977 and bestowed every three years, the Aga Khan Award recognizes exemplary projects in communities where Muslims have a notable presence. The program is administered by His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. The prize fund totals $500,000.
This year’s recipients were chosen by a master jury from a shortlist of 19 candidates, whittled down from 401 nominations. Various types of projects are eligible, including contemporary architecture, historic preservation, and landscape design. The award is intended to honor all of the entities involved in a project, from client to designer to tradesmen.
In addition to the architecture prize, His Highness the Aga Khan also presented a rare Chairman’s Award to Professor Oleg Grabar for his contributions to Islamic art and architecture. Born in France, Grabar has taught at the University of Michigan, Harvard, and Princeton; he is a professor emeritus at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study. The Chairman’s Award has been given on only three prior occasions.
A monograph featuring the 2010 Aga Khan Award winners, with essays by Grabar, Mohammad Al-Asad, Farshid Moussavi, and Mohsen Mostafavi, among others, will be available through Lars Müller Publishers. Moreover, this year’s finalists are featured in a BBC World News program titled Architects on the Frontline.
Click on the slide show icon to view images of the winning projects. Plus, look for additional coverage in a future issue of RECORD. slide show
2010 Aga Khan Award Winners
* Bridge School in Xiashi, China, by Li Xiaodong Atelier
* Madinat Al-Zahra Museum in Cordoba, Spain, by Sobejano Architects S.L.P, Fuensanta Nieto & Enrique Sobejano
* Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne, Turkey, by Emre Arolat Architects
* Wadi Hanifa Wetlands in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited/Buro Happold
* Revitalization of the Recent Heritage of Tunis, Tunisia (an urban revitalization effort that restored public spaces and landmark buildings), by Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis
Revealed: Winners of 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
November 24, 2010
By Jenna M. McKnight
Bridge School in Xiashi, China
Photo © Aga Khan Award for Architecture/Li Xiaodong Atelier
The Bridge School in rural China is one of five award recipients. Click on the slide show button to see all of the winners. slide show
The five winners of the prestigious 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture will be announced today at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar. The projects (listed below) range in scope and purpose, from an urban revitalization scheme in Tunisia to a small school in rural China.
Established in 1977 and bestowed every three years, the Aga Khan Award recognizes exemplary projects in communities where Muslims have a notable presence. The program is administered by His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. The prize fund totals $500,000.
This year’s recipients were chosen by a master jury from a shortlist of 19 candidates, whittled down from 401 nominations. Various types of projects are eligible, including contemporary architecture, historic preservation, and landscape design. The award is intended to honor all of the entities involved in a project, from client to designer to tradesmen.
In addition to the architecture prize, His Highness the Aga Khan also presented a rare Chairman’s Award to Professor Oleg Grabar for his contributions to Islamic art and architecture. Born in France, Grabar has taught at the University of Michigan, Harvard, and Princeton; he is a professor emeritus at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study. The Chairman’s Award has been given on only three prior occasions.
A monograph featuring the 2010 Aga Khan Award winners, with essays by Grabar, Mohammad Al-Asad, Farshid Moussavi, and Mohsen Mostafavi, among others, will be available through Lars Müller Publishers. Moreover, this year’s finalists are featured in a BBC World News program titled Architects on the Frontline.
Click on the slide show icon to view images of the winning projects. Plus, look for additional coverage in a future issue of RECORD. slide show
2010 Aga Khan Award Winners
* Bridge School in Xiashi, China, by Li Xiaodong Atelier
* Madinat Al-Zahra Museum in Cordoba, Spain, by Sobejano Architects S.L.P, Fuensanta Nieto & Enrique Sobejano
* Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne, Turkey, by Emre Arolat Architects
* Wadi Hanifa Wetlands in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited/Buro Happold
* Revitalization of the Recent Heritage of Tunis, Tunisia (an urban revitalization effort that restored public spaces and landmark buildings), by Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis
Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 Award Presentation Ceremony (Doha, Qatar)
24 November 2010
Please also see: Press Release, AKAA home page and Press Section
Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
Your Highness the Emir
Your Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
As-salaam-o-aleikum
What a pleasure it is to greet this wonderful audience, including so many friends, old and new, who have helped shape this programme, and who are so essential to its future.
I am especially pleased to salute their Highnesses, the Emir of Qatar and Sheikha Moza. We are honoured by your presence - and grateful for your inspiring example, as you embrace this country’s proud heritage, while also pointing it boldly to the future.
It is hard for me to believe that this Awards process is now a third of a century old! - and that it has involved some 3500 candidate projects and over 100 prize recipients. As we complete the 11th cycle, I am delighted to extend to all of our recipients my warmest congratulations!
The awarding of prizes is in the spotlight tonight - and deservedly so. But the prizes themselves are only the tip of a larger iceberg. The Awards programme also includes a wide array of seminars, exhibitions, lectures, publications and a highly decentralized selection process. This ceremony, in short, marks the culmination of a long and lively conversation.
Many of you will remember my personal concern, back in the mid-1970’s, that this conversation was scarcely even taking place.
Discussion and debate about the built environment in the Islamic world was then a very thin proposition. The continuity of Islamic architecture had sadly lapsed - weakened by the heavy hand of colonialization, by modernization and globalization, by the lack of architectural training in Islamic contexts, and even by the development of new construction materials in the industrialized world. The result was a paucity both of indigenous architects and of foreign architects working with distinction in Islamic settings and idioms.
This situation was particularly troubling given the powerful history of Islamic architecture - and given, too, the struggle many Muslims faced in expressing proud cultural identities in contexts where they very often had little influence. Historically, the arts, including architecture, have taken their principal inspiration from religious faith. But when art is separated from faith-based roots, other influences can dominate - including soulless technology and empty secularization.
At that time I used the term “vacuum” to describe the Islamic architectural scene. The initial goal of our Awards programme was to replace that vacuum with an energized debate. Was there a problem, how could it be addressed, by whom, and in what settings?
Notice that we did not seek then - nor do we now - the advancement of some definitive aesthetic style, or the promulgation, as one colleague put it, of some “manifesto of architectural intent.” What we cared most about was that relevant questions be raised, and that a broad range of constituents be engaged in discussing them.
Three decades later, we can claim considerable progress, stimulated by this Award and other endeavours with similar goals.
We have come a long way from a careless confidence that the built environment would somehow take care of itself. We are increasingly aware that the quality of our buildings can transform the quality of our lives, both spiritual and material.
We have only to look around us tonight to see how things have changed. This Museum of Islamic Art itself represents one of the high profile accomplishments in global architecture in recent years. It symbolizes how contemporary international talent, at the highest level, can join creatively with ancient cultural inheritance - and visionary national leadership.
This Museum represents a commitment we have seen elsewhere in Doha - from the development of the Qatar National Museum - one of our first prize recipients in 1980, to the reconstruction of Souq Waqif - one of 19 prize finalists this year - to the striking new structures of Education City. And the progress we see in Qatar now is echoed through much of the Islamic world. How much the Aga Khan Awards have contributed to this story is for others to judge - but I do believe that our recipients, through the years, have provided inspiring examples of architectural excellence.
But what comes next? As we look to the future, let me mention four principle areas of concern: the Islamic environment of our work, its relevant constituencies, the shifting social and economic scene, and the impact of new technologies.
My first concern is with the cultural context of our work. Why should we emphasize an Islamic approach to architecture? Our Master Jury, in responding to this question, has described how global forces now threaten the values of “memory, heritage and belonging,” and how the built environment can help meet that challenge. This is why these triennial celebrations take place in settings that evoke Islamic tradition, and why most of our Award juries have thereby emphasized, among other criteria, the restoration and reutilization of historic buildings. Great icons of the past must not be allowed to disappear, without an opportunity to come back to life and serve the future.
At the same time, in looking at the places we have met and the projects we have honoured, we also see enormous diversity. Diversity, in fact, is part of the essence of Islam. The unity of the Ummah does not imply sameness. Working in an Islamic context need not confine us to constraining models.
Nor does respecting the past mean copying the past. Indeed, if we hold too fast to what is past, we run the risk of crushing that inheritance.
The best way to honour the past is to seize the future.
In sum, an Islamic architectural agenda involves a dual obligation - a heightened respect for both the traditions of the past and the conditions of the future.
A second area of concern involves the definition of our relevant constituencies. With whom should we be communicating?
The answer is increasingly complex. The architectural community has been expanding - beyond the creative core of professional architects.
The list of players is long: planners and managers, engineers and financiers, researchers and educators, computer scientists and social scientists, designers and craftsmen, political and civic leaders, clients and consultants.
More players mean more variables to consider - not only creative designs, but also client directives, the adaptability of building types and materials, allowed expenditures, the indigenous climate, rural versus urban settings - and, of course, the immediate cultural context. We must be aware, for example, that Islamic populations are intermingled, more and more, among peoples of other backgrounds.
When I think of the diversified players in the architectural community, I am reminded of the impatient client who wrote to his architect: “Awaiting plans. If good - cheque will follow.” To which the wise architect, of course, replied: “Awaiting cheque! If good - plans will follow!”
Indeed it takes a wonderful mix of patience and impatience to achieve architectural success.
In the end, significant progress will require the effective interplay of all constituent groups. The success of each is diminished when any of them lags - in concern or in competence.
As we define our constituencies more inclusively, we can help raise architectural awareness across a wider spectrum of stakeholders.
A third area of growing concern is the shifting social and economic scene. People are living longer, rural populations are urbanizing, and economies are diversifying, making complex demands on the built environment. This is why societal evolution has become a stronger preoccupation for our nominating juries. The fact that an industrial complex, for the first time, is one of our Award winners tonight is welcome evidence of this growing recognition.
The nature of the Award is to help shape best practices for the built environments of Muslims and their neighbors. Our mandate must therefore include a wide range of architectural settings - not only mosques, museums and monuments - but also schools and hospitals, industrial spaces and public markets, parks and thoroughfares, and, of course, a variety of residential habitats.
Similarly, our geographical focus must be more inclusive. For centuries, most of our important buildings have been located in capital cities. But recent population growth has concentrated in what I would call secondary cities, often neglected by the global spotlight, but in need of intelligent planning.
The same thing is true in rural settings, which have often been left to a self-build process, receiving little best-practice attention. This, too, is a situation which the Award process can help redress, as we adapt to social realities.
Fourth, and finally, let me point to the revolutionary impact of new technologies. Clearly, a relevant architectural conversation these days requires a considerable degree of technological sophistication, as we encounter a constant flow of new materials, new techniques, and new requirements.
Among other things, new technologies can help us address growing environmental urgencies. I think, for example, of the pressing need for energy and water conservation, and of the risks associated with climate change, weather extremes and geological instability. Used alertly and intelligently, new technologies can help us cope with bewildering environmental challenges.
These, then, are four of the major concerns that I would submit for further discussion. What does architectural excellence mean in the context of Islamic traditions and aspirations? How do we reach a wider array of constituents? Can we expand our social and economic relevance? And how do we best employ innovative technologies?
These concerns, of course, will lead us to further questions. How and where do we teach about architecture? How can we anticipate and occasionally help steer the processes of change? How do we best reward and learn from those who are most successful? How can we share our lessons with others outside the Ummah?
In addressing all these issues, I believe we can, indeed, make our continuing conversation more relevant and more productive - remembering always the Quranic commandment that humankind must take responsibility for shaping and reshaping our earthly environment, employing Allah’s gifts of time and talent as good stewards of His Creation.
Thank you.
http://www.akdn.org/Content/1033
24 November 2010
Please also see: Press Release, AKAA home page and Press Section
Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
Your Highness the Emir
Your Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
As-salaam-o-aleikum
What a pleasure it is to greet this wonderful audience, including so many friends, old and new, who have helped shape this programme, and who are so essential to its future.
I am especially pleased to salute their Highnesses, the Emir of Qatar and Sheikha Moza. We are honoured by your presence - and grateful for your inspiring example, as you embrace this country’s proud heritage, while also pointing it boldly to the future.
It is hard for me to believe that this Awards process is now a third of a century old! - and that it has involved some 3500 candidate projects and over 100 prize recipients. As we complete the 11th cycle, I am delighted to extend to all of our recipients my warmest congratulations!
The awarding of prizes is in the spotlight tonight - and deservedly so. But the prizes themselves are only the tip of a larger iceberg. The Awards programme also includes a wide array of seminars, exhibitions, lectures, publications and a highly decentralized selection process. This ceremony, in short, marks the culmination of a long and lively conversation.
Many of you will remember my personal concern, back in the mid-1970’s, that this conversation was scarcely even taking place.
Discussion and debate about the built environment in the Islamic world was then a very thin proposition. The continuity of Islamic architecture had sadly lapsed - weakened by the heavy hand of colonialization, by modernization and globalization, by the lack of architectural training in Islamic contexts, and even by the development of new construction materials in the industrialized world. The result was a paucity both of indigenous architects and of foreign architects working with distinction in Islamic settings and idioms.
This situation was particularly troubling given the powerful history of Islamic architecture - and given, too, the struggle many Muslims faced in expressing proud cultural identities in contexts where they very often had little influence. Historically, the arts, including architecture, have taken their principal inspiration from religious faith. But when art is separated from faith-based roots, other influences can dominate - including soulless technology and empty secularization.
At that time I used the term “vacuum” to describe the Islamic architectural scene. The initial goal of our Awards programme was to replace that vacuum with an energized debate. Was there a problem, how could it be addressed, by whom, and in what settings?
Notice that we did not seek then - nor do we now - the advancement of some definitive aesthetic style, or the promulgation, as one colleague put it, of some “manifesto of architectural intent.” What we cared most about was that relevant questions be raised, and that a broad range of constituents be engaged in discussing them.
Three decades later, we can claim considerable progress, stimulated by this Award and other endeavours with similar goals.
We have come a long way from a careless confidence that the built environment would somehow take care of itself. We are increasingly aware that the quality of our buildings can transform the quality of our lives, both spiritual and material.
We have only to look around us tonight to see how things have changed. This Museum of Islamic Art itself represents one of the high profile accomplishments in global architecture in recent years. It symbolizes how contemporary international talent, at the highest level, can join creatively with ancient cultural inheritance - and visionary national leadership.
This Museum represents a commitment we have seen elsewhere in Doha - from the development of the Qatar National Museum - one of our first prize recipients in 1980, to the reconstruction of Souq Waqif - one of 19 prize finalists this year - to the striking new structures of Education City. And the progress we see in Qatar now is echoed through much of the Islamic world. How much the Aga Khan Awards have contributed to this story is for others to judge - but I do believe that our recipients, through the years, have provided inspiring examples of architectural excellence.
But what comes next? As we look to the future, let me mention four principle areas of concern: the Islamic environment of our work, its relevant constituencies, the shifting social and economic scene, and the impact of new technologies.
My first concern is with the cultural context of our work. Why should we emphasize an Islamic approach to architecture? Our Master Jury, in responding to this question, has described how global forces now threaten the values of “memory, heritage and belonging,” and how the built environment can help meet that challenge. This is why these triennial celebrations take place in settings that evoke Islamic tradition, and why most of our Award juries have thereby emphasized, among other criteria, the restoration and reutilization of historic buildings. Great icons of the past must not be allowed to disappear, without an opportunity to come back to life and serve the future.
At the same time, in looking at the places we have met and the projects we have honoured, we also see enormous diversity. Diversity, in fact, is part of the essence of Islam. The unity of the Ummah does not imply sameness. Working in an Islamic context need not confine us to constraining models.
Nor does respecting the past mean copying the past. Indeed, if we hold too fast to what is past, we run the risk of crushing that inheritance.
The best way to honour the past is to seize the future.
In sum, an Islamic architectural agenda involves a dual obligation - a heightened respect for both the traditions of the past and the conditions of the future.
A second area of concern involves the definition of our relevant constituencies. With whom should we be communicating?
The answer is increasingly complex. The architectural community has been expanding - beyond the creative core of professional architects.
The list of players is long: planners and managers, engineers and financiers, researchers and educators, computer scientists and social scientists, designers and craftsmen, political and civic leaders, clients and consultants.
More players mean more variables to consider - not only creative designs, but also client directives, the adaptability of building types and materials, allowed expenditures, the indigenous climate, rural versus urban settings - and, of course, the immediate cultural context. We must be aware, for example, that Islamic populations are intermingled, more and more, among peoples of other backgrounds.
When I think of the diversified players in the architectural community, I am reminded of the impatient client who wrote to his architect: “Awaiting plans. If good - cheque will follow.” To which the wise architect, of course, replied: “Awaiting cheque! If good - plans will follow!”
Indeed it takes a wonderful mix of patience and impatience to achieve architectural success.
In the end, significant progress will require the effective interplay of all constituent groups. The success of each is diminished when any of them lags - in concern or in competence.
As we define our constituencies more inclusively, we can help raise architectural awareness across a wider spectrum of stakeholders.
A third area of growing concern is the shifting social and economic scene. People are living longer, rural populations are urbanizing, and economies are diversifying, making complex demands on the built environment. This is why societal evolution has become a stronger preoccupation for our nominating juries. The fact that an industrial complex, for the first time, is one of our Award winners tonight is welcome evidence of this growing recognition.
The nature of the Award is to help shape best practices for the built environments of Muslims and their neighbors. Our mandate must therefore include a wide range of architectural settings - not only mosques, museums and monuments - but also schools and hospitals, industrial spaces and public markets, parks and thoroughfares, and, of course, a variety of residential habitats.
Similarly, our geographical focus must be more inclusive. For centuries, most of our important buildings have been located in capital cities. But recent population growth has concentrated in what I would call secondary cities, often neglected by the global spotlight, but in need of intelligent planning.
The same thing is true in rural settings, which have often been left to a self-build process, receiving little best-practice attention. This, too, is a situation which the Award process can help redress, as we adapt to social realities.
Fourth, and finally, let me point to the revolutionary impact of new technologies. Clearly, a relevant architectural conversation these days requires a considerable degree of technological sophistication, as we encounter a constant flow of new materials, new techniques, and new requirements.
Among other things, new technologies can help us address growing environmental urgencies. I think, for example, of the pressing need for energy and water conservation, and of the risks associated with climate change, weather extremes and geological instability. Used alertly and intelligently, new technologies can help us cope with bewildering environmental challenges.
These, then, are four of the major concerns that I would submit for further discussion. What does architectural excellence mean in the context of Islamic traditions and aspirations? How do we reach a wider array of constituents? Can we expand our social and economic relevance? And how do we best employ innovative technologies?
These concerns, of course, will lead us to further questions. How and where do we teach about architecture? How can we anticipate and occasionally help steer the processes of change? How do we best reward and learn from those who are most successful? How can we share our lessons with others outside the Ummah?
In addressing all these issues, I believe we can, indeed, make our continuing conversation more relevant and more productive - remembering always the Quranic commandment that humankind must take responsibility for shaping and reshaping our earthly environment, employing Allah’s gifts of time and talent as good stewards of His Creation.
Thank you.
http://www.akdn.org/Content/1033
Aga Khan Award presented Thursday, 25 November 2010 02:41
The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and the Aga Khan at the presentation ceremony of the Aga Khan Award at the Museum of Islamic Art yesterday. MAHER ATTAR
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Qatar yesterday became the first GCC country to host the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).
The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned joined the Aga Khan in honouring this year’s awardees.
The five winners selected out of 19 finalists from 401 entries worldwide were the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands (Saudi Arabia), the Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis (Tunisia), Madinat Al Zahra Museum (Spain), Ipekyol Textile Factory (Turkey) and Bridge School, Xiashi (China).
A total of $500,000 was given away to the five winners of the Award, which is considered one of the most coveted architecture awards in the world.
The Aga Khan, who is known for his support to the promotion of Islamic culture, art and architecture, said the MIA “symbolises how contemporary international talent at the highest level can join creatively with ancient culture inherited and visionary national leadership.”
Apart from the MIA, the Education City, Souq Waqif, which was one of the finalists this year, and the National Museum, which won the Award during its first cycle 30 years ago, were among the structures here that impressed the Aga Khan.
“The progress we see in Qatar now is enhanced through much of the Islamic world,” he said.
He underlined the importance of interaction and interdependence of art and faith.
“When art is separated from faith, other influences can dominate like soulless technology and empty secularisation.”
He said the Islamic architectural agenda involved heightened respect for both traditions of the past and conditions of the future.
The cultural context of architecture, how to reach out to more people, the shifting social and economic scene and the revolutionary impact of new technology were some of the concerns the Aga Khan outlined for further discussion.
“Humankind must take responsibility in shaping and reshaping the environment as stewards of creation,” he said.
In its 11th cycle, this year’s award recognised five exceptional and diverse projects which, according to the jury, “reflect generous and pluralistic visions and play transformative roles in the improvement of the quality of the built environment both in places with a majority of Muslims and in societies where Muslims are in
a minority.”
The Master Jury composed of not only architects but artists, historians and philosophers, noted that the central concern to their selection had been the issues of identity and plurality and their intersection in an increasingly globalised world.
“The Award evolves as environment changes continuously, with many challenges, including urbanisation, population and industrialisation putting pressure on the built environment,” said Mohammad Al Asad, one of the members of the steering committee.
The other nominees are from Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Qatar. The list is diverse and includes schools, residential buildings, centres, mosques, wetlands, heritage sites and a textile factory, among others. The Aga Khan also presented the Chairman’s Award to Professor Oleg Grabar in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the field of Islamic art and architecture. The Chairman’s Award was established to honour achievements that fall outside the scope of the Master Jury’s mandate and is made in recognition of the lifetime achievements of distinguished architects and academics. It has been presented on only three previous occasions.
Established in 1977, the award, which is held once every three years, is part of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the Muslim world.
But this year is special since it widened its reach outside the Muslim world. THE PENINSULA
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/ ... ented.html
The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and the Aga Khan at the presentation ceremony of the Aga Khan Award at the Museum of Islamic Art yesterday. MAHER ATTAR
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Qatar yesterday became the first GCC country to host the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).
The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned joined the Aga Khan in honouring this year’s awardees.
The five winners selected out of 19 finalists from 401 entries worldwide were the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands (Saudi Arabia), the Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis (Tunisia), Madinat Al Zahra Museum (Spain), Ipekyol Textile Factory (Turkey) and Bridge School, Xiashi (China).
A total of $500,000 was given away to the five winners of the Award, which is considered one of the most coveted architecture awards in the world.
The Aga Khan, who is known for his support to the promotion of Islamic culture, art and architecture, said the MIA “symbolises how contemporary international talent at the highest level can join creatively with ancient culture inherited and visionary national leadership.”
Apart from the MIA, the Education City, Souq Waqif, which was one of the finalists this year, and the National Museum, which won the Award during its first cycle 30 years ago, were among the structures here that impressed the Aga Khan.
“The progress we see in Qatar now is enhanced through much of the Islamic world,” he said.
He underlined the importance of interaction and interdependence of art and faith.
“When art is separated from faith, other influences can dominate like soulless technology and empty secularisation.”
He said the Islamic architectural agenda involved heightened respect for both traditions of the past and conditions of the future.
The cultural context of architecture, how to reach out to more people, the shifting social and economic scene and the revolutionary impact of new technology were some of the concerns the Aga Khan outlined for further discussion.
“Humankind must take responsibility in shaping and reshaping the environment as stewards of creation,” he said.
In its 11th cycle, this year’s award recognised five exceptional and diverse projects which, according to the jury, “reflect generous and pluralistic visions and play transformative roles in the improvement of the quality of the built environment both in places with a majority of Muslims and in societies where Muslims are in
a minority.”
The Master Jury composed of not only architects but artists, historians and philosophers, noted that the central concern to their selection had been the issues of identity and plurality and their intersection in an increasingly globalised world.
“The Award evolves as environment changes continuously, with many challenges, including urbanisation, population and industrialisation putting pressure on the built environment,” said Mohammad Al Asad, one of the members of the steering committee.
The other nominees are from Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Qatar. The list is diverse and includes schools, residential buildings, centres, mosques, wetlands, heritage sites and a textile factory, among others. The Aga Khan also presented the Chairman’s Award to Professor Oleg Grabar in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the field of Islamic art and architecture. The Chairman’s Award was established to honour achievements that fall outside the scope of the Master Jury’s mandate and is made in recognition of the lifetime achievements of distinguished architects and academics. It has been presented on only three previous occasions.
Established in 1977, the award, which is held once every three years, is part of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the Muslim world.
But this year is special since it widened its reach outside the Muslim world. THE PENINSULA
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/ ... ented.html
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/a ... rent_id=56
Aga Khan awards presented in Doha
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture this year was won by five projects
By Sarmad Qazi
Staff Reporter
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misand with the Aga Khan at the award presentation ceremony in Doha yesterday
The 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) was handed out to five winners from three continents at Doha’s iconic Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA) yesterday evening.
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misand, the Aga Khan, a number of ministers, diplomats and invited guests were present at the award-giving ceremony. AKAA director Farokh Derakhshani welcomed the gathering.
The winning projects included Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis, Tunisia, Madinat Al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain, Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey, and Bridge School, Xiashi, Fujian in China.
A stunning musical interlude, presented by the Aga Khan Music Initiative, set the tone for the evening, as world-renowned Afghan rubab player Homayun Sakhi, Indian santur player Rahul Sharma and Kabul-based tabla player Mirwis Mohamed-Kazim delivered a Dhun (Misra Kirwani) and Raga Kirwani to thumping applause.
This was followed by a presentation on the 2010 awards, a tri-annual recognition now in its 12th cycle, featuring on the rigorous processes and stages of selections, reviews and evaluations by a steering committee and a master jury.
A total of 401 projects applied for this year’s awards and 19 were shortlisted. The five winners were picked by an independent nine-member jury including French architect Jean Nouvel, Indian-born sculptor Anish Kapoor and Columbia University philosophy professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne.
“We look at pluralism in the Muslim world today,” said Omar Hallaj, chairman of the master jury. “The award embraces a Muslim world that is dynamic, innovative and creative and has helped create a better understanding of it.”
Constituting the world’s largest architectural award ($500,000), AKAA was established in 1977 by the Aga Khan, the leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture.
“The prizes for this third-of-a-century-old award is only the tip of a larger iceberg. A lot of seminars, lectures, and publications precede it,” the Aga Khan said.
“When art is separated from faith-based roots, a vacuum takes place … filled with soul-less technology,” he said.
The 120km stretch of Wadi Hanifa Wetlands was awarded for persistence in developing a sustainable environment, while the Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis snatched the award for preserving important landmarks.
Madinat al-Zahra Museum in Cordoba won recognition for having rediscovered Andalusian flair while Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne earned the accolade for turning “a capitalist jail” into a harmonious workplace for employees.
The Bridge School in Xiashi was recognised after it achieved “temporal unity between past and present.”
“The award shows that we’re dealing with a Muslim Ummah that exists in Alaska as well as the Philippines,” said 82-year-old Oleg Grabar, professor emeritus of Islamic Art and Culture at Princeton University, who won the Chairman’s Award for his lifetime contribution to Islamic art and architecture.
The full list of projects and their descriptions may be accessed at akdn.org/architecture.
Aga Khan awards presented in Doha
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture this year was won by five projects
By Sarmad Qazi
Staff Reporter
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misand with the Aga Khan at the award presentation ceremony in Doha yesterday
The 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) was handed out to five winners from three continents at Doha’s iconic Museum of Islamic Arts (MIA) yesterday evening.
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misand, the Aga Khan, a number of ministers, diplomats and invited guests were present at the award-giving ceremony. AKAA director Farokh Derakhshani welcomed the gathering.
The winning projects included Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis, Tunisia, Madinat Al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain, Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey, and Bridge School, Xiashi, Fujian in China.
A stunning musical interlude, presented by the Aga Khan Music Initiative, set the tone for the evening, as world-renowned Afghan rubab player Homayun Sakhi, Indian santur player Rahul Sharma and Kabul-based tabla player Mirwis Mohamed-Kazim delivered a Dhun (Misra Kirwani) and Raga Kirwani to thumping applause.
This was followed by a presentation on the 2010 awards, a tri-annual recognition now in its 12th cycle, featuring on the rigorous processes and stages of selections, reviews and evaluations by a steering committee and a master jury.
A total of 401 projects applied for this year’s awards and 19 were shortlisted. The five winners were picked by an independent nine-member jury including French architect Jean Nouvel, Indian-born sculptor Anish Kapoor and Columbia University philosophy professor Souleymane Bachir Diagne.
“We look at pluralism in the Muslim world today,” said Omar Hallaj, chairman of the master jury. “The award embraces a Muslim world that is dynamic, innovative and creative and has helped create a better understanding of it.”
Constituting the world’s largest architectural award ($500,000), AKAA was established in 1977 by the Aga Khan, the leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture.
“The prizes for this third-of-a-century-old award is only the tip of a larger iceberg. A lot of seminars, lectures, and publications precede it,” the Aga Khan said.
“When art is separated from faith-based roots, a vacuum takes place … filled with soul-less technology,” he said.
The 120km stretch of Wadi Hanifa Wetlands was awarded for persistence in developing a sustainable environment, while the Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis snatched the award for preserving important landmarks.
Madinat al-Zahra Museum in Cordoba won recognition for having rediscovered Andalusian flair while Ipekyol Textile Factory in Edirne earned the accolade for turning “a capitalist jail” into a harmonious workplace for employees.
The Bridge School in Xiashi was recognised after it achieved “temporal unity between past and present.”
“The award shows that we’re dealing with a Muslim Ummah that exists in Alaska as well as the Philippines,” said 82-year-old Oleg Grabar, professor emeritus of Islamic Art and Culture at Princeton University, who won the Chairman’s Award for his lifetime contribution to Islamic art and architecture.
The full list of projects and their descriptions may be accessed at akdn.org/architecture.
AKDN Coverage
http://www.akdn.org/photos_show.asp?Sid=171
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Chairman's Award: Lifetime Achievements of Oleg Grabar
The Chairman's Award was established to honour special achievements.
Professor Oleg GrabarProfessor Oleg GrabarProfessor Oleg GrabarBorn in 1929 in Strasbourg, France, Oleg Grabar received his secondary education in Paris and completed his undergraduate work in history at the University of Paris and at Harvard University. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in Oriental Languages and Literatures and History of Art from Princeton University in 1955. Professor Grabar taught at the University of Michigan before moving to Harvard University where he was a Professor of Fine Arts and then the first Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture. In 1990, he retired from Harvard, where he continues to be an emeritus professor, to become a professor at the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is currently an emeritus professor at the Institute.
Professor Grabar is the author of more than thirty books and over 100 articles. He has held lectureships at several universities and institutions and received many awards including the Charles L. Freer Medal for the Study of Asian Art (2001); the College Art Association’s Annual Award for Excellence (2004); and an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of Michigan. During his academic tenure, he took on many additional responsibilities. He was the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem; a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the founding editor of the journal Muqarnas; and a member of both the Steering Committee (1978-1988) and the Master Jury (1989) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Citation
“The Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s fourth Chairman’s Award is given to Oleg Grabar, distinguished scholar and teacher, in acknowledgement of the valuable contributions he has made to the study of the Islamic world’s architectural evolution, from the early Islamic period up to the present. Through his teaching, writings, and lectures, Oleg Grabar has greatly widened and enriched our understanding of the Islamic world’s architectural production, emphasizing its geographic and chronological diversity, as well as positioning it within the wider political, social, cultural and economic contexts.
“Oleg Grabar has done more to define the field of Islamic art and architecture, than almost anyone else alive. The questions he has asked, the hypotheses he has proposed, and the theories he has developed over a career that now spans more than six decades, have shaped and defined the way we understand the Islamic world’s rich architectural heritage.
“Grabar’s work is as broad as it is incisive. He has written seminal studies about Islam’s earliest monuments as well as some of its most recent ones, his interests ranging from North Africa and Spain to Iran and India. His work on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, The Great Mosque of Isfahan, and the Alhambra in Granada, to name but three of his more than thirty books, are standards in the field, and reveal his ability to work across cultures and time. And his 1973 publication, The Formation of Islamic Art, remains one of the most lucid and insightful investigations into the emerging culture of the new faith.
“Grabar’s work is as broad as it is incisive. He has written seminal studies about Islam’s earliest monuments as well as some of its most recent ones, his interests ranging from North Africa and Spain to Iran and India. His work on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, The Great Mosque of Isfahan, and the Alhambra in Granada, to name but three of his more than thirty books, are standards in the field, and reveal his ability to work across cultures and time. And his 1973 publication, The Formation of Islamic Art, remains one of the most lucid and insightful investigations into the emerging culture of the new faith.
“Grabar has often stated that he is less interested in answers than he is in raising questions. As a result, his work, while often definitive, is first and foremost an invitation to join him on a journey of intellectual discovery as he speculates on a wide range of issues from early Umayyad architecture to the latest buildings in the United Arab Emirates, from how the Ottomans and Safavids used the built environment to articulate their political agendas, to how contemporary societies define themselves through architecture.
“In 1976, Grabar was one of the founding members of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Award in Architecture, and in 1981, he was instrumental in establishing - with His Highness the Aga Khan and William Porter - the joint program in Islamic Art and Architecture at Harvard University and MIT. He has also served on the Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and written extensively for the Award’s publications.
“For all of Grabar’s renown as a scholar and advocate for the importance of Islamic art and architecture, his greatest legacy may be as an educator, first at the University of Michigan and then at Harvard University and the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton. Many of these students have gone on to become well respected scholars, educators, curators, architects and public officials, and they are a living testimony to Grabar’s fascination with the art and architecture of the Islamic world.
“Scholar, teacher, intellectual, and historian, Oleg Grabar has devoted his life to trying to understand and explain the complex forces that gave rise to an artistic tradition that now spans fourteen centuries. No one has done so with more aplomb and insight.”
http://www.akdn.org/architecture/chairm ... rent_cycle
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Academic honoured for contribution to Islamic art and architecture
The Aga Khan yesterday presented the AKAA Chairman’s Award to Prof Oleg Grabar in recognition of his lifetime contribution to Islamic art and architecture. Born in 1929 in Strasbourg, France, Grabar is the author of 30 books and more than 100 articles.
He has directed 75 PhD theses in Islamic art and architecture during his 43 years of teaching. He is an emeritus professor at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study School of Historical Studies. The Chairman’s Award has been established to honour achievements that fall outside the scope of the master jury’s mandate and is given in recognition of the lifetime achievements of distinguished architects and academics. It has been presented on only three previous occasions.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/a ... rent_id=56
*****
http://www.akdn.org/photos_show.asp?Sid=171
*****
Chairman's Award: Lifetime Achievements of Oleg Grabar
The Chairman's Award was established to honour special achievements.
Professor Oleg GrabarProfessor Oleg GrabarProfessor Oleg GrabarBorn in 1929 in Strasbourg, France, Oleg Grabar received his secondary education in Paris and completed his undergraduate work in history at the University of Paris and at Harvard University. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in Oriental Languages and Literatures and History of Art from Princeton University in 1955. Professor Grabar taught at the University of Michigan before moving to Harvard University where he was a Professor of Fine Arts and then the first Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture. In 1990, he retired from Harvard, where he continues to be an emeritus professor, to become a professor at the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is currently an emeritus professor at the Institute.
Professor Grabar is the author of more than thirty books and over 100 articles. He has held lectureships at several universities and institutions and received many awards including the Charles L. Freer Medal for the Study of Asian Art (2001); the College Art Association’s Annual Award for Excellence (2004); and an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of Michigan. During his academic tenure, he took on many additional responsibilities. He was the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem; a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the founding editor of the journal Muqarnas; and a member of both the Steering Committee (1978-1988) and the Master Jury (1989) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Citation
“The Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s fourth Chairman’s Award is given to Oleg Grabar, distinguished scholar and teacher, in acknowledgement of the valuable contributions he has made to the study of the Islamic world’s architectural evolution, from the early Islamic period up to the present. Through his teaching, writings, and lectures, Oleg Grabar has greatly widened and enriched our understanding of the Islamic world’s architectural production, emphasizing its geographic and chronological diversity, as well as positioning it within the wider political, social, cultural and economic contexts.
“Oleg Grabar has done more to define the field of Islamic art and architecture, than almost anyone else alive. The questions he has asked, the hypotheses he has proposed, and the theories he has developed over a career that now spans more than six decades, have shaped and defined the way we understand the Islamic world’s rich architectural heritage.
“Grabar’s work is as broad as it is incisive. He has written seminal studies about Islam’s earliest monuments as well as some of its most recent ones, his interests ranging from North Africa and Spain to Iran and India. His work on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, The Great Mosque of Isfahan, and the Alhambra in Granada, to name but three of his more than thirty books, are standards in the field, and reveal his ability to work across cultures and time. And his 1973 publication, The Formation of Islamic Art, remains one of the most lucid and insightful investigations into the emerging culture of the new faith.
“Grabar’s work is as broad as it is incisive. He has written seminal studies about Islam’s earliest monuments as well as some of its most recent ones, his interests ranging from North Africa and Spain to Iran and India. His work on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, The Great Mosque of Isfahan, and the Alhambra in Granada, to name but three of his more than thirty books, are standards in the field, and reveal his ability to work across cultures and time. And his 1973 publication, The Formation of Islamic Art, remains one of the most lucid and insightful investigations into the emerging culture of the new faith.
“Grabar has often stated that he is less interested in answers than he is in raising questions. As a result, his work, while often definitive, is first and foremost an invitation to join him on a journey of intellectual discovery as he speculates on a wide range of issues from early Umayyad architecture to the latest buildings in the United Arab Emirates, from how the Ottomans and Safavids used the built environment to articulate their political agendas, to how contemporary societies define themselves through architecture.
“In 1976, Grabar was one of the founding members of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Award in Architecture, and in 1981, he was instrumental in establishing - with His Highness the Aga Khan and William Porter - the joint program in Islamic Art and Architecture at Harvard University and MIT. He has also served on the Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and written extensively for the Award’s publications.
“For all of Grabar’s renown as a scholar and advocate for the importance of Islamic art and architecture, his greatest legacy may be as an educator, first at the University of Michigan and then at Harvard University and the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton. Many of these students have gone on to become well respected scholars, educators, curators, architects and public officials, and they are a living testimony to Grabar’s fascination with the art and architecture of the Islamic world.
“Scholar, teacher, intellectual, and historian, Oleg Grabar has devoted his life to trying to understand and explain the complex forces that gave rise to an artistic tradition that now spans fourteen centuries. No one has done so with more aplomb and insight.”
http://www.akdn.org/architecture/chairm ... rent_cycle
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Academic honoured for contribution to Islamic art and architecture
The Aga Khan yesterday presented the AKAA Chairman’s Award to Prof Oleg Grabar in recognition of his lifetime contribution to Islamic art and architecture. Born in 1929 in Strasbourg, France, Grabar is the author of 30 books and more than 100 articles.
He has directed 75 PhD theses in Islamic art and architecture during his 43 years of teaching. He is an emeritus professor at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study School of Historical Studies. The Chairman’s Award has been established to honour achievements that fall outside the scope of the master jury’s mandate and is given in recognition of the lifetime achievements of distinguished architects and academics. It has been presented on only three previous occasions.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/a ... rent_id=56
*****
There is a nice video clip at:
http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=101
A more detailed one at:
http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=102
*****
QU hosts architecture event
By Sarmad Qazi
Staff Reporter
Prof al-Misnad and the Aga Khan among other guests at the seminar yesterday
The Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Qatar University (QU) hosted yesterday the international seminar of the 11th Cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA).
The award was earlier handed to five winners, from 19 short-listed projects from a pool of 401 global submissions, at the Museum of Islamic Arts on Wednesday evening.
“The AKAA has been held around the world. What is striking about it is the celebration of Islamic culture and its fusion with modernity,” QU president Prof Sheikha al-Misnad said during the welcome speech.
“Qatar is also experiencing high rate of population growth, rapid expansion in living and work environments, and a diverse population. There is so much to be done to seek harmony for all those who live here,” she added.
Farshid Moussavi of Foreign Office Architects, London (left) explaining that architecture has a public nature. With her are Hanif Kara of Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology’s professor of architecture (second left) and other speakers
“The idea of humanism and culture of design are important topics being discussed through events like these,” she said.
Experts from across the globe then participated in a day-long event that included roundtable discussions on three key areas of “institution, dwelling and industry”, “conservation and environment”, and “knowledge and education”.
“The winning projects of AKAA embrace multiplicity of subjects … they are chosen either based on ‘visuality’ or have socio-economic and political implications,” Harvard University’ Graduate School of Design dean Mohsen Mostafavi said in his introduction.
The 2010 AKAA winners include: Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis, Tunisia; Madinat al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain; Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey; and Bridge School, Xiashi, Fujian in China.
“The Bridge School in China, for example, has been able to transform its village’s focal point in the context of public interaction,” officials said as they got down to examining the challenges and issues the winning projects faced.
It was explained that the project designer had an acupuncturist concept: minimal invasion, maximum impact.
“The Bridge School now serves as a school by day, library by night, and even as a theatre,” it was explained.
The Ipekyol Textile Factory in Turkey, another project that won the AKAA 2010, was discussed as having exemplified how industrialisation can take place with human harmony at the forefront.
“When we visited the factory, we felt like this place had a soul. You wanted to walk up to the building and touch it,” Hanif Kara, the professor of Architectural Technology at Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology said.
What the architect did for his clients, the owners of the factory, was to simply walk away from the usual steely structure of factories.
“The place now has inner gardens where employees spend their breaks.
“The building uses large windows, houses a contemporary cafeteria and even a sports field,” it was explained. “This is a fantastic and inspiring example of built environment improving the quality of lives.”
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/a ... rent_id=16
http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=101
A more detailed one at:
http://www.akdn.org/videos_detail.asp?VideoId=102
*****
QU hosts architecture event
By Sarmad Qazi
Staff Reporter
Prof al-Misnad and the Aga Khan among other guests at the seminar yesterday
The Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Qatar University (QU) hosted yesterday the international seminar of the 11th Cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA).
The award was earlier handed to five winners, from 19 short-listed projects from a pool of 401 global submissions, at the Museum of Islamic Arts on Wednesday evening.
“The AKAA has been held around the world. What is striking about it is the celebration of Islamic culture and its fusion with modernity,” QU president Prof Sheikha al-Misnad said during the welcome speech.
“Qatar is also experiencing high rate of population growth, rapid expansion in living and work environments, and a diverse population. There is so much to be done to seek harmony for all those who live here,” she added.
Farshid Moussavi of Foreign Office Architects, London (left) explaining that architecture has a public nature. With her are Hanif Kara of Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology’s professor of architecture (second left) and other speakers
“The idea of humanism and culture of design are important topics being discussed through events like these,” she said.
Experts from across the globe then participated in a day-long event that included roundtable discussions on three key areas of “institution, dwelling and industry”, “conservation and environment”, and “knowledge and education”.
“The winning projects of AKAA embrace multiplicity of subjects … they are chosen either based on ‘visuality’ or have socio-economic and political implications,” Harvard University’ Graduate School of Design dean Mohsen Mostafavi said in his introduction.
The 2010 AKAA winners include: Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis, Tunisia; Madinat al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain; Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey; and Bridge School, Xiashi, Fujian in China.
“The Bridge School in China, for example, has been able to transform its village’s focal point in the context of public interaction,” officials said as they got down to examining the challenges and issues the winning projects faced.
It was explained that the project designer had an acupuncturist concept: minimal invasion, maximum impact.
“The Bridge School now serves as a school by day, library by night, and even as a theatre,” it was explained.
The Ipekyol Textile Factory in Turkey, another project that won the AKAA 2010, was discussed as having exemplified how industrialisation can take place with human harmony at the forefront.
“When we visited the factory, we felt like this place had a soul. You wanted to walk up to the building and touch it,” Hanif Kara, the professor of Architectural Technology at Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology said.
What the architect did for his clients, the owners of the factory, was to simply walk away from the usual steely structure of factories.
“The place now has inner gardens where employees spend their breaks.
“The building uses large windows, houses a contemporary cafeteria and even a sports field,” it was explained. “This is a fantastic and inspiring example of built environment improving the quality of lives.”
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/a ... rent_id=16
Saudi environmental efforts win global acclaim: Sultan bin Salman
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Dec 3, 2010 23:42 Updated: Dec 3, 2010 23:42
RIYADH: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities President Prince Sultan bin Salman said the Wadi Hanifa project in Riyadh recently winning the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 is an international recognition for the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve a healthy balance between the rapid modern development and environmental protection.
“What is achieved in the Wadi Hanifa project serves as a successful model for locations that are exposed to vast environmental destruction as a result of an inundation of developmental projects. The project proves that environmentally threatened areas could be restored to locations that enrich the environment of the surrounding regions on the one hand, and on the other, they could be converted to centers of urban development steeped in the local cultural heritage,” the prince said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.
The Wadi Hanifa Development project seeks to revitalize the 120-km green desert valley that cuts through Riyadh. The project was inaugurated by Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, who is also chairman of the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), in April. It was one of five projects selected for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture announced at a ceremony at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha on Nov. 24.
The major aim of the ambitious project undertaken by ADA is to restore and protect the wetlands, that are fed by the desert aquifer that comes close to the surface in the wadi.
The Aga Khan Award, bestowed every three years, recognizes exemplary projects in communities where Muslims have a notable presence.
The ADA said in an earlier statement that it devised a system involving three levels of running water along Wadi Hanifa as part of efforts to rehabilitate it.
“The first one is the level for permanently running water, which is replenished with groundwater networks in the city, treated water at reprocessing water stations and flood-draining networks,” said an ADA statement.
The second level is for seasonal floods that pour into Wadi Hanifa when the winter rainy season comes. The third level is for water brought about by floods that take place every climate cycle, or every 50 years. The ADA said that the three levels of running water are intended to solve the stagnant water problem that has afflicted Wadi Hanifa for a long time.
“For many decades, the wadi suffered from a stagnant water, necessitating its rehabilitation by controlling the sources of that water, halting the polluted industrial use, introducing a bio-treatment system and establishing a canal that guarantees a permanent pouring of water into the valley,” the ADA said.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207200.ece
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Dec 3, 2010 23:42 Updated: Dec 3, 2010 23:42
RIYADH: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities President Prince Sultan bin Salman said the Wadi Hanifa project in Riyadh recently winning the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 is an international recognition for the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve a healthy balance between the rapid modern development and environmental protection.
“What is achieved in the Wadi Hanifa project serves as a successful model for locations that are exposed to vast environmental destruction as a result of an inundation of developmental projects. The project proves that environmentally threatened areas could be restored to locations that enrich the environment of the surrounding regions on the one hand, and on the other, they could be converted to centers of urban development steeped in the local cultural heritage,” the prince said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.
The Wadi Hanifa Development project seeks to revitalize the 120-km green desert valley that cuts through Riyadh. The project was inaugurated by Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, who is also chairman of the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), in April. It was one of five projects selected for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture announced at a ceremony at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha on Nov. 24.
The major aim of the ambitious project undertaken by ADA is to restore and protect the wetlands, that are fed by the desert aquifer that comes close to the surface in the wadi.
The Aga Khan Award, bestowed every three years, recognizes exemplary projects in communities where Muslims have a notable presence.
The ADA said in an earlier statement that it devised a system involving three levels of running water along Wadi Hanifa as part of efforts to rehabilitate it.
“The first one is the level for permanently running water, which is replenished with groundwater networks in the city, treated water at reprocessing water stations and flood-draining networks,” said an ADA statement.
The second level is for seasonal floods that pour into Wadi Hanifa when the winter rainy season comes. The third level is for water brought about by floods that take place every climate cycle, or every 50 years. The ADA said that the three levels of running water are intended to solve the stagnant water problem that has afflicted Wadi Hanifa for a long time.
“For many decades, the wadi suffered from a stagnant water, necessitating its rehabilitation by controlling the sources of that water, halting the polluted industrial use, introducing a bio-treatment system and establishing a canal that guarantees a permanent pouring of water into the valley,” the ADA said.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article207200.ece
Landscape as Ecological Infrastructure for an Alternative Urbanity
Time: 2010-12-06 13:19:18 From:Mohsen Mostafavi, Implicate & Explicate Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Lars Müller Publishers, 2010: 282-283 By:Kongjian Yu
l am glad that the jury has selected the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands for the Aga Khan Award because this project embodies a powerful practice： the recovery of landscape as ecological infrastructure, as an alternative way to build our cities.
Civilization, over the course of centuries, has been defined in part as the control of natural processes and patterns： Those who were successful in exploiting natural resources and transforming natural patterns through technological advancements were considered highly civilized, while those who adapted to natural forces were seen as primitive. Cities are by far the largest and most complicated artificial devices that human beings have constructed, and they are considered by many to be the very testament of human civilization. From the origin of the city to its “modernized” form today, natural forces and patterns have become increasingly controlled and dependent on artificial processes. The quality of urbanity becomes measured by how quickly rainwater drains off our streets, how stable temperature and humidity are maintained in our rooms (or even in open spaces), how garden trees and shrubs are grown for ornamental purposes rather than for their productivity.
Over time, we have drifted away from nature and become disconnected from our roots as farmers and herders. This standard of civilization is built on heavily engineered gray infrastructure： complicated transportation systems designed for vehicles to deliver goods and services; huge pipe networks laid underground to drain excess storm water; rivers reinforced with concrete walls to control floods; Large sewage plants built to treat waste water; power lines to convey the energy necessary to run all of the machines and devices. Built upon this gray infrastructure are showy buildings with deformed heads and twisted bodies that deviate from what natural forces would allow.
Such a model of urbanity, created by Western cities du ring the early stages of their development, has unfortunately been adopted today by developing countries in general and the Islamic world in particular. Here, landscape is largely limited to tamed gardens and parks, where lawns and flowers are irrigated with tap water and storm water is d rained by underground pipes. Here, landscape is just like other components of an artificial city a sink of energy and services, rather than a source. Landscape as a natural ecosystem, and a round cities is largely neglected, its natural processes disintegrated and contaminated and its natural patterns fragmented. The landscape completely loses its capacity to provide what would have been free goods and services for urban communities.
What would an alternative city look like if its natural forces were respectfully used and not controlled? Vegetables and food would be produced along streets or in parks, floods would come and go to the benefit of the city, waste would be absorbed and cleansed by natural processes, birds and other native species would cohabit the city with human beings, and the beauty of nature would be appreciated in its authenticity, not tamed or tightly maintained. This alternative practice has many names： agricultural urbanism, landscape urbanism, water urbanism, new urbanism, sustainable urbanism, green urbanism and certainly ecological urbanism. The key here is that these alternative solutions do not rely on g ray infrastructure but instead utilize green or ecological infrastructure to deliver the goods and services that the city and its urban residents need.
Looking at the history of city planning and building, we find that traditional designs treat Landscape as one Physical and 0raanisationaI entity, rather than as isolated ornamental pieces. Most cultures and lslalmic culture in particular have a prescientific tradition of using geomancy to organise settlements based on the idea that a sacred landscape includes both spiritual and physical infrastructure. Since the late 1 9th century, the United States has used parks and green spaces as fundamental infrastructures to address urban problems such as congestion and sanitation. More recently, this concept of greenways was further developed into a more comprehensive and interconnected framework called green infrastructure, which is considered the basis for “urban form” within urbanising and metropolitan regions. In early 20th century Europe, greenbelt, green heart and green wedge were used by urban designers in growing cities as stoppers, separators and connecters Of urban development and to create a good urban form. Today, similar ecological networks are planned for metropolitan areas across Europe.
It is extremely important to caution urban decision makers in the developing world about mistakes made in the past by Western development. 1t is essential to under-stand that although the developed Western cities are now cleaning up by restoring green urbanism traditions, they are having to address the damage done to the urban environment du ring the 20th century. Their current adaptive solutions are mindful of global climate change and environmental sustainability. 1f we disregard the lessons learned, then the later developing and urbanizing world w…simply repeat the same mistakes that Western countries made, but at a much larger scale. Our decision makers need to understand that being later urbanised and developed provides opportunities to build better cities that enable better lives; but this is only possible if the alternative urbanism approach is chosen over the 20th—century North American urbanism model. The key here is that the planning and design of ecological infrastructure needs to happen before urban development, or as soon as possible.
Ecological infrastructure can be under—stood as the necessary structure of a sustainable landscape (or ecosystem)in which the output of goods and services is maintained and the capacity of systems to deliver those same goods and services to future generations is not undermined. What makes the concept of ecological infrastructure a powerful tool for advancing ecological urbanism is its marriage with the understanding of ecosystem services. Four categories of services are commonly identified：provisioning, related to the production of food and clean water; regulating, related to the control of climate and disease, and the mediation of flood and drought; supporting, related to nutrient cycles and providing habitat for wild plant and animal species; and cultural related to spiritual and recreational benefits.
It is important to recognise that the conventional approach to urban development planning, based on population projections, built infrastructure and architectural objects, is unable to meet the challenges and needs of an ecological and sustainable urban form. Conventionally, landscape and green elements are usually negatively defined by architectural and built infra—structure. By positively defining ecological infrastructure for the sake of ecosystem services and the cultural integrity of the land, the urban growth pattern and urban form are negatively defined. Ecological infrastructure builds a bridge between ecological urbanism. the disciplines of ecology(and especially landscape ecology),the notion of ecosystem services and sustainable development. It is the bridge between smart development and smart conservation.
The Wadi Hanifa Wetlands project stands as an example, albeit not a perfect one, of how a neglected landscape can be recovered as an ecological infrastructure. It offers an alternative method to a ray infrastructure in restoring and enhancing natural systems’ capacity to provide multi—pie ecosystem services, including cleaning contaminated water, mediating flood and drought, providing habitats for native biodiversity, as well as creating spiritual and recreational benefits. It is a step in the right direction for an alternative ecological Urbanism.
http://www.turenscape.com/english/news/view.php?id=233
Time: 2010-12-06 13:19:18 From:Mohsen Mostafavi, Implicate & Explicate Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Lars Müller Publishers, 2010: 282-283 By:Kongjian Yu
l am glad that the jury has selected the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands for the Aga Khan Award because this project embodies a powerful practice： the recovery of landscape as ecological infrastructure, as an alternative way to build our cities.
Civilization, over the course of centuries, has been defined in part as the control of natural processes and patterns： Those who were successful in exploiting natural resources and transforming natural patterns through technological advancements were considered highly civilized, while those who adapted to natural forces were seen as primitive. Cities are by far the largest and most complicated artificial devices that human beings have constructed, and they are considered by many to be the very testament of human civilization. From the origin of the city to its “modernized” form today, natural forces and patterns have become increasingly controlled and dependent on artificial processes. The quality of urbanity becomes measured by how quickly rainwater drains off our streets, how stable temperature and humidity are maintained in our rooms (or even in open spaces), how garden trees and shrubs are grown for ornamental purposes rather than for their productivity.
Over time, we have drifted away from nature and become disconnected from our roots as farmers and herders. This standard of civilization is built on heavily engineered gray infrastructure： complicated transportation systems designed for vehicles to deliver goods and services; huge pipe networks laid underground to drain excess storm water; rivers reinforced with concrete walls to control floods; Large sewage plants built to treat waste water; power lines to convey the energy necessary to run all of the machines and devices. Built upon this gray infrastructure are showy buildings with deformed heads and twisted bodies that deviate from what natural forces would allow.
Such a model of urbanity, created by Western cities du ring the early stages of their development, has unfortunately been adopted today by developing countries in general and the Islamic world in particular. Here, landscape is largely limited to tamed gardens and parks, where lawns and flowers are irrigated with tap water and storm water is d rained by underground pipes. Here, landscape is just like other components of an artificial city a sink of energy and services, rather than a source. Landscape as a natural ecosystem, and a round cities is largely neglected, its natural processes disintegrated and contaminated and its natural patterns fragmented. The landscape completely loses its capacity to provide what would have been free goods and services for urban communities.
What would an alternative city look like if its natural forces were respectfully used and not controlled? Vegetables and food would be produced along streets or in parks, floods would come and go to the benefit of the city, waste would be absorbed and cleansed by natural processes, birds and other native species would cohabit the city with human beings, and the beauty of nature would be appreciated in its authenticity, not tamed or tightly maintained. This alternative practice has many names： agricultural urbanism, landscape urbanism, water urbanism, new urbanism, sustainable urbanism, green urbanism and certainly ecological urbanism. The key here is that these alternative solutions do not rely on g ray infrastructure but instead utilize green or ecological infrastructure to deliver the goods and services that the city and its urban residents need.
Looking at the history of city planning and building, we find that traditional designs treat Landscape as one Physical and 0raanisationaI entity, rather than as isolated ornamental pieces. Most cultures and lslalmic culture in particular have a prescientific tradition of using geomancy to organise settlements based on the idea that a sacred landscape includes both spiritual and physical infrastructure. Since the late 1 9th century, the United States has used parks and green spaces as fundamental infrastructures to address urban problems such as congestion and sanitation. More recently, this concept of greenways was further developed into a more comprehensive and interconnected framework called green infrastructure, which is considered the basis for “urban form” within urbanising and metropolitan regions. In early 20th century Europe, greenbelt, green heart and green wedge were used by urban designers in growing cities as stoppers, separators and connecters Of urban development and to create a good urban form. Today, similar ecological networks are planned for metropolitan areas across Europe.
It is extremely important to caution urban decision makers in the developing world about mistakes made in the past by Western development. 1t is essential to under-stand that although the developed Western cities are now cleaning up by restoring green urbanism traditions, they are having to address the damage done to the urban environment du ring the 20th century. Their current adaptive solutions are mindful of global climate change and environmental sustainability. 1f we disregard the lessons learned, then the later developing and urbanizing world w…simply repeat the same mistakes that Western countries made, but at a much larger scale. Our decision makers need to understand that being later urbanised and developed provides opportunities to build better cities that enable better lives; but this is only possible if the alternative urbanism approach is chosen over the 20th—century North American urbanism model. The key here is that the planning and design of ecological infrastructure needs to happen before urban development, or as soon as possible.
Ecological infrastructure can be under—stood as the necessary structure of a sustainable landscape (or ecosystem)in which the output of goods and services is maintained and the capacity of systems to deliver those same goods and services to future generations is not undermined. What makes the concept of ecological infrastructure a powerful tool for advancing ecological urbanism is its marriage with the understanding of ecosystem services. Four categories of services are commonly identified：provisioning, related to the production of food and clean water; regulating, related to the control of climate and disease, and the mediation of flood and drought; supporting, related to nutrient cycles and providing habitat for wild plant and animal species; and cultural related to spiritual and recreational benefits.
It is important to recognise that the conventional approach to urban development planning, based on population projections, built infrastructure and architectural objects, is unable to meet the challenges and needs of an ecological and sustainable urban form. Conventionally, landscape and green elements are usually negatively defined by architectural and built infra—structure. By positively defining ecological infrastructure for the sake of ecosystem services and the cultural integrity of the land, the urban growth pattern and urban form are negatively defined. Ecological infrastructure builds a bridge between ecological urbanism. the disciplines of ecology(and especially landscape ecology),the notion of ecosystem services and sustainable development. It is the bridge between smart development and smart conservation.
The Wadi Hanifa Wetlands project stands as an example, albeit not a perfect one, of how a neglected landscape can be recovered as an ecological infrastructure. It offers an alternative method to a ray infrastructure in restoring and enhancing natural systems’ capacity to provide multi—pie ecosystem services, including cleaning contaminated water, mediating flood and drought, providing habitats for native biodiversity, as well as creating spiritual and recreational benefits. It is a step in the right direction for an alternative ecological Urbanism.
http://www.turenscape.com/english/news/view.php?id=233
http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20110109113706
09 Jan 2011 Press Release
Dohaland Chairs Lecture Series to shed light on the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Knowledge Enrichment Centre holds exhibition of the projects short-listed for the 2010 awards
Doha, January 09, 2011: Dohaland announced today that it is set to host a seminar entitled 'The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: Voices from Doha', along with an exhibition of the projects short-listed for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The seminar will be delivered by the Dohaland Chairs in Architecture at Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading... and will be held at the Knowledge Enrichment Centre on Wednesday 12th January, 2011 from 5.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., while the exhibition will be held from 12th January to 18th January, 2011. The seminar and exhibition build on the recent Aga Khan Award Ceremony 2010 which took place at the Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, and form part of the Dohaland Chairs lecture series. Both events will be open to the public.
The exhibition will include 22 panels of contemporary architectural and urban interventions, with all 19 short-listed projects by the Award's Master Jury on display, highlighting the plurality and diversity of current contributions to architecture and urbanism in the developing world. The seminar will include five lecture presentations and discussions representing voices from Doha on the Award, its achievements, contributions to the discourse on architecture and urbanism, and the potential of projects within Qatar to receive future awards.
John Rose, Director of Development - Dohaland said: "The Dohaland Chairs lecture series forms a platform for an open dialogue on current and future architectural activities in Qatar and the region. It forms an important part of Dohaland's knowledge-sharing objectives. We are delighted by the participation of esteemed professors from Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading... and experts in the region."
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 to recognize examples of architectural excellence that encompass contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, restoration, re-use, and area conservation, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence.
Both Professor Ashraf M. Salama and Professor Tim Makower, Dohaland co-Chairs in Architecture at Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading..., will be presenting during the seminar. Professor Salama will provide an overview of the three decades of the Award's contribution to the contexts in which Muslim communities have substantial presence. The lecture will address issues that pertain to the evolution of the award, the rigorous review process, and the enlightening intellectual discourse that the Award has generated over the past thirty years. His presentation will also include a classification of the types of projects that addressed timely and pressing issues in their contexts and the way in which architecture can contribute significantly to its immediate environment and the larger societal and environmental context.
Professor Tim Makower will present reflections on the values of the Award in light of the current master plan of Musheireb project and the language of architecture it involves. His talk will address issues that pertain to design, community, and environment, while reviewing the Musheireb project from an Aga Khan Awards perspective.
The Aga Khan Award's projects technical review process is one of the most rigorous and comprehensive review processes of architecture awards. Highlighting his recent experience as a reviewer, QU Associate Professor of Architecture Dr Yasser Mahgoub's presentation will shed light on nature of the review process, reviewers' responsibilities, project study, on-site review, report writing, and presentation of the assessment study to the master jury committee.
Souk Waqif will be an integral subject for discussions within the seminar as one of the important short-listed projects for 2010 Award's Cycle. Mr. Mohamed Ali Abdullah, project manager of the rehabilitation and conservation project of Souk Waqif, will address the evolution of urbanity in the center of Doha since the middle of the eighteen century, the topography of the land and its impact in shaping clusters of houses and the roads and the process of restoration and reconstruction of historical buildings in Souk Waqif. Within the GCC context, QU Assistant Professor of Architecture Dr. Djamel Boussaa's presentation will discuss ways in which this heritage landmark can be sustained and conserved, despite the vulnerability and threats of the immediate context, high-rise development, construction sites, mass tourism, and traffic congestions.
Since its formal launch on 13th January, 2010, Dohaland's Knowledge Enrichment Centre has steadily gained prominence as landmark destination for visitors and residents alike as well as becoming a hub for education and knowledge exchange in the Qatari capital, attracting a variety of visitors ranging from students to high profile politicians and delegates from across the globe. The floating presentation centre moored off Doha Corniche is open to public from 9:00am to 8:30pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 3:30pm to 6:30pm on Saturdays.
-Ends-
About Dohaland
Aligned with the 'Qatar National Vision 2030', Dohaland will lead innovation in urban living through sustainability and heritage, providing a dynamic modern lifestyle that exists in harmony with its surroundings, and empower human potential to grow and flourish.
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned established Dohaland with a mandate to address a gap in the architectural history of Qatar and rediscover a unique form of Qatari urban development. A subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, Dohaland aims to understand and implement how the best of the past, and modern, innovative technologies and thinking can be blend to create a new architectural language in Qatar. Construction work on Dohaland's signature project Musheireb was initiated on January 13th, 2010, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, who revived an age-old Qatari tradition by leaving her royal handprint on the cornerstone of the project, due to be completed by 2016.
Dohaland has invested time and resources towards researching a new Qatari architecture and urban planning language with the foremost experts in the industry. Dohaland also launched its CSR commitment, Knowledge Enrichment Centre, a floating structure moored off Doha Corniche, designed to support the people of Qatar to flourish and enrich their experiences, and encourage a new culture of knowledge sharing. Dohaland will cultivate enduring environments for the benefit of people, built to the highest international environmental standards and best practice. The company aims to become the preferred real estate development partner in Qatar, leading by example, leading the market and becoming an employer of choice.
Dohaland's subsidiary 'Dohaland Hospitality' aims to introduce unique hotel brands to Qatar and contribute to the development of tourism and hospitality industries in the country while achieving the best in modern hospitality standards. Dohaland Hospitality has appointed Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to operate and manage a new luxury city centre hotel and serviced apartments as part of the Musheireb project. It has also signed a Joint Venture agreement with Premier Inn to introduce the 'value hotel model' to Qatar through a 200-room hotel to be built at Education City, Doha, Qatar.
Chatura Poojari-Abbasi
Dohaland
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: (974) 3325 7708
09 Jan 2011 Press Release
Dohaland Chairs Lecture Series to shed light on the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Knowledge Enrichment Centre holds exhibition of the projects short-listed for the 2010 awards
Doha, January 09, 2011: Dohaland announced today that it is set to host a seminar entitled 'The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: Voices from Doha', along with an exhibition of the projects short-listed for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The seminar will be delivered by the Dohaland Chairs in Architecture at Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading... and will be held at the Knowledge Enrichment Centre on Wednesday 12th January, 2011 from 5.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., while the exhibition will be held from 12th January to 18th January, 2011. The seminar and exhibition build on the recent Aga Khan Award Ceremony 2010 which took place at the Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, and form part of the Dohaland Chairs lecture series. Both events will be open to the public.
The exhibition will include 22 panels of contemporary architectural and urban interventions, with all 19 short-listed projects by the Award's Master Jury on display, highlighting the plurality and diversity of current contributions to architecture and urbanism in the developing world. The seminar will include five lecture presentations and discussions representing voices from Doha on the Award, its achievements, contributions to the discourse on architecture and urbanism, and the potential of projects within Qatar to receive future awards.
John Rose, Director of Development - Dohaland said: "The Dohaland Chairs lecture series forms a platform for an open dialogue on current and future architectural activities in Qatar and the region. It forms an important part of Dohaland's knowledge-sharing objectives. We are delighted by the participation of esteemed professors from Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading... and experts in the region."
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 to recognize examples of architectural excellence that encompass contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, restoration, re-use, and area conservation, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence.
Both Professor Ashraf M. Salama and Professor Tim Makower, Dohaland co-Chairs in Architecture at Qatar UniversityQatar UniversityLoading..., will be presenting during the seminar. Professor Salama will provide an overview of the three decades of the Award's contribution to the contexts in which Muslim communities have substantial presence. The lecture will address issues that pertain to the evolution of the award, the rigorous review process, and the enlightening intellectual discourse that the Award has generated over the past thirty years. His presentation will also include a classification of the types of projects that addressed timely and pressing issues in their contexts and the way in which architecture can contribute significantly to its immediate environment and the larger societal and environmental context.
Professor Tim Makower will present reflections on the values of the Award in light of the current master plan of Musheireb project and the language of architecture it involves. His talk will address issues that pertain to design, community, and environment, while reviewing the Musheireb project from an Aga Khan Awards perspective.
The Aga Khan Award's projects technical review process is one of the most rigorous and comprehensive review processes of architecture awards. Highlighting his recent experience as a reviewer, QU Associate Professor of Architecture Dr Yasser Mahgoub's presentation will shed light on nature of the review process, reviewers' responsibilities, project study, on-site review, report writing, and presentation of the assessment study to the master jury committee.
Souk Waqif will be an integral subject for discussions within the seminar as one of the important short-listed projects for 2010 Award's Cycle. Mr. Mohamed Ali Abdullah, project manager of the rehabilitation and conservation project of Souk Waqif, will address the evolution of urbanity in the center of Doha since the middle of the eighteen century, the topography of the land and its impact in shaping clusters of houses and the roads and the process of restoration and reconstruction of historical buildings in Souk Waqif. Within the GCC context, QU Assistant Professor of Architecture Dr. Djamel Boussaa's presentation will discuss ways in which this heritage landmark can be sustained and conserved, despite the vulnerability and threats of the immediate context, high-rise development, construction sites, mass tourism, and traffic congestions.
Since its formal launch on 13th January, 2010, Dohaland's Knowledge Enrichment Centre has steadily gained prominence as landmark destination for visitors and residents alike as well as becoming a hub for education and knowledge exchange in the Qatari capital, attracting a variety of visitors ranging from students to high profile politicians and delegates from across the globe. The floating presentation centre moored off Doha Corniche is open to public from 9:00am to 8:30pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 3:30pm to 6:30pm on Saturdays.
-Ends-
About Dohaland
Aligned with the 'Qatar National Vision 2030', Dohaland will lead innovation in urban living through sustainability and heritage, providing a dynamic modern lifestyle that exists in harmony with its surroundings, and empower human potential to grow and flourish.
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned established Dohaland with a mandate to address a gap in the architectural history of Qatar and rediscover a unique form of Qatari urban development. A subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, Dohaland aims to understand and implement how the best of the past, and modern, innovative technologies and thinking can be blend to create a new architectural language in Qatar. Construction work on Dohaland's signature project Musheireb was initiated on January 13th, 2010, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, who revived an age-old Qatari tradition by leaving her royal handprint on the cornerstone of the project, due to be completed by 2016.
Dohaland has invested time and resources towards researching a new Qatari architecture and urban planning language with the foremost experts in the industry. Dohaland also launched its CSR commitment, Knowledge Enrichment Centre, a floating structure moored off Doha Corniche, designed to support the people of Qatar to flourish and enrich their experiences, and encourage a new culture of knowledge sharing. Dohaland will cultivate enduring environments for the benefit of people, built to the highest international environmental standards and best practice. The company aims to become the preferred real estate development partner in Qatar, leading by example, leading the market and becoming an employer of choice.
Dohaland's subsidiary 'Dohaland Hospitality' aims to introduce unique hotel brands to Qatar and contribute to the development of tourism and hospitality industries in the country while achieving the best in modern hospitality standards. Dohaland Hospitality has appointed Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to operate and manage a new luxury city centre hotel and serviced apartments as part of the Musheireb project. It has also signed a Joint Venture agreement with Premier Inn to introduce the 'value hotel model' to Qatar through a 200-room hotel to be built at Education City, Doha, Qatar.
Chatura Poojari-Abbasi
Dohaland
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: (974) 3325 7708
16 Jan 2011 Press Release
'Voices from Doha' discusses Qatar projects' potential for future Aga Khan awards
Exhibition of 19 short-listed projects at Dohaland's Knowledge Enrichment Centre until January 18th
read more here: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20110116111112
'Voices from Doha' discusses Qatar projects' potential for future Aga Khan awards
Exhibition of 19 short-listed projects at Dohaland's Knowledge Enrichment Centre until January 18th
read more here: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20110116111112
Architecture Festival goes ME
One of the architecture world’s biggest meets is about to branch out to the region. In March, Abu Dhabi will host a Middle Eastern-specific iteration of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), which takes place annually in Barcelona. Architect Rafael Vinoly heads up a diverse and wholly inspiring panel of speakers. Hanif Kara, the head juror of the Aga Khan Award For Architecture, is set to speak at the event , along with Gerard Emery and Angus Campbell, two of the partners in the Foster + Partners firm.
The WAF Select Gallery, an exhibition space within the event, will showcase 50 of the top, Middle Eastern relevant projects from the Barcelona outing last November. Amongst these, the recently completed Tripoli Congress Centre (pictured), designed by Turkish architecture office Tabanlioglu, which scooped top awards at Cityscape Global last year, is a highlight. We’re also interested to see the extent of the Haramain High-speed Railway Stations, Saudi’s ambitious intercity rail system.
Elsewhere, there’s quite an interesting slant towards new developments in Tehran. The Vanak Garden Residential Complex is one such project, a collection of open space-conscious new apartments that try to bring some sense of rural-style conviviality into the depths of this sprawling city. The exhibition will examine how Vanak is proposing an alternative, more green-focused future for new architecture in the Iranian capital and points towards the structures of older neighbourhoods around town as an inspiration to make this happen. The development was shortlisted for WAF’s presitigious award in the 2010 outing in Barcelona.
There are also a number of pertinent and refreshingly relevant seminars taking place over the course of the event – Lee Polisano, founding partner of London firm PLP Architecture, talks about strategies to draw in long-term tourism without compromising some sense of ‘regional authenticity’, while Hanif Kara (Aga Khan Award) discusses the need to establish a modern, regional language of architecture. March 6-7
wafmiddleeast
Read more in Issue 25, January/Feburary, click here
One of the architecture world’s biggest meets is about to branch out to the region. In March, Abu Dhabi will host a Middle Eastern-specific iteration of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), which takes place annually in Barcelona. Architect Rafael Vinoly heads up a diverse and wholly inspiring panel of speakers. Hanif Kara, the head juror of the Aga Khan Award For Architecture, is set to speak at the event , along with Gerard Emery and Angus Campbell, two of the partners in the Foster + Partners firm.
The WAF Select Gallery, an exhibition space within the event, will showcase 50 of the top, Middle Eastern relevant projects from the Barcelona outing last November. Amongst these, the recently completed Tripoli Congress Centre (pictured), designed by Turkish architecture office Tabanlioglu, which scooped top awards at Cityscape Global last year, is a highlight. We’re also interested to see the extent of the Haramain High-speed Railway Stations, Saudi’s ambitious intercity rail system.
Elsewhere, there’s quite an interesting slant towards new developments in Tehran. The Vanak Garden Residential Complex is one such project, a collection of open space-conscious new apartments that try to bring some sense of rural-style conviviality into the depths of this sprawling city. The exhibition will examine how Vanak is proposing an alternative, more green-focused future for new architecture in the Iranian capital and points towards the structures of older neighbourhoods around town as an inspiration to make this happen. The development was shortlisted for WAF’s presitigious award in the 2010 outing in Barcelona.
There are also a number of pertinent and refreshingly relevant seminars taking place over the course of the event – Lee Polisano, founding partner of London firm PLP Architecture, talks about strategies to draw in long-term tourism without compromising some sense of ‘regional authenticity’, while Hanif Kara (Aga Khan Award) discusses the need to establish a modern, regional language of architecture. March 6-7
wafmiddleeast
Read more in Issue 25, January/Feburary, click here
Implicate & Explicate 2010: Aga Khan Award for Architecture [Hardcover]
Mohsen Mostafavi (Author)
Be the first to review this item
Product Description
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture. Its method is to seek out and recognize examples of architectural excellence, encompassing concerns as varied as contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, restoration, reuse, and area conservation, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. The selection process emphasizes architecture that not only provides for people's physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural and spiritual expectations. Particular attention is given to building schemes that use local resources and appropriate technology in an innovative way, and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts elsewhere. The Award is organized on the basis of a three-year cycle and is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by the Aga Khan. The shortlist of 19 nominees for the 2010 cycle of Aga Khan Award for Architecture was announced in May 2010 by the Master Jury. The nominees, which range from a textile factory in Turkey to a school built on a bridge in China, are located in Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Turkey. The final Award recipients will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar in November 2010. The 19 nominees for the 11th Cycle of the Award are: * Conservation of Gjirokastra, Gjirokastra, Albania * Chandgaon Mosque, Chittagong, Bangladesh * Nishorgo Visitor Interpretation Centre, Teknaf, Bangladesh * CBF Women's Health Centre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso * Bridge School, Xiashi, China * Tulou Collective Housing, Guangzhou, China * Palmyra House, Alibagh, India * Green School, Bali, Indonesia * Reconstruction of Ngibikan Village, Yogyakarta, Indonesia * Dowlat II Residential Building, Tehran, Iran * American University of Beirut Campus Master Plan, Beirut, Lebanon * Restoration of the Rubber Smokehouse, Lunas, Kedah, Malaysia * Rehabilitation of Al Qaraouiyine Mosque, Fez, Morocco * Souk Waqif, Doha, Qatar * Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia * Madinat Al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain * Yodakandyia Community Centre, Hambantota District, Sri Lanka * Revitalization of the recent Heritage of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia * Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey.
Product Details
* Hardcover: 352 pages
* Publisher: Lars Muller Publishers (January 1, 2011)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 3037782420
* ISBN-13: 978-3037782422
* Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item
* Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #367,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/3037782420/?tag=btec-20
Mohsen Mostafavi (Author)
Be the first to review this item
Product Description
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed through architecture. Its method is to seek out and recognize examples of architectural excellence, encompassing concerns as varied as contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, restoration, reuse, and area conservation, as well as landscaping and environmental issues. The selection process emphasizes architecture that not only provides for people's physical, social and economic needs, but that also stimulates and responds to their cultural and spiritual expectations. Particular attention is given to building schemes that use local resources and appropriate technology in an innovative way, and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts elsewhere. The Award is organized on the basis of a three-year cycle and is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by the Aga Khan. The shortlist of 19 nominees for the 2010 cycle of Aga Khan Award for Architecture was announced in May 2010 by the Master Jury. The nominees, which range from a textile factory in Turkey to a school built on a bridge in China, are located in Albania, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and Turkey. The final Award recipients will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar in November 2010. The 19 nominees for the 11th Cycle of the Award are: * Conservation of Gjirokastra, Gjirokastra, Albania * Chandgaon Mosque, Chittagong, Bangladesh * Nishorgo Visitor Interpretation Centre, Teknaf, Bangladesh * CBF Women's Health Centre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso * Bridge School, Xiashi, China * Tulou Collective Housing, Guangzhou, China * Palmyra House, Alibagh, India * Green School, Bali, Indonesia * Reconstruction of Ngibikan Village, Yogyakarta, Indonesia * Dowlat II Residential Building, Tehran, Iran * American University of Beirut Campus Master Plan, Beirut, Lebanon * Restoration of the Rubber Smokehouse, Lunas, Kedah, Malaysia * Rehabilitation of Al Qaraouiyine Mosque, Fez, Morocco * Souk Waqif, Doha, Qatar * Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia * Madinat Al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain * Yodakandyia Community Centre, Hambantota District, Sri Lanka * Revitalization of the recent Heritage of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia * Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edirne, Turkey.
Product Details
* Hardcover: 352 pages
* Publisher: Lars Muller Publishers (January 1, 2011)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 3037782420
* ISBN-13: 978-3037782422
* Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
* Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review: Be the first to review this item
* Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #367,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/3037782420/?tag=btec-20
Prince Salman Receives Secretary General of Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Riyadh, Rabi Al-Akhir 08, 1432/ March 13, 2011. Prince Salman Ibn Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Province, received here today the Secretary General of Aga Khan Award for Architecture Eng. Farrukh Darkashani, currently on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the invitation of High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh. During the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed a number of distinguished projects in Riyadh including the projects that have already won Aga Khan Award, namely Al-Kindi Square, outer ring and agriculture in Diplomatic Enclave in 1410H., the development of the Center of Riyadh City in 1416, Tuwaiq Palace in Diplomatic Enclave in 1419 and Wadi (Valley) Hanifa in 1431. The reception was attended Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Advisor to the Governor of Riyadh .
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/ser ... 73087.aspx
Riyadh, Rabi Al-Akhir 08, 1432/ March 13, 2011. Prince Salman Ibn Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Province, received here today the Secretary General of Aga Khan Award for Architecture Eng. Farrukh Darkashani, currently on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the invitation of High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh. During the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks and discussed a number of distinguished projects in Riyadh including the projects that have already won Aga Khan Award, namely Al-Kindi Square, outer ring and agriculture in Diplomatic Enclave in 1410H., the development of the Center of Riyadh City in 1416, Tuwaiq Palace in Diplomatic Enclave in 1419 and Wadi (Valley) Hanifa in 1431. The reception was attended Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, Advisor to the Governor of Riyadh .
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/sites/mofaen/ser ... 73087.aspx
The Quest for Architectural Excellence in non-Western Societies: Reflections on the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in its 11th Cycle
Repeatedly, in non-Western societies, successes and failures of designed environments go un-noticed. Opportunities for discussing lessons learned from intervening in natural or built environments are missed. Initiating change in the physical environment takes place in many cases as if there was no history or past to learn from. Frequently, gaps in knowledge transmission do exist because of the lack of rigorous documentation, especially give that assessment studies and critical writings have not matured in many parts of those societies. One way to bridge knowledge transmission gaps is to unveil merits of best practices through critical assessment of projects with the ultimate goal of creating a sharper public awareness of the role of architecture in enhancing and celebrating human activities, of its socio-cultural, environmental, and aesthetic qualities. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture-AKAA (1) continues to represent such a way. In this editorial, I reflect on selected projects of the Award’s 11th cycle, which were awarded or shortlisted.
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2011/01/ ... ce-in.html
Repeatedly, in non-Western societies, successes and failures of designed environments go un-noticed. Opportunities for discussing lessons learned from intervening in natural or built environments are missed. Initiating change in the physical environment takes place in many cases as if there was no history or past to learn from. Frequently, gaps in knowledge transmission do exist because of the lack of rigorous documentation, especially give that assessment studies and critical writings have not matured in many parts of those societies. One way to bridge knowledge transmission gaps is to unveil merits of best practices through critical assessment of projects with the ultimate goal of creating a sharper public awareness of the role of architecture in enhancing and celebrating human activities, of its socio-cultural, environmental, and aesthetic qualities. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture-AKAA (1) continues to represent such a way. In this editorial, I reflect on selected projects of the Award’s 11th cycle, which were awarded or shortlisted.
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2011/01/ ... ce-in.html
The online edition of ARCHITECT magazine provides industry news, market intelligence, business and technology solutions, continuing education, a building products database, and other architecture resources for the practicing architect.
The Magazine of the American Institute of Architects
Beyond Buildings
The Aga Khan Award: Reasons for Hope
Submit A Comment | View Comments
The age of colonialism in architecture is finally over. Yes, large firms based in the United States and Europe design buildings for sites all over the world and yes, most of the styles, construction methods, and tricks of appearance still show up first in buildings designed in those developed countries. What is fading away is the notion that there is a central canon or style, a type and a character, that works for the Western world, as we used to know it, and which architects, developers, and clients then impose on other places with little allowances for local climate, site conditions, ways of life, or traditions. We live in a global economy and culture, and it is more the empire of capital that of any one country that sets the tone. Against such domination, strategies of either resistance or just common sense use methods that are equally universal, though tied to specific situations.
The best celebration of the latter strategies I have seen is the recent publication of the Aga Khan's 2010 Award cycle. Entitled Implicate & Explicate, published by the most high-quality art and architecture bookmaker Lars Mueller, and designed by Irma Boom, it presents the award's short list with good photographs, plans and sections, and a wealth of (too-short, alas) essays. It finally makes a convincing case for the now 34-year-old triannual awards program, which focuses on worthy designs for Islamic communities all around the world.
Whereas in past cycles many of the winners and finalists have either looked like attempts to adapt Western modes to local types, producing Postmodern mosques and decorated houses, or had been altogether worthy constructions or planning efforts that never gelled into anything whose form could communicate a sense of place, belonging, or community, the current selection presents a parade of good buildings and planning efforts that make their arguments in coherent form.
Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
http://www.architectmagazine.com/blogs/ ... tId=102465
The Magazine of the American Institute of Architects
Beyond Buildings
The Aga Khan Award: Reasons for Hope
Submit A Comment | View Comments
The age of colonialism in architecture is finally over. Yes, large firms based in the United States and Europe design buildings for sites all over the world and yes, most of the styles, construction methods, and tricks of appearance still show up first in buildings designed in those developed countries. What is fading away is the notion that there is a central canon or style, a type and a character, that works for the Western world, as we used to know it, and which architects, developers, and clients then impose on other places with little allowances for local climate, site conditions, ways of life, or traditions. We live in a global economy and culture, and it is more the empire of capital that of any one country that sets the tone. Against such domination, strategies of either resistance or just common sense use methods that are equally universal, though tied to specific situations.
The best celebration of the latter strategies I have seen is the recent publication of the Aga Khan's 2010 Award cycle. Entitled Implicate & Explicate, published by the most high-quality art and architecture bookmaker Lars Mueller, and designed by Irma Boom, it presents the award's short list with good photographs, plans and sections, and a wealth of (too-short, alas) essays. It finally makes a convincing case for the now 34-year-old triannual awards program, which focuses on worthy designs for Islamic communities all around the world.
Whereas in past cycles many of the winners and finalists have either looked like attempts to adapt Western modes to local types, producing Postmodern mosques and decorated houses, or had been altogether worthy constructions or planning efforts that never gelled into anything whose form could communicate a sense of place, belonging, or community, the current selection presents a parade of good buildings and planning efforts that make their arguments in coherent form.
Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
http://www.architectmagazine.com/blogs/ ... tId=102465
Aga Khan Award for Architecture Seminar and Public Lecture Series in Malaysia
Penang and Kuala Lumpur, 29 October 2011 – Five Malaysian recipients of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the Award’s Director, Mr. Farrokh Derakhshani, participated in a one-day seminar on architecture held in Penang on 29 October 2011.
The Malaysian recipients—Dr. Ken Yeang, Professor Ar. Jimmy Lim, Kamil Merican, Ar. William Khoo and Hamdan Abdul Majeed—all spoke at the seminar, entitled "Implicate & Explicate", which will explore the variety of projects that received the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and their shared meanings.
Steering Committee member Farshid Moussavi and architect Laurence Loh also participated in the seminar. The seminar was followed by a discussion on "Penang: Past, Present, Future", which explored the evolution of Penang’s architecture and discussed responses to future growth.
The one-day event was held in cooperation with the Malaysian Institute of Architects and “Think City”, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional in charge of implementing the preservation of historic George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
http://www.akdn.org/Content/1092/Aga-Kh ... n-Malaysia
Penang and Kuala Lumpur, 29 October 2011 – Five Malaysian recipients of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the Award’s Director, Mr. Farrokh Derakhshani, participated in a one-day seminar on architecture held in Penang on 29 October 2011.
The Malaysian recipients—Dr. Ken Yeang, Professor Ar. Jimmy Lim, Kamil Merican, Ar. William Khoo and Hamdan Abdul Majeed—all spoke at the seminar, entitled "Implicate & Explicate", which will explore the variety of projects that received the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and their shared meanings.
Steering Committee member Farshid Moussavi and architect Laurence Loh also participated in the seminar. The seminar was followed by a discussion on "Penang: Past, Present, Future", which explored the evolution of Penang’s architecture and discussed responses to future growth.
The one-day event was held in cooperation with the Malaysian Institute of Architects and “Think City”, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional in charge of implementing the preservation of historic George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
http://www.akdn.org/Content/1092/Aga-Kh ... n-Malaysia