Copenhagen-based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, and four others have been named as winners of the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The Danish architect claimed the prize for his Superkilen project in Copenhagen, Denmark, meanwhile Hadid for her design for the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.
The announcement was made in the capital of the UAE in Abu Dhabi earlier today. Awarded every three years, the prize has become a heavily cherished trophy since its inauguration in 1977 when Aga Khan established the award to recognize building concepts found in predominantly Muslim communities. For this year’s award, a jury drew up a shortlist of 19 projects, born from 348 nominations. The prizes awarded are as follows:
The parallel, yet diverging, white stripes are meant to curate movement of people on site around and towards objects. (Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Kristian Skeie)
Superkilen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Bjarke Ingels Group, Topotek 1, and Superflex
Words from the jury: “A public space promoting integration across lines of ethnicity, religion and culture.“
(Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Rajesh Vora)
Bait Ur Rouf Mosque
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Marina Tabassum
Words from the jury: “A refuge for spirituality in urban Dhaka, selected for its beautiful use of natural light.”
Located in rural Gaibandha where agriculture is predominant, the project’s roofscape merges with its environment. (Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Rajesh Vora)
Friendship Centre
Gaibandha, Bangladesh
Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury/URBANA
Words from the jury: “A community center which makes a virtue of an area susceptible to flooding in rural Bangladesh.“
The tree acts as a central figure to capture all the masses and activities, and offers a varying ambiance through the seasons. (Coouryesy AKTC / Su Shengliang, ZAO, standardarchitecture)
Cha’er Hutong Children’s Library and Art Centre
Beijing, China
ZAO/standardarchitecture / Zhang Ke
Words from the jury: “A children’s library selected for its embodiment of contemporary life in the traditional courtyard residences of Beijing’s Hutongs.“
The project espouses the topography of the sloppy site. The hills and their curves oscillate the structures and surfaces of the bridge and transmit their topographic lines to the other park on the other side. (Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Barzin Baharlouie)
Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge
Tehran, Iran
Diba Tensile Architecture / Leila Araghian, Alireza Behzadi
Words from the jury: “A multi-level bridge spanning a busy motorway has created a dynamic new urban space.“
The project is a great asset to the campus, AUB and Beirut. The professionals describe the design as very contemporary, representative of its time and one that pushes the physical abilities of the materials used to the limit, while the art community views the building as a piece of art. (Courtesy Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal Emden)
Issam Fares Institute
Beirut, Lebanon
Zaha Hadid Architects
Words from the jury: “A new building for the American University of Beirut’s campus, radical in composition but respectful of its traditional context.“
