The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) Rewards the BA
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It is an honor that this year the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is among seven architectural designs to receive the Aga Khan Architectural Award (AKAA), notable for having attained the highest international standards of architectural excellence, while reflecting the values of the Muslim societies the projects are intended to serve. The prizes were presented by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, and Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, at a sunset ceremony on Saturday, 27 November 2004, in the gardens of the picturesque Mughal-era Humayun’s Tomb, India.
Projects eligible for the 2004 AKAA had to be completed and functioning for one full year between the period of 1 January 1991 and 31 December 2002. The other projects named as joint winners, by a panel which examined 378 entries, are the Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Grando Primary School, Gando, Burkina Faso; Sandbag Shelter Prototypes, developed by Iranian architect Nader Khalili; the restoration of Al-Abbas mosque in Asnaf, Yemen; a house built (B2 House Canakkale) by two Turkish brothers overlooking the coast in Turkey; and the Old City Revitalization Program of Old Jerusalem.
The rebuilding of the Library of Alexandria has helped the city regain its former status as a center for learning and exchange and has provided the city with a landmark building. The spirit of international cooperation in which the Library was devised, funded, designed and implemented has been maintained in its management to create an institution that is truly global in its outlook. At the same time, the building is technically outstanding.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Librarian of Alexandria, announced that a celebration is going to be held within the Library building to honor all who participated in making this great project a reality. It was also announced that the Library is in the process of publishing a book entitled Innovation and Authenticity. The book was prepared by Dr. Serageldin on the occasion of celebrating the 25th anniversary for establishing the AKAA. Dr. Serageldin added that an international conference and exhibition is expected to take place at the Library during Fall 2005 to discuss the experience of the AKAA and review all the winning projects since its establishment in 1977.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, recognizes 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 process, the Aga Khan 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 Aga Khan Architectural Award is organized on the basis of a calendar spanning a three-year cycle, and is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by the Aga Khan himself. Prizes totaling US$500,000, the largest architectural award in the world, are presented every three years to projects selected by an independent Master Jury. The award has completed eight cycles of activity since 1977, and documentation has been compiled on over 7000 building projects located throughout the world. To-date, the Master Juries have identified 84 projects which deserve to receive awards.
For more information on the Award, click here.