The Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced the Master Jury for the 16th award cycle. The independent panel includes Pritzker Prize laureate Yvonne Farrell, ArchDaily founder David Basulto, and Lucia Allais, director of the Buell Center. Established in 1977 by Aga Khan IV, this competition set out to highlight architectural projects that have a significant positive impact on Islamic communities worldwide. The Award is presented in three-year cycles and has a monetary prize totaling US$1 million.
After selecting the shortlisted projects, each project will be reviewed on-site by independent experts, mainly in architecture and related fields. The Jury will reconvene in the summer of 2025 to evaluate the reviews and select winners. The award aims to focus on architecture that meets people's physical, social, and economic needs while addressing cultural aspirations. Emphasis is placed on innovative use of local resources and technology, and projects with potential to inspire similar initiatives.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is part of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), an agency within the Aga Khan Development Network. The AKTC also organizes the Aga Khan Music Awards and promotes cultural awareness through its Education Program. Additionally, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto is a key project for this endeavor, fostering Islamic cultural contributions and architecture.
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"The Site is the Architect, the Site is Materiality": On Ammar Khammash and Notes on FormationThe nine members of the Master Jury for the 16th Award cycle, 2023-2025, are:
Azra Akšamija
Professor & Director, Art, Culture and Technology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA
Azra Akšamija, born in Sarajevo and based in Boston, is an artist and architectural historian at MIT, where she directs the Art, Culture, and Technology Program and founded the Future Heritage Lab. Her work addresses cultural heritage and social justice, exploring themes like Islam's representation and refugee resilience. She has authored several books and her work has been internationally exhibited. Recognized with awards including the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2013, she focuses on art's role in addressing social and environmental issues.
Noura Al-Sayeh Holtrop
Advisor for Heritage Projects, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Manama, Bahrain
Noura Al-Sayeh Holtrop is an architect and curator with over 15 years in cultural development and planning. She advises the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, focusing on cultural institutions and urban rehabilitation. She's a board member of the Palestinian Museum and has worked internationally. She co-curated Bahrain's Golden Lion-winning Venice Biennale entry in 2010 and led the "Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy" UNESCO project, receiving the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2019. She served as an on-site reviewer for the award in 2022.
Lucia Allais
Director, Buell Center, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, New York, USA
Lucia Allais is an architectural historian focused on architecture's interplay with technology and politics. Holding degrees from MIT, Harvard, and Princeton, she is an associate professor at Columbia University and directs its Temple Hoyne Buell Center. A founding member of the Aggregate Architectural History Collaborative, Allais is involved with the journal Grey Room. Her book "Designs of Destruction" explores the origins of global heritage policies. She writes on topics like reinforced concrete's role in anthropogenic change.
David Basulto
Founder, ArchDaily, Santiago, Chile and Berlin, Germany
David Basulto is an architect and editor who graduated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2006. He founded ArchDaily, the world's most visited architecture website, with a mission to empower the design community. Basulto, former editor-in-chief, is a member of the Endeavor Foundation and the Advisory Council at Tecnológico de Monterrey University. He has curated for the Venice Architecture Biennale, served on numerous juries, and was named one of Chile's 100 Young Leaders, receiving the National Award of Innovation in 2013.
Yvonne Farrell
Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio, Switzerland; Founder and Partner, Grafton Architects, Dublin, Ireland
Yvonne Farrell is an Irish architect who graduated from University College Dublin in 1974 and co-founded Grafton Architects with Shelley McNamara in 1978. A fellow of RIAI and an honorary fellow of RIBA, she has worked on notable projects like The Town House Building at Kingston University and the School of Economics in Toulouse. Yvonne Farrell, along with Shelley McNamara, were selected as the 2020 Pritzker Prize laureates.
Kabage Karanja
Co-founder, Cave_bureau, Nairobi, Kenya; Assistant Professor of Architectural Design, Yale University, New Haven, USA
Kabage Karanja is a Nairobi-based architect, researcher, and educator. Qualified under the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2011, he leads Cave_bureau, exploring architecture within nature, focusing on postcolonial African cities. He served as an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University and is the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor at Yale. His work, including "The Anthropocene Museum," has been widely published and exhibited globally, earning recognition at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Yacouba Konaté
Professor of Philosophy, University Félix Houphouët Boigny of Abidjan-Cocody, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Yacouba Konaté, a curator, writer, and art critic, holds a PhD in Philosophy from Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He is vice-president of the Scientific Council of the Academy of Sciences, Arts, African Cultures and Diasporas in Abidjan, and directs the Rotonde des Arts Contemporains. He has consulted on cultural development, taught internationally, and curated major art events, including Dak'Art and the Venice Biennale. Konaté has published extensively on African culture and politics, including works on Alpha Blondy and the Dakar Biennale.
Hassan Radoine
Director General & Full Professor, Citinnov SA for Integrated Territorial Planning and Smart Cities, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Rabat, Morocco
Hassan Radoine, an architecture curator and educator, is a full professor and director general of Citinnov SA at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco. He founded SAP+D and directed École Nationale d'Architecture (ENA). Radoine's work spans sustainable design and smart cities. He authored "Architecture in Context" and has advised organizations like UN-Habitat. He served as an on-site reviewer for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Mun Summ Wong
Professor-in-Practice, Department of Architecture, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore; Co-founding Director, WOHA, Singapore
Mun Summ Wong co-founded the Singapore-based architectural firm WOHA with Richard Hassell in 1994. He's a professor at the National University of Singapore and holds the Seidler Chair at the University of New South Wales. Involved in various committees, Wong's work focuses on sustainable, community-connected architecture. WOHA projects emphasize interconnected environments and resilience. They have received numerous awards, including the Aga Khan Award and World Architecture Festival World Building of the Year, for projects like Kampung Admiralty and Oasia Hotel Downtown.
