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29 March 2024

GCC projects vie for top architectural prize

The Green School in Bali, Indonesia, gives its students a relevant, holistic and green education in one of the most amazing environments on the planet (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Mohammed Al Sadafy

Doha’s Souk Waqif and the Wadi Hanifa Wetlands in Saudi Arabia are among a list of 19 nominees for the 2010 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

The shortlist was announced on Sunday evening at the Ismailia centre in Dubai.

Projects being considered for the award include a textile factory in Turkey and a school built on a bridge in China, with India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco all in contention. They will now be technically reviewed by a select group of architects, urban planners and engineers to examine both architectural excellence and the impact on quality of life.

The final award recipients will be announced at a ceremony to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, next month.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture not only rewards architects, but also identifies municipalities, builders, clients, master craftsmen and engineers who have played important roles in the realisation of a project. Its mandate is different from that of many other architecture prizes: it selects projects –from innovative mud and bamboo schools to state of the art “green” buildings – that not only exhibit architectural excellence but also improve the overall quality of life Since the Award was launched 33 years ago, over 100 projects have received the award and more than 7,500 building projects have been documented.

Projects that have received the award range from a primary school in Burkina Faso designed by local architect Diébédo Francis Kéré to an SOM-designed airport in Saudi Arabia and from the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris, designed by Jean Nouvel, to Ken Yeang's groundbreaking bioclimatic office building in Malaysia. Other past Award recipients have included Lord Norman Foster and Ricardo Legorreta.

Nine prominent arts professionals are on the jury, including British sculptor Anish Kapoor, French architect Jean Nouvel, Iranian architect Faryar Javaherian, Chinese landscape architect and urbanist Kongjian Yu and Souleymane Bachir Diagne, professor of the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University.

The award was established by the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence. It recognises examples of architectural excellence in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, historic preservation, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment.

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