Aga Khan Award for Architecture's 14th Cycle (2017 - 2019)
https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Aga-Khan- ... index.html
In Summary
Imam of Shia Ismailis celebrated six unique projects that were recently declared winners of the 14th cycle of the much-acclaimed Aga Khan Architectural Award.
The Aga Khan Architectural Awards has processed more than 9,000 nominated projects in four decades.
This year’s six winners will share $1 million (Sh103 million), with half of the amount being committed to strategic replication of the projects.
By CHURCHILL OTIENO
More by this Author
The world is big enough for multiple cultures to coexist peacefully and architecture is uniquely placed to enable this, the Aga Khan has said.
Speaking in Kazan, Russia, Friday, the Imam of Shia Ismailis celebrated six unique projects that were recently declared winners of the 14th cycle of the much-acclaimed Aga Khan Architectural Award.
CONSERVE
The projects in Senegal, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Palestine, Russia and Bahrain emerged winners after a three-year judging process for their unique ways in embracing and conserving the environment even as they solved human problems.
From Senegal was a building at Alioune Diop University that creatively adapts to Africa’s heat and sunlight, while an amphibious building, Arcadia Education Project in Bangladesh, won for allowing a school to operate in a swamp in all seasons.
The Aga Khan, in his keynote address, noted that the venue of this year’s awards was particularly important in emphasising the role architecture must play in promoting pluralism in the world.
PLURALISTIC
“On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural dialogue.
“I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar,” he said.
The Imam said pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour unique ideas in individual traditions and values that connect humankind.
He said architecture, more than any other art form, has a profound impact on the quality of human life.
HERITAGE
“As it has often been said, we shape our built environment — and then our buildings shape us.”
The Aga Khan Architectural Awards has processed more than 9,000 nominated projects in four decades.
This year’s six winners will share $1 million (Sh103 million), with half of the amount being committed to strategic replication of the projects.
The other four winners of this year’s award are a museum that projects Palestinian heritage with a stated aim to ‘foster a culture of dialogue and tolerance’; public spaces development programme in Tatarstan, Russia; the revitalisation of Muharraq — the pearling industry that is historically crucial to Bahrain’s economy; and Wasit Wetland Centre in UAE.
In Summary
Imam of Shia Ismailis celebrated six unique projects that were recently declared winners of the 14th cycle of the much-acclaimed Aga Khan Architectural Award.
The Aga Khan Architectural Awards has processed more than 9,000 nominated projects in four decades.
This year’s six winners will share $1 million (Sh103 million), with half of the amount being committed to strategic replication of the projects.
By CHURCHILL OTIENO
More by this Author
The world is big enough for multiple cultures to coexist peacefully and architecture is uniquely placed to enable this, the Aga Khan has said.
Speaking in Kazan, Russia, Friday, the Imam of Shia Ismailis celebrated six unique projects that were recently declared winners of the 14th cycle of the much-acclaimed Aga Khan Architectural Award.
CONSERVE
The projects in Senegal, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Palestine, Russia and Bahrain emerged winners after a three-year judging process for their unique ways in embracing and conserving the environment even as they solved human problems.
From Senegal was a building at Alioune Diop University that creatively adapts to Africa’s heat and sunlight, while an amphibious building, Arcadia Education Project in Bangladesh, won for allowing a school to operate in a swamp in all seasons.
The Aga Khan, in his keynote address, noted that the venue of this year’s awards was particularly important in emphasising the role architecture must play in promoting pluralism in the world.
PLURALISTIC
“On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural dialogue.
“I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar,” he said.
The Imam said pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour unique ideas in individual traditions and values that connect humankind.
He said architecture, more than any other art form, has a profound impact on the quality of human life.
HERITAGE
“As it has often been said, we shape our built environment — and then our buildings shape us.”
The Aga Khan Architectural Awards has processed more than 9,000 nominated projects in four decades.
This year’s six winners will share $1 million (Sh103 million), with half of the amount being committed to strategic replication of the projects.
The other four winners of this year’s award are a museum that projects Palestinian heritage with a stated aim to ‘foster a culture of dialogue and tolerance’; public spaces development programme in Tatarstan, Russia; the revitalisation of Muharraq — the pearling industry that is historically crucial to Bahrain’s economy; and Wasit Wetland Centre in UAE.
https://www.akdn.org/speech/his-highnes ... n-ceremony
SPEECH DELIVERED BY His Highness the Aga Khan
LOCATION: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (13 September 2019)
Bismillah-ir-Rahaman-ir-Rahim
As-Salam-Alai-Kum, Peace be upon you
Your Excellency Mintimer Shaimiev
Your Excellency Eleonora Mitrofanova
Respected Members of the Government
Distinguished Guests
What an enormous pleasure it is to welcome all of you to this ceremony.
We gather today with a group of extraordinary people, in an extraordinary place, and for an extraordinary purpose.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is organised around a series of three-year cycles - each one culminating in the recognition of our Award recipients.
Tonight we celebrate the outcomes of our Fourteenth Cycle.
This is an extraordinary moment for me as I think back to our decision to launch this programme - more than four decades ago.
What led to that decision? - You may ask - as many have asked, then and since. Just why should the Ismaili Imamat become so deeply involved in the world of professional architecture?
The simple answer lies in my conviction that Architecture - more than any other art form - has a profound impact on the quality of human life. As it has often been said, we shape our built environment - and then our buildings shape us.
This close relationship of architecture to the quality of human experience has a particularly profound resonance in the developing world. I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever that opportunity arises. Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture - intellectually and materially - grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.
As you may know, over these four decades, we have recognised a vast array of architectural contributions, including over nine thousand nominated projects.
But the value of this programme goes far beyond recognising specific projects.
The Aga Khan Architectural Award is not simply a prize; it is a process.
This process involves a wide range of conversations - all across the world - that shape the selection process.
The theme of the Cycle which culminates today is: “Architecture in Dialogue”. This theme, which emerged out of the deliberations of the Steering Committee and Master Jury, sees architecture as a robust interchange, one that can embrace a variety of diverse and even divergent perspectives.
A true dialogue requires not only that we articulate one perspective, but also that we listen – attentively - to other perspectives. More than that, it asks us not only to listen to one another, but also to learn from one another.
There are several ways in which architecture can blend different perspectives. Let me briefly describe just four of them,
First of all, we must foster a healthy dialogue among the actual participants in the architectural process. I don’t mean only the skilled architects themselves, but also those who collaborate with them - clients, community leaders, public officials, educators, and the builders, designers, and craftsmen who help realise their plans. Our Master Jury for this cycle paid close attention to this dimension, looking at qualities such as leadership, cooperation, and openness - qualities that help produce creative dialogue.
A second dialogue that advances the best in human architecture is an open dialogue between the past and the future. This means more than simply copying the past - or merely tacking some ancient arch or minaret or calligraphy onto a new building. On the other hand, it also means more than a heedless modernistic approach that ignores our rich heritage. Our realisation, more than 40 years ago, that architectural practice in Muslim societies had recently been forgetting its own history, helped us to shape the nature of this Award.
The dialogue we seek is one that will blend the inspiration of the past with the demands of the future. The demands are many: environmental, social, technological, and economic, not to mention the challenges of political polarisation. In all of these respects, looking back can help us look ahead - and vice versa.
A third dialogue that commands architectural attention is the dialogue between nature on the one hand and human creativity on the other. Both the natural world and the world of human capacities are divine gifts, but it is tempting sometimes to embrace one without thinking much about the other.
The Holy Quran asks Muslims not to be passive recipients of our Natural Habitat but instead to be faithful stewards of the divine creation; we need to expand our commitment in all directions. This means not merely conforming to the power of nature, but actively engaging with its challenges. At the same time we must be careful not to exaggerate the capacities for human mastery – trying to defy nature is counterproductive in many ways. A reflective dialogue between natural realities and human capabilities is also at the essence of architectural excellence.
Fourth and finally, I would emphasise the importance of intercultural dialogue in meeting the Architectural opportunities of our time. I have mentioned how this Award grew out of a concern with the deterioration - what some of us called the “hibernation” - of rich Muslim architectural traditions. But honoring one’s own historic identity, should not imply some sort of narrow isolation.
The rich architectural dialogue we seek to foster should include a renewed respect for the rich diversity of Islamic cultures themselves. As a way to exemplify this concern, we recently opened a new Aga Khan Centre in London in which seven Islamic gardens have been created, reflecting seven different Muslim traditions.
In addition, we should also be working to foster a rich dialogue with non-Islamic cultures - including diverse religious traditions. Architecture can lead the way in this effort - as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.
Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind.
We must think of diversity itself as a divine gift, a blessing and not a burden.
I mentioned earlier that we are meeting today in a special place. Tatarstan has, for centuries, been a place of exceptional commitment to pluralistic values. The city of Kazan and the larger region have long been renowned for their rich mix of ethnicities, and cultures, including the impressive way in which their architectural heritage has been preserved and respected.
It is striking to realise that nearby Bolgar, which I visited yesterday, became a Muslim religious centre as early as 922 - almost eleven hundred years ago. Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue.
I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar.
The world is in need of such examples. Human challenges seem to intensify at an accelerating pace these days - climate change, economic and technological inequalities, epidemics, political polarisation, population displacements and the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity.
I believe deeply in the potential of the architectural world to help inspire and enrich a creative dialogue in all four of the areas I have mentioned: a dialogue between creative architectural partners, a dialogue between past and future, a dialogue between natural reality and human creativity, and a dialogue among diverse cultures.
When I first anticipated this visit to Tatarstan - my thoughts went back to other Award presentations through these four decades. The very first presentations were held in Lahore in Pakistan and I remember expressing my hope that night that these Awards would not be seen as the end of a story but rather as a bold beginning - stimulating further discussion, insights, questions, debates, and “perhaps even more, some worries” – as I put it then - about our architectural future. And I must say today how pleased I am that my hopes I expressed in Lahore four decades ago have been fulfilled.
The fact that our theme today is built around the word “Dialogue” testifies to our continuing aspirations. My thanks go to all of you for being a part of this extraordinary celebration - as we reflect, gratefully, on both the inspiring gifts of the past and the rich possibilities of the future.
SPEECH DELIVERED BY His Highness the Aga Khan
LOCATION: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (13 September 2019)
Bismillah-ir-Rahaman-ir-Rahim
As-Salam-Alai-Kum, Peace be upon you
Your Excellency Mintimer Shaimiev
Your Excellency Eleonora Mitrofanova
Respected Members of the Government
Distinguished Guests
What an enormous pleasure it is to welcome all of you to this ceremony.
We gather today with a group of extraordinary people, in an extraordinary place, and for an extraordinary purpose.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is organised around a series of three-year cycles - each one culminating in the recognition of our Award recipients.
Tonight we celebrate the outcomes of our Fourteenth Cycle.
This is an extraordinary moment for me as I think back to our decision to launch this programme - more than four decades ago.
What led to that decision? - You may ask - as many have asked, then and since. Just why should the Ismaili Imamat become so deeply involved in the world of professional architecture?
The simple answer lies in my conviction that Architecture - more than any other art form - has a profound impact on the quality of human life. As it has often been said, we shape our built environment - and then our buildings shape us.
This close relationship of architecture to the quality of human experience has a particularly profound resonance in the developing world. I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever that opportunity arises. Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture - intellectually and materially - grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.
As you may know, over these four decades, we have recognised a vast array of architectural contributions, including over nine thousand nominated projects.
But the value of this programme goes far beyond recognising specific projects.
The Aga Khan Architectural Award is not simply a prize; it is a process.
This process involves a wide range of conversations - all across the world - that shape the selection process.
The theme of the Cycle which culminates today is: “Architecture in Dialogue”. This theme, which emerged out of the deliberations of the Steering Committee and Master Jury, sees architecture as a robust interchange, one that can embrace a variety of diverse and even divergent perspectives.
A true dialogue requires not only that we articulate one perspective, but also that we listen – attentively - to other perspectives. More than that, it asks us not only to listen to one another, but also to learn from one another.
There are several ways in which architecture can blend different perspectives. Let me briefly describe just four of them,
First of all, we must foster a healthy dialogue among the actual participants in the architectural process. I don’t mean only the skilled architects themselves, but also those who collaborate with them - clients, community leaders, public officials, educators, and the builders, designers, and craftsmen who help realise their plans. Our Master Jury for this cycle paid close attention to this dimension, looking at qualities such as leadership, cooperation, and openness - qualities that help produce creative dialogue.
A second dialogue that advances the best in human architecture is an open dialogue between the past and the future. This means more than simply copying the past - or merely tacking some ancient arch or minaret or calligraphy onto a new building. On the other hand, it also means more than a heedless modernistic approach that ignores our rich heritage. Our realisation, more than 40 years ago, that architectural practice in Muslim societies had recently been forgetting its own history, helped us to shape the nature of this Award.
The dialogue we seek is one that will blend the inspiration of the past with the demands of the future. The demands are many: environmental, social, technological, and economic, not to mention the challenges of political polarisation. In all of these respects, looking back can help us look ahead - and vice versa.
A third dialogue that commands architectural attention is the dialogue between nature on the one hand and human creativity on the other. Both the natural world and the world of human capacities are divine gifts, but it is tempting sometimes to embrace one without thinking much about the other.
The Holy Quran asks Muslims not to be passive recipients of our Natural Habitat but instead to be faithful stewards of the divine creation; we need to expand our commitment in all directions. This means not merely conforming to the power of nature, but actively engaging with its challenges. At the same time we must be careful not to exaggerate the capacities for human mastery – trying to defy nature is counterproductive in many ways. A reflective dialogue between natural realities and human capabilities is also at the essence of architectural excellence.
Fourth and finally, I would emphasise the importance of intercultural dialogue in meeting the Architectural opportunities of our time. I have mentioned how this Award grew out of a concern with the deterioration - what some of us called the “hibernation” - of rich Muslim architectural traditions. But honoring one’s own historic identity, should not imply some sort of narrow isolation.
The rich architectural dialogue we seek to foster should include a renewed respect for the rich diversity of Islamic cultures themselves. As a way to exemplify this concern, we recently opened a new Aga Khan Centre in London in which seven Islamic gardens have been created, reflecting seven different Muslim traditions.
In addition, we should also be working to foster a rich dialogue with non-Islamic cultures - including diverse religious traditions. Architecture can lead the way in this effort - as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.
Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind.
We must think of diversity itself as a divine gift, a blessing and not a burden.
I mentioned earlier that we are meeting today in a special place. Tatarstan has, for centuries, been a place of exceptional commitment to pluralistic values. The city of Kazan and the larger region have long been renowned for their rich mix of ethnicities, and cultures, including the impressive way in which their architectural heritage has been preserved and respected.
It is striking to realise that nearby Bolgar, which I visited yesterday, became a Muslim religious centre as early as 922 - almost eleven hundred years ago. Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue.
I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar.
The world is in need of such examples. Human challenges seem to intensify at an accelerating pace these days - climate change, economic and technological inequalities, epidemics, political polarisation, population displacements and the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity.
I believe deeply in the potential of the architectural world to help inspire and enrich a creative dialogue in all four of the areas I have mentioned: a dialogue between creative architectural partners, a dialogue between past and future, a dialogue between natural reality and human creativity, and a dialogue among diverse cultures.
When I first anticipated this visit to Tatarstan - my thoughts went back to other Award presentations through these four decades. The very first presentations were held in Lahore in Pakistan and I remember expressing my hope that night that these Awards would not be seen as the end of a story but rather as a bold beginning - stimulating further discussion, insights, questions, debates, and “perhaps even more, some worries” – as I put it then - about our architectural future. And I must say today how pleased I am that my hopes I expressed in Lahore four decades ago have been fulfilled.
The fact that our theme today is built around the word “Dialogue” testifies to our continuing aspirations. My thanks go to all of you for being a part of this extraordinary celebration - as we reflect, gratefully, on both the inspiring gifts of the past and the rich possibilities of the future.
Last edited by Admin on Sat Sep 14, 2019 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
https://www.akdn.org/speech/mr-mintimer ... 9-ceremony
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 Ceremony
SPEECH DELIVERED BY Mr. Mintimer Sh. Shaimiev
LOCATION: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (13 September 2019)
Your Highness! Esteemed Prince Karim Aga Khan!
Distinguished participants of the Ceremony!
Dear friends!
The capital of Tatarstan is hosting the Ceremony of the world famous Aga Khan Award for Architecture, aimed at preservation and protection of historical monuments and landscape architecture. It is truly a landmark event for all of us.
First of all, please allow me to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and myself personally for the high appraisal of the program for the development of public spaces implemented by the republic and the right to host this ceremony in Kazan.
The sustainably developing multinational Tatarstan is increasingly frequently becoming the host of the large international forums held in the Russian Federation. This trend we perceive as the proof of the fact that we pursue the right course of transformations taking place in the republic for the welfare of a man.
We proceed from the rich historical and cultural heritage of our people, their contribution to the common heritage of all mankind. We pay special attention to the preservation of interethnic and inter-confessional peace and harmony, the revival of spirituality. The Muslim shrines of the ancient Bolgar, the Orthodox sites of the island-town of Sviyazhsk, and the Kazan Kremlin are equally valuable and important for us. These three historical sites are inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. This work, as I have repeatedly stated, is republic-wide done wholeheartedly “from soul to soul”.
Taking advantage of the fact that at tonight’s ceremony we have the pleasure of the company of the former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the former Permanent Representative of Russia to UNESCO, Eleanora Mitrofanova, I would like to thank them on behalf of the Tatarstan people for their fruitful cooperation in reviving the historical heritage. Today we also share constructive understanding with the new leadership of UNESCO and its institutes.
I want to note that the Republic “Revival” Foundation, the Board of Trustees of which is chaired by me, this year completed a nine-year (2010-2018) project on the revival of historical monuments of the ancient city of Bolgar and the island-town of Sviyazhsk. Most recently, we embarked on a project to create multilingual educational complexes where children will be educated in three languages: Russian, Tatar and English.
We are so much pleased to know, the You, Your Highness, as a public figure and person who has founded many educational institutions around the world, feel keenly about these problems. Once You said: “We live in a knowledge society today where access to good quality education and research leads to sustainable development.” We fully share this thought. Moreover, you are implementing the largest charitable, educational and humanitarian projects, support proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession. Your peacekeeping mission, your commitment to bringing civilisations closer and achieving unity in diversity are consonant with our goals, especially to me, as the UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue. The same ideas were in the limelight of the high-profile and much publicised Kazan Forum, which we held in September last year.
Many projects implemented in Tatarstan are aimed at addressing the most relevant life problems of the population. These are the programs focused on eradicating the problem of dilapidated housing, continuous gasification and IT development in the settlements and villages of the republic, construction of roads and many other initiatives.
The 2015 initiative of the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to implement the Program for the Development of Public Spaces became a valuable continuation of our aspirations. Now there are beautiful parks and squares in all major cities and most regions of the republic. These are the places where everyone will find something to their liking, where the people would feel comfortable and safe.
It is a rather challenging and important work, which cannot be done without professionals. Therefore, we conduct ongoing training of specialists, work with local craftsmen, and business, which allows us to use resources more efficiently, develop the local economy and create new jobs. All this is done by a young ambitious team that works for the benefit of the Tatarstan people - and they feel it.
A lot has been accomplished over the period of five years. More than 330 (three hundred and thirty) embankments, boulevards, squares, parks and squares were built, another 60 sites will be commissioned soon. Development of comfortable public spaces is, above all, our concern and care for people. It breeds love and respect for the native land.
Dear participants of the ceremony!
It is a great honor and pleasure for us to receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture along with five other important projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates, Senegal and Bahrain.
It gives us confidence that we are following the right path, and inspires us to develop. Currently, a new three-year project on landscaping the grounds around the blocks of flats is being launched in the republic, so that they also could become an oasis of cosiness and comfort, something that we lack in the metropolitan areas.
Your Highness, we regard this award as a high assessment of all the multifaceted activities carried out in the republic in the interests of the people. Thank you very much! Bik zur rәkhmәt!
In conclusion, I want to say that we are open for cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. At present, scientists from the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Kazan Federal University are actively engaged in the scientific study of the Great Silk Road and Great Volga Route. Since the early 2000s, scientific conferences, seminars and round tables have been held on this topic. The theme of the Great Silk Road is also relevant for Tatarstan. Scientists have determined that the Volga, Caucasus and Siberian corridors are the most important for the Russian Federation and we started active collaboration with the countries of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In 2018, our expert representative participated and made a presentation at the 5th (fifth) meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the countries participating in the UNESCO Great Silk Road cross-border nomination, which brings together more than 12 (twelve) countries. By the end of this year, a meeting of the 6th (sixth) Coordinating Committee is scheduled in Iran.
Given the fact that Tatarstan has highly qualified specialists and scholars, recognised experts of UNESCO institutes, Your Highness, we could take part in the joint work on the development of a project to study specific corridors of the Great Silk Road. I hope that we will find common ground in the implementation of a number of other projects aimed at realising our common noble goals!
Develop and prosper. Хәрәкәттә - бәрәкәт! (tatar)
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 Ceremony
SPEECH DELIVERED BY Mr. Mintimer Sh. Shaimiev
LOCATION: Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (13 September 2019)
Your Highness! Esteemed Prince Karim Aga Khan!
Distinguished participants of the Ceremony!
Dear friends!
The capital of Tatarstan is hosting the Ceremony of the world famous Aga Khan Award for Architecture, aimed at preservation and protection of historical monuments and landscape architecture. It is truly a landmark event for all of us.
First of all, please allow me to express my deepest gratitude on behalf of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and myself personally for the high appraisal of the program for the development of public spaces implemented by the republic and the right to host this ceremony in Kazan.
The sustainably developing multinational Tatarstan is increasingly frequently becoming the host of the large international forums held in the Russian Federation. This trend we perceive as the proof of the fact that we pursue the right course of transformations taking place in the republic for the welfare of a man.
We proceed from the rich historical and cultural heritage of our people, their contribution to the common heritage of all mankind. We pay special attention to the preservation of interethnic and inter-confessional peace and harmony, the revival of spirituality. The Muslim shrines of the ancient Bolgar, the Orthodox sites of the island-town of Sviyazhsk, and the Kazan Kremlin are equally valuable and important for us. These three historical sites are inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. This work, as I have repeatedly stated, is republic-wide done wholeheartedly “from soul to soul”.
Taking advantage of the fact that at tonight’s ceremony we have the pleasure of the company of the former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the former Permanent Representative of Russia to UNESCO, Eleanora Mitrofanova, I would like to thank them on behalf of the Tatarstan people for their fruitful cooperation in reviving the historical heritage. Today we also share constructive understanding with the new leadership of UNESCO and its institutes.
I want to note that the Republic “Revival” Foundation, the Board of Trustees of which is chaired by me, this year completed a nine-year (2010-2018) project on the revival of historical monuments of the ancient city of Bolgar and the island-town of Sviyazhsk. Most recently, we embarked on a project to create multilingual educational complexes where children will be educated in three languages: Russian, Tatar and English.
We are so much pleased to know, the You, Your Highness, as a public figure and person who has founded many educational institutions around the world, feel keenly about these problems. Once You said: “We live in a knowledge society today where access to good quality education and research leads to sustainable development.” We fully share this thought. Moreover, you are implementing the largest charitable, educational and humanitarian projects, support proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession. Your peacekeeping mission, your commitment to bringing civilisations closer and achieving unity in diversity are consonant with our goals, especially to me, as the UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue. The same ideas were in the limelight of the high-profile and much publicised Kazan Forum, which we held in September last year.
Many projects implemented in Tatarstan are aimed at addressing the most relevant life problems of the population. These are the programs focused on eradicating the problem of dilapidated housing, continuous gasification and IT development in the settlements and villages of the republic, construction of roads and many other initiatives.
The 2015 initiative of the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to implement the Program for the Development of Public Spaces became a valuable continuation of our aspirations. Now there are beautiful parks and squares in all major cities and most regions of the republic. These are the places where everyone will find something to their liking, where the people would feel comfortable and safe.
It is a rather challenging and important work, which cannot be done without professionals. Therefore, we conduct ongoing training of specialists, work with local craftsmen, and business, which allows us to use resources more efficiently, develop the local economy and create new jobs. All this is done by a young ambitious team that works for the benefit of the Tatarstan people - and they feel it.
A lot has been accomplished over the period of five years. More than 330 (three hundred and thirty) embankments, boulevards, squares, parks and squares were built, another 60 sites will be commissioned soon. Development of comfortable public spaces is, above all, our concern and care for people. It breeds love and respect for the native land.
Dear participants of the ceremony!
It is a great honor and pleasure for us to receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture along with five other important projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates, Senegal and Bahrain.
It gives us confidence that we are following the right path, and inspires us to develop. Currently, a new three-year project on landscaping the grounds around the blocks of flats is being launched in the republic, so that they also could become an oasis of cosiness and comfort, something that we lack in the metropolitan areas.
Your Highness, we regard this award as a high assessment of all the multifaceted activities carried out in the republic in the interests of the people. Thank you very much! Bik zur rәkhmәt!
In conclusion, I want to say that we are open for cooperation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. At present, scientists from the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Kazan Federal University are actively engaged in the scientific study of the Great Silk Road and Great Volga Route. Since the early 2000s, scientific conferences, seminars and round tables have been held on this topic. The theme of the Great Silk Road is also relevant for Tatarstan. Scientists have determined that the Volga, Caucasus and Siberian corridors are the most important for the Russian Federation and we started active collaboration with the countries of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In 2018, our expert representative participated and made a presentation at the 5th (fifth) meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the countries participating in the UNESCO Great Silk Road cross-border nomination, which brings together more than 12 (twelve) countries. By the end of this year, a meeting of the 6th (sixth) Coordinating Committee is scheduled in Iran.
Given the fact that Tatarstan has highly qualified specialists and scholars, recognised experts of UNESCO institutes, Your Highness, we could take part in the joint work on the development of a project to study specific corridors of the Great Silk Road. I hope that we will find common ground in the implementation of a number of other projects aimed at realising our common noble goals!
Develop and prosper. Хәрәкәттә - бәрәкәт! (tatar)
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mahebubchatur
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Kazan 13 Sept 19 Guidance Imam H H the Aga Khan
His Highness the Aga Khan (Imam of Ismaili Muslims ), gave and articulated his guidance in Kazan and Bulgar on 13 Sept 2019
This guidance applies to all, especially his followers (Murids, Momeens, Dais & those appointed to serve the community in the community’s many institutions.
Imam said that we need to listen to one another, and learn from each other, “across all divides” . What does Imam mean by, old divides.
Hazar Imam also said there needs to be more dialogue across cultures, of the past, & the present in addressing the challenges of improving the well being and quality of life of all in the future.
“as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.
Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind.
We must think of diversity itself as a divine gift, a blessing “
We know Hazar Imam has said that we must learn from the past and bring those lessons forward. These are mistakes not to repeat and the successes to bring forward, and or enhance.
Hazar Imam spoke of creative and creativity. This comes from listening and sharing knowledge and experience of the past and to add to that knowledge.
Hazar Imam added that we must not simply copy the past superficially by for example adding an ancient item in our dialogues or buildings or museums . We need to have a dialogue that
“advances the best in human architecture is an open dialogue between the past and the future. This means more than simply copying the past - or merely tacking some ancient arch or minaret or calligraphy onto a new building. On the other hand, it also means more than a heedless modernistic approach that ignores our rich heritage.”
We know today there are old cultural and systemic divides and exclusion. Hazar Imam has often reminded us that we are living in a post fact society and era. Where truth and reliable information and inclusion have sadly been a casualty.
The old divides are essentially political ideology based on self interest. There divides are between the politicians, the government the parliament, the bureaucracy, major self interest lobby groups, the wealthy elite, scholars, activists, military etc. They are collectively in the minority. Then there is over 90% of the population also called populists. They are passive or the silent majority.
For example in the Ismaili community you also have the deep sate based on self interest and a political ideology. The LIF members were in Kazan and had meetings including with Hazar Imam. They as usual will not make these available to the Jamat. They will discuss this selectively amongst themselves, and with their inner circles, based on political self interest.
Hazar Imam says Quran says we must not be passive recipients.
On 11 July 2018, Imam asked all his followers to be his Dais ( link to meaning http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/101-proofs-chatur.pdf)
Hazar Imam spoke about the need for inclusion in his Farman and not to be passive. The need for dialogue and sharing is and should be open, and not only between or within the top elite, and exclusive inner circles.
“ I do not mean only the skilled architects themselves, but also those who collaborate with them - clients, community leaders, public officials, educators, and the builders, designers, and craftsmen who help realise their plans. Our Master Jury for this cycle paid close attention to this dimension, looking at qualities such as leadership, cooperation, and openness - qualities that help produce creative dialogue.”
This dialogue and inclusion is a process of change, added Imam, and so they are a means to, but not a beginning of, or an end of.
“Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue.”
In the Bolgar Farman Hazar Imam said that in the context of the Muslim faith practiced in peace in this country “ it is important that we carry the “values” of our faiths with us and that this be there around the world amongst all Muslims” And Imam wished success to all in the practice of faiths, and for all work together for peace in our world.
Imam, ended by saying that we all need to “reflect, gratefully, on both the inspiring gifts of the past, and the rich possibilities of the future”
Full text of the Kazan Farman(Guidance) - Link http://www.ismaili.net/heritage/node/35016
This guidance applies to all, especially his followers (Murids, Momeens, Dais & those appointed to serve the community in the community’s many institutions.
Imam said that we need to listen to one another, and learn from each other, “across all divides” . What does Imam mean by, old divides.
Hazar Imam also said there needs to be more dialogue across cultures, of the past, & the present in addressing the challenges of improving the well being and quality of life of all in the future.
“as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.
Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind.
We must think of diversity itself as a divine gift, a blessing “
We know Hazar Imam has said that we must learn from the past and bring those lessons forward. These are mistakes not to repeat and the successes to bring forward, and or enhance.
Hazar Imam spoke of creative and creativity. This comes from listening and sharing knowledge and experience of the past and to add to that knowledge.
Hazar Imam added that we must not simply copy the past superficially by for example adding an ancient item in our dialogues or buildings or museums . We need to have a dialogue that
“advances the best in human architecture is an open dialogue between the past and the future. This means more than simply copying the past - or merely tacking some ancient arch or minaret or calligraphy onto a new building. On the other hand, it also means more than a heedless modernistic approach that ignores our rich heritage.”
We know today there are old cultural and systemic divides and exclusion. Hazar Imam has often reminded us that we are living in a post fact society and era. Where truth and reliable information and inclusion have sadly been a casualty.
The old divides are essentially political ideology based on self interest. There divides are between the politicians, the government the parliament, the bureaucracy, major self interest lobby groups, the wealthy elite, scholars, activists, military etc. They are collectively in the minority. Then there is over 90% of the population also called populists. They are passive or the silent majority.
For example in the Ismaili community you also have the deep sate based on self interest and a political ideology. The LIF members were in Kazan and had meetings including with Hazar Imam. They as usual will not make these available to the Jamat. They will discuss this selectively amongst themselves, and with their inner circles, based on political self interest.
Hazar Imam says Quran says we must not be passive recipients.
On 11 July 2018, Imam asked all his followers to be his Dais ( link to meaning http://ismaili.net/timeline/2018/101-proofs-chatur.pdf)
Hazar Imam spoke about the need for inclusion in his Farman and not to be passive. The need for dialogue and sharing is and should be open, and not only between or within the top elite, and exclusive inner circles.
“ I do not mean only the skilled architects themselves, but also those who collaborate with them - clients, community leaders, public officials, educators, and the builders, designers, and craftsmen who help realise their plans. Our Master Jury for this cycle paid close attention to this dimension, looking at qualities such as leadership, cooperation, and openness - qualities that help produce creative dialogue.”
This dialogue and inclusion is a process of change, added Imam, and so they are a means to, but not a beginning of, or an end of.
“Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue.”
In the Bolgar Farman Hazar Imam said that in the context of the Muslim faith practiced in peace in this country “ it is important that we carry the “values” of our faiths with us and that this be there around the world amongst all Muslims” And Imam wished success to all in the practice of faiths, and for all work together for peace in our world.
Imam, ended by saying that we all need to “reflect, gratefully, on both the inspiring gifts of the past, and the rich possibilities of the future”
Full text of the Kazan Farman(Guidance) - Link http://www.ismaili.net/heritage/node/35016
Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognises innovation and excellence
In a captivating occasion in Kazan earlier today, 13 September 2019, Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the prize-giving ceremony of 14th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In his speech, Hazar Imam described several ways in which architecture can blend differing perspectives, and reiterated its potential to inspire and enrich creative dialogue.
Six award winning projects were honoured during the presentation ceremony held at the Musa Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kazan, in the Russian Federation. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in architecture.
The recipient projects — which are in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Palestine, The Russian Federation, Senegal, and the UAE — offer creative responses to contemporary issues such as climate change, connectivity between people, and the challenge of adapting to new contexts.
In his address to guests gathered at the event, Mawlana Hazar Imam, who Chairs the Award’s Steering Committee, expressed that “Architecture — more than any other art form — has a profound impact on the quality of human life. As it has often been said, we shape our built environment - and then our buildings shape us.”
Hazar Imam also noted four areas in which architecture can positively impact the quality of life in today’s built environment; a dialogue of partnership; a dialogue between past and future; a dialogue between the natural and the human; and a dialogue among diverse cultures.
A dialogue of partnership
During the current cycle of the Award, the Master Jury paid particular attention to the inclusion of all participants in the architectural process. These include clients, public officials, builders, designers, educators, and craftspeople.
One of the award-winning recipients, the ambitious Public Spaces Development Programme in Tatarstan utilised exactly this type of inclusive approach, and in the process reinforced the sense of community, the identity of towns, and the quality of life in the area. The project’s interventions have been highly participatory, based on engagement with local citizens, consultation with economists and anthropologists, and has attracted young designers and architects. The overall effect has been positive social, economic, cultural, physical, and ecological change.
Prior to accepting the award, Mr Mintimer Shaimiev, State Councellor of Tatarstan, joined Mawlana Hazar Imam on stage to present certificates to winners, and in his speech to guests, he expressed gratitude for the decision to host the Award Ceremony in Kazan. Addressing the Imam directly, he said, “You are implementing the largest charitable, educational and humanitarian projects, supporting proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession. Your peacekeeping mission, your commitment to bringing civilisations closer and achieving unity in diversity are in tune with our goals”
A dialogue between past and future
Speaking of the relationship between the past and the future, Hazar Imam explained, “The dialogue we seek is one that will blend the inspiration of the past with the demands of the future. The demands are many: environmental, social, technological, and economic, not to mention the challenges of political polarisation. In all of these respects, looking back can help us look ahead - and vice versa.”
The Palestinian Museum in Birzeit offers an ideal example of this dialogue. With support from a nearby university, the Museum is a flagship forward-looking project of Palestine’s largest NGO. Its façade and paving uses limestone quarried from near Bethlehem. Similarly, the surrounding gardens are inspired by the local environment, stressing the historical link between the people and the land. The museum provides a home for a variety of artefacts which facilitate learning about the past, while the combination of indoor and outdoor spaces act as a force for hope for current and future generations.
A dialogue between natural and human
“Both the natural world and the world of human capacities are divine gifts, but it is tempting sometimes to embrace one without thinking much about the other,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam during the ceremony. Sustainable solutions to complex challenges were a recurring theme among the winning projects in 2019, with each one utilising a combination of the human and the natural to address an urgent environmental need in its own context.
The Arcadia Education Project in Bangladesh illustrates an innovative solution to rising sea levels. The modest riverside school, made of bamboo and other local materials, represents an amphibious structure that rises and falls with the local river’s water level, and thus adapts to its surroundings.
Once a waste dumping ground, the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, UAE, has had its indigenous ecosystem restored, and proving to be a popular place for visitors to learn about their natural environment. Blending into the landscape, the focus of the project is on the surrounding nature, local wildlife, and waterways.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit in Bambey, Senegal, provides an example of how sustainability and energy efficiency can be translated into elegant design. In the West African heat, the building’s breeze blocks allow for ventilation, while reflecting direct sunlight.
A dialogue among diverse cultures
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is itself a celebration of difference and diversity — of cultures, languages, and beliefs — with this year’s winning projects hailing from South Asia, West Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
“Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind,” said Hazar Imam.
With its mix of restored historical buildings with well-designed new ones, the Revitalisation of Muharraq in Bahrain, has infused new cultural life into a deteriorated urban area. While establishing a platform for citizens to actively engage with one another, the project provides a space for professionals of different backgrounds to interact and collaborate, and for local businesses and partnerships to thrive.
Expressing his belief in the potential of dialogue to address modern challenges, Mawlana Hazar Imam explained, “A true dialogue requires not only that we articulate one perspective, but also that we listen – attentively — to other perspectives. More than that, it asks us not only to listen to one another, but also to learn from one another.”
Photos at:
https://the.ismaili/news/aga-khan-award ... excellence
In a captivating occasion in Kazan earlier today, 13 September 2019, Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the prize-giving ceremony of 14th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In his speech, Hazar Imam described several ways in which architecture can blend differing perspectives, and reiterated its potential to inspire and enrich creative dialogue.
Six award winning projects were honoured during the presentation ceremony held at the Musa Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kazan, in the Russian Federation. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in architecture.
The recipient projects — which are in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Palestine, The Russian Federation, Senegal, and the UAE — offer creative responses to contemporary issues such as climate change, connectivity between people, and the challenge of adapting to new contexts.
In his address to guests gathered at the event, Mawlana Hazar Imam, who Chairs the Award’s Steering Committee, expressed that “Architecture — more than any other art form — has a profound impact on the quality of human life. As it has often been said, we shape our built environment - and then our buildings shape us.”
Hazar Imam also noted four areas in which architecture can positively impact the quality of life in today’s built environment; a dialogue of partnership; a dialogue between past and future; a dialogue between the natural and the human; and a dialogue among diverse cultures.
A dialogue of partnership
During the current cycle of the Award, the Master Jury paid particular attention to the inclusion of all participants in the architectural process. These include clients, public officials, builders, designers, educators, and craftspeople.
One of the award-winning recipients, the ambitious Public Spaces Development Programme in Tatarstan utilised exactly this type of inclusive approach, and in the process reinforced the sense of community, the identity of towns, and the quality of life in the area. The project’s interventions have been highly participatory, based on engagement with local citizens, consultation with economists and anthropologists, and has attracted young designers and architects. The overall effect has been positive social, economic, cultural, physical, and ecological change.
Prior to accepting the award, Mr Mintimer Shaimiev, State Councellor of Tatarstan, joined Mawlana Hazar Imam on stage to present certificates to winners, and in his speech to guests, he expressed gratitude for the decision to host the Award Ceremony in Kazan. Addressing the Imam directly, he said, “You are implementing the largest charitable, educational and humanitarian projects, supporting proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession. Your peacekeeping mission, your commitment to bringing civilisations closer and achieving unity in diversity are in tune with our goals”
A dialogue between past and future
Speaking of the relationship between the past and the future, Hazar Imam explained, “The dialogue we seek is one that will blend the inspiration of the past with the demands of the future. The demands are many: environmental, social, technological, and economic, not to mention the challenges of political polarisation. In all of these respects, looking back can help us look ahead - and vice versa.”
The Palestinian Museum in Birzeit offers an ideal example of this dialogue. With support from a nearby university, the Museum is a flagship forward-looking project of Palestine’s largest NGO. Its façade and paving uses limestone quarried from near Bethlehem. Similarly, the surrounding gardens are inspired by the local environment, stressing the historical link between the people and the land. The museum provides a home for a variety of artefacts which facilitate learning about the past, while the combination of indoor and outdoor spaces act as a force for hope for current and future generations.
A dialogue between natural and human
“Both the natural world and the world of human capacities are divine gifts, but it is tempting sometimes to embrace one without thinking much about the other,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam during the ceremony. Sustainable solutions to complex challenges were a recurring theme among the winning projects in 2019, with each one utilising a combination of the human and the natural to address an urgent environmental need in its own context.
The Arcadia Education Project in Bangladesh illustrates an innovative solution to rising sea levels. The modest riverside school, made of bamboo and other local materials, represents an amphibious structure that rises and falls with the local river’s water level, and thus adapts to its surroundings.
Once a waste dumping ground, the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, UAE, has had its indigenous ecosystem restored, and proving to be a popular place for visitors to learn about their natural environment. Blending into the landscape, the focus of the project is on the surrounding nature, local wildlife, and waterways.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit in Bambey, Senegal, provides an example of how sustainability and energy efficiency can be translated into elegant design. In the West African heat, the building’s breeze blocks allow for ventilation, while reflecting direct sunlight.
A dialogue among diverse cultures
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is itself a celebration of difference and diversity — of cultures, languages, and beliefs — with this year’s winning projects hailing from South Asia, West Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
“Pluralism means more than merely tolerating a diversity of influences and ideas. It also means welcoming the learning opportunities that diversity provides, finding ways to honour that which is unique in our individual traditions as well as those values that connect us to all of humankind,” said Hazar Imam.
With its mix of restored historical buildings with well-designed new ones, the Revitalisation of Muharraq in Bahrain, has infused new cultural life into a deteriorated urban area. While establishing a platform for citizens to actively engage with one another, the project provides a space for professionals of different backgrounds to interact and collaborate, and for local businesses and partnerships to thrive.
Expressing his belief in the potential of dialogue to address modern challenges, Mawlana Hazar Imam explained, “A true dialogue requires not only that we articulate one perspective, but also that we listen – attentively — to other perspectives. More than that, it asks us not only to listen to one another, but also to learn from one another.”
Photos at:
https://the.ismaili/news/aga-khan-award ... excellence
2019, September 13: Speech of H.H. The Aga Khan at the Award ceremony of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Kazan as reported on Pamir TV
VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vuLWwAIivls
VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/vuLWwAIivls
https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture ... y-1.910311
Aga Khan: Architects must find solutions 'to help people live together in dignity'
The spiritual leader was speaking at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Kazan, Russia
The Aga Khan has called on architects to find solutions to “the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity” in the face of increased economic inequality, as well as the rising threat of climate change.
The spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community and the award's benefactor also pushed Muslims to engage with the natural world and the challenges it poses, stating that “the Holy Quran asks Muslims not to be passive recipients of our natural habitat but instead to be faithful servants of the divine creation”.
Speaking at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture presentation ceremony in Kazan, Russia, Prince Amyn Aga Khan said: “Human challenges seem to intensify at an accelerating pace these days – climate change, economic inequalities, epidemics, political polarisation, population displacements and the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity.
Read More
Architect Marina Tabassum on her Aga Khan Award-winning design for the Bait Ur Rouf mosque in Dhaka
New spaces for Islamic art opened at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Impressions of Arabia: how Orientalist art is making its way back to the world it came from
“[The] close relationship of architecture to the quality of human experience has a particularly profound resonance in the developing world. I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.
“Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture – intellectually and materially – grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.”
The Aga Khan went on to urge Muslims "to foster a rich dialogue with non-Islamic cultures, including diverse religious traditions" and suggested that "architecture can lead the way in this effort".
Six projects, including the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture at the ceremony, which was held at the Musa Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The awards, which the Aga Khan launched in 1977, are held every three years and recognise projects that respond to the needs of Islamic societies around the world. More than 380 sites have been assessed in this cycle, before a shortlist of 20 was drawn up, including three from the UAE.
The Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cem
The Wasit Wetland Centre, which transforms a wasteland into a wetland, was designed by Emirati architects Farid Esmaeil and Ahmed Al Ali. Constructed in 2015, it is a wildlife park featuring a viewing gallery, where visitors can see birds in their natural habitat, a café and a multipurpose centre with views out over the wetlands. There are also six bird hides positioned around a large lake.
“It was very unexpected, the process is very intense, starting from the nomination,” Esmaeil told The National. “It was a great feeling, the team, everyone, was very happy.”
Al Ali added: “We thought this could give a different perspective of what Islamic architecture could be, not in terms of its form but in terms of its mission.
“We are passing through this life and we should leave minimal impact on the planet and try as much as possible to leave the things we are using for the next generation and not to destroy habitats.”
The jury described the Wasit Wetland Centre as “a remarkable, indeed unique, collaborative project combining architectural excellence with a deep commitment to ecological imperatives”.
Other winning projects include a floating school in Bangladesh, a museum in Palestine and a series of redeveloped community spaces in Tatarstan, Russia. The winning architects share a $1 million (Dh3.6 million) prize.
Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Bahrain – Revitalisation of Muharraq
The project, which highlights the World Heritage site’s pearling history, was first initiated as a series of restoration and reuse projects. The project evolved into a comprehensive programme that aimed to re-balance the city’s demographic makeup by creating public spaces, providing community and cultural venues, and improving the overall environment.
Bangladesh – Arcadia Education Project
The project in South Kanarchor is a modular structure that takes a novel approach to a riverine site that is often flooded for five months every year. Rather than disrupting the ecosystem to create a mound for a building, the architect devised the solution of an amphibious structure that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on seasonal conditions.
The Palestinian Museum was also honoured with an award. Courtesy Iwan Baan
Palestine – Palestinian Museum
The project in Birzeit, which crowns a terraced hill overlooking the Mediterranean, is the recipient of the LEED Gold certification because of its sustainable construction. The zigzagging forms of the museum’s architecture and hillside gardens are inspired by the surrounding agricultural terraces, stressing the link between the land and Palestinian heritage.
Russian Federation – Public Spaces Development Programme
A programme in the Republic of Tatarstan that, to date, has improved 328 public spaces all over Tatarstan. The ambitious programme sought to counter the trend toward private ownership by refocusing priorities on quality public spaces for the people of Tatarstan. It has now become a model throughout Russia.
The remarkably simple building has two wings. The first one contains administrative and educational spaces, while the other accommodates the observation galleries. © X-Architects / Nelson Garrido (photographer)
Senegal – Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit
The project in Bambey, where a scarcity of resources led to the use of bioclimatic strategies, includes a large double roof canopy and latticework that avoids solar radiation but allows air to flow through it. By employing familiar construction techniques and following sustainability principles, it succeeded in keeping costs and maintenance demands to a minimum, while still making a bold architectural statement.
United Arab Emirates – Wasit Wetland Centre
Wasit Wetland Centre, in Sharjah, is a design that transformed a wasteland into a wetland and functioned as a catalyst for biodiversity and environmental education. While its indigenous ecosystem has been restored, it has also proven to be a popular place for visitors to appreciate and learn about their natural environment.
Updated: September 15, 2019 10:28 AM
Aga Khan: Architects must find solutions 'to help people live together in dignity'
The spiritual leader was speaking at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in Kazan, Russia
The Aga Khan has called on architects to find solutions to “the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity” in the face of increased economic inequality, as well as the rising threat of climate change.
The spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community and the award's benefactor also pushed Muslims to engage with the natural world and the challenges it poses, stating that “the Holy Quran asks Muslims not to be passive recipients of our natural habitat but instead to be faithful servants of the divine creation”.
Speaking at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture presentation ceremony in Kazan, Russia, Prince Amyn Aga Khan said: “Human challenges seem to intensify at an accelerating pace these days – climate change, economic inequalities, epidemics, political polarisation, population displacements and the daunting task of helping one another to live together in dignity.
Read More
Architect Marina Tabassum on her Aga Khan Award-winning design for the Bait Ur Rouf mosque in Dhaka
New spaces for Islamic art opened at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Impressions of Arabia: how Orientalist art is making its way back to the world it came from
“[The] close relationship of architecture to the quality of human experience has a particularly profound resonance in the developing world. I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.
“Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture – intellectually and materially – grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.”
The Aga Khan went on to urge Muslims "to foster a rich dialogue with non-Islamic cultures, including diverse religious traditions" and suggested that "architecture can lead the way in this effort".
Six projects, including the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah, received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture at the ceremony, which was held at the Musa Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The awards, which the Aga Khan launched in 1977, are held every three years and recognise projects that respond to the needs of Islamic societies around the world. More than 380 sites have been assessed in this cycle, before a shortlist of 20 was drawn up, including three from the UAE.
The Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cem
The Wasit Wetland Centre, which transforms a wasteland into a wetland, was designed by Emirati architects Farid Esmaeil and Ahmed Al Ali. Constructed in 2015, it is a wildlife park featuring a viewing gallery, where visitors can see birds in their natural habitat, a café and a multipurpose centre with views out over the wetlands. There are also six bird hides positioned around a large lake.
“It was very unexpected, the process is very intense, starting from the nomination,” Esmaeil told The National. “It was a great feeling, the team, everyone, was very happy.”
Al Ali added: “We thought this could give a different perspective of what Islamic architecture could be, not in terms of its form but in terms of its mission.
“We are passing through this life and we should leave minimal impact on the planet and try as much as possible to leave the things we are using for the next generation and not to destroy habitats.”
The jury described the Wasit Wetland Centre as “a remarkable, indeed unique, collaborative project combining architectural excellence with a deep commitment to ecological imperatives”.
Other winning projects include a floating school in Bangladesh, a museum in Palestine and a series of redeveloped community spaces in Tatarstan, Russia. The winning architects share a $1 million (Dh3.6 million) prize.
Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Bahrain – Revitalisation of Muharraq
The project, which highlights the World Heritage site’s pearling history, was first initiated as a series of restoration and reuse projects. The project evolved into a comprehensive programme that aimed to re-balance the city’s demographic makeup by creating public spaces, providing community and cultural venues, and improving the overall environment.
Bangladesh – Arcadia Education Project
The project in South Kanarchor is a modular structure that takes a novel approach to a riverine site that is often flooded for five months every year. Rather than disrupting the ecosystem to create a mound for a building, the architect devised the solution of an amphibious structure that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on seasonal conditions.
The Palestinian Museum was also honoured with an award. Courtesy Iwan Baan
Palestine – Palestinian Museum
The project in Birzeit, which crowns a terraced hill overlooking the Mediterranean, is the recipient of the LEED Gold certification because of its sustainable construction. The zigzagging forms of the museum’s architecture and hillside gardens are inspired by the surrounding agricultural terraces, stressing the link between the land and Palestinian heritage.
Russian Federation – Public Spaces Development Programme
A programme in the Republic of Tatarstan that, to date, has improved 328 public spaces all over Tatarstan. The ambitious programme sought to counter the trend toward private ownership by refocusing priorities on quality public spaces for the people of Tatarstan. It has now become a model throughout Russia.
The remarkably simple building has two wings. The first one contains administrative and educational spaces, while the other accommodates the observation galleries. © X-Architects / Nelson Garrido (photographer)
Senegal – Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit
The project in Bambey, where a scarcity of resources led to the use of bioclimatic strategies, includes a large double roof canopy and latticework that avoids solar radiation but allows air to flow through it. By employing familiar construction techniques and following sustainability principles, it succeeded in keeping costs and maintenance demands to a minimum, while still making a bold architectural statement.
United Arab Emirates – Wasit Wetland Centre
Wasit Wetland Centre, in Sharjah, is a design that transformed a wasteland into a wetland and functioned as a catalyst for biodiversity and environmental education. While its indigenous ecosystem has been restored, it has also proven to be a popular place for visitors to appreciate and learn about their natural environment.
Updated: September 15, 2019 10:28 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nROSlCYDeC8
NTVUganda
342K subscribers
The 14th edition of the The Aga Khan award for architecture has been held in Kazan, in the republic of Tartastan, Russia. The award celebrates exemplary contributions in the field of architecture, and how the award recipients have impacted heir societies. His Highness the Aga Khan attended the event and celebrated with the recipients of this year's award.
VIDEO NEWS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nROSlCYDeC8
NTVUganda
342K subscribers
The 14th edition of the The Aga Khan award for architecture has been held in Kazan, in the republic of Tartastan, Russia. The award celebrates exemplary contributions in the field of architecture, and how the award recipients have impacted heir societies. His Highness the Aga Khan attended the event and celebrated with the recipients of this year's award.
VIDEO NEWS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nROSlCYDeC8
AKAA Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 in Kazan, Russia
2019, September 13: AKAA Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 in Kazan, Russia - Mowana Hazar Imam, Prince Hussain, Princess Sarah daughter of Princess Zahra. Other members of the Nurani family also attended the event. The visit lasted from 12 to 14 September 2019 and was extensively covered by the Official Tatarstan media.
Videos on http://tatarstan.ru/eng/press/video.htm ... 627847.htm:
VIDEO 1 LAUNCH AKAA STAMP: http://ftp.prav.tatar.ru/president/2019 ... 1_conv.mp4
VIDEO 2 MUSEUM OF QURAN: http://ftp.prav.tatar.ru/president/2019 ... 2_conv.mp4
PHOTO REPORT AKAA: http://tatarstan.ru/eng/press/video.htm ... 628207.htm
TATARSTAN PRESIDENT'S OFFICE: http://tatarstan.ru/eng/index.htm/news/1561146.htm
Videos on http://tatarstan.ru/eng/press/video.htm ... 627847.htm:
VIDEO 1 LAUNCH AKAA STAMP: http://ftp.prav.tatar.ru/president/2019 ... 1_conv.mp4
VIDEO 2 MUSEUM OF QURAN: http://ftp.prav.tatar.ru/president/2019 ... 2_conv.mp4
PHOTO REPORT AKAA: http://tatarstan.ru/eng/press/video.htm ... 628207.htm
TATARSTAN PRESIDENT'S OFFICE: http://tatarstan.ru/eng/index.htm/news/1561146.htm
http://tatarstan.ru/eng/index.htm/news/tape/
13.09.2019
Awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture held in Kazan
On September 13, at the Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, Tatarstan State Counsellor, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Revival Regional Foundation, the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation Mintimer Shaimiev, Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudichestvo) Eleonora Mitrofanova and the former Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova took part in the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
At the beginning of the ceremony, a film about the 2019 Aga Khan Award winners was shown.
Established in 1977, the prize amounts to one million US dollars and is shared between the winners. Every three years the prize is awarded for projects that establish new standards in architecture, planning, preservation of historical heritage and landscape design. A total of 380 projects from 39 countries took part in the contest. As many as 20 projects from 16 countries were in the final. Tatarstan project “Public Spaces Development Programme” was awarded one of six prizes.
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV handed over the award to Shaimiev and expressed special gratitude for his many years of efforts to preserve the heritage of Tatarstan and presented him a “special certificate” - the book “Heritage and Dialogue” published by the Aga Khan Culture Foundation. The book was specially printed for the awarding ceremony 2019 and is dedicated to the activities of Tatarstan on preservation of cultural and historical heritage.
On behalf of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and all Tatarstan people, Tatarstan State Counsellor expressed deep gratitude for the high appreciation of Public Spaces Development Programme implemented by the republic and the right to host this ceremony in Kazan.
Tatarstan President's Press Office.
13.09.2019
Mintimer Shaimiev and Prince Karim Aga Khan IV visit the Kazan Kremlin
On September 13, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV visited the Kazan Kremlin.
In the Kul-Sharif mosque and the Annunciation Cathedral, they were accompanied by Director of the Kazan Kremlin Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve Zilya Valeeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the republic Vasil Shaykhraziev and other officials.
The guest was told about the peculiarities of the architecture and the history of the buildings.
After visiting the Kazan Kremlin, the guests went to the Opera and Ballet Theatre to attend the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
11.09.2019
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV arrives in Kazan
On September 11, at the Kazan International Airport, Tatarstan State Counsellor, UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue Mintimer Shaimiev met His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who arrived in Kazan.
On September 11, at the Kazan International Airport, Tatarstan State Counsellor, UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue Mintimer Shaimiev met His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who arrived in Kazan.
Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister Vasil Shaykhraziev, Minister of Culture of the republic Irada Ayupova, Deputy Chief of Staff of Tatarstan President’s Administration – Head of State Counsellor’s Secretariat Oleg Glebov and other officials took part in a brief welcoming ceremony.
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV arrived in Tatarstan to attend in the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture to be held in the Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre on the 13th of September.
13.09.2019
Awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture held in Kazan
On September 13, at the Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, Tatarstan State Counsellor, Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Revival Regional Foundation, the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation Mintimer Shaimiev, Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudichestvo) Eleonora Mitrofanova and the former Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova took part in the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
At the beginning of the ceremony, a film about the 2019 Aga Khan Award winners was shown.
Established in 1977, the prize amounts to one million US dollars and is shared between the winners. Every three years the prize is awarded for projects that establish new standards in architecture, planning, preservation of historical heritage and landscape design. A total of 380 projects from 39 countries took part in the contest. As many as 20 projects from 16 countries were in the final. Tatarstan project “Public Spaces Development Programme” was awarded one of six prizes.
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV handed over the award to Shaimiev and expressed special gratitude for his many years of efforts to preserve the heritage of Tatarstan and presented him a “special certificate” - the book “Heritage and Dialogue” published by the Aga Khan Culture Foundation. The book was specially printed for the awarding ceremony 2019 and is dedicated to the activities of Tatarstan on preservation of cultural and historical heritage.
On behalf of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and all Tatarstan people, Tatarstan State Counsellor expressed deep gratitude for the high appreciation of Public Spaces Development Programme implemented by the republic and the right to host this ceremony in Kazan.
Tatarstan President's Press Office.
13.09.2019
Mintimer Shaimiev and Prince Karim Aga Khan IV visit the Kazan Kremlin
On September 13, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV visited the Kazan Kremlin.
In the Kul-Sharif mosque and the Annunciation Cathedral, they were accompanied by Director of the Kazan Kremlin Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve Zilya Valeeva, Deputy Prime Minister of the republic Vasil Shaykhraziev and other officials.
The guest was told about the peculiarities of the architecture and the history of the buildings.
After visiting the Kazan Kremlin, the guests went to the Opera and Ballet Theatre to attend the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
11.09.2019
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV arrives in Kazan
On September 11, at the Kazan International Airport, Tatarstan State Counsellor, UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue Mintimer Shaimiev met His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who arrived in Kazan.
On September 11, at the Kazan International Airport, Tatarstan State Counsellor, UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue Mintimer Shaimiev met His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who arrived in Kazan.
Tatarstan Deputy Prime Minister Vasil Shaykhraziev, Minister of Culture of the republic Irada Ayupova, Deputy Chief of Staff of Tatarstan President’s Administration – Head of State Counsellor’s Secretariat Oleg Glebov and other officials took part in a brief welcoming ceremony.
His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV arrived in Tatarstan to attend in the awarding ceremony of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture to be held in the Jalil Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre on the 13th of September.
Kazan, the venue of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, exemplifies the spirit of pluralism
Mawlana Hazar Imam presented awards of the 14th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, together with Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, on September 13, 2019 at the Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
The earliest settlements of the Republic of Tatarstan date to the Paleolithic period, about 100,000 years ago. In the 10th century, the ancient tribes populated the Volga region, forming the Volga-Karma Bulghar state, adopting Islam as the state religion in 922. The term Tatar is believed to have been derived from the nomadic Turkic Mongols who ruled most of Central Asia in the 13th and 14th centuries. Recently, however, the term refers to people who speak the Tatar language.
Kazan, the capital of the autonomous Republic of Tatarstan (established in 1920), is located on the meeting point of the rivers Volga and Kazanka. Originally a military outpost, Kazan was inhabited in the 7th century by Turkic people, the majority of whom were Sunni Muslims.
Kazan Russia Aga Khan Architecture AKAA
Photo: Moscow Times
The origin of the name of the city is uncertain: some suggest it is from the Turkic word qazan, meaning ‘cauldron’ as the city is surrounded by mountains, forming a hollow that resembles a cauldron; or the Turkic word xusan/xosan, meaning ‘bend’ or ‘hook,’ referring to the bend of the Volga near which the city is located (Encyclopaedia.com). Kazan was an important stopover of several trading routes linking northern Europe and northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea through the Volga River.
In the 13th century, Kazan was captured by the Mongols. However, when Mongol rule collapsed in the 1430s, several independent states emerged, including Kazan Khanate, established in 1438. In 1552, the Russian ruler Ivan IV (d.1584), known as Ivan the Terrible, seized Kazan, burning it down almost entirely. Mosques were destroyed or re-purposed and Kazan became part of the Russian Empire. Ivan ordered the building of the white-stoned Kremlin (‘citadel’) on the grounds of the Khan’s castle in 1556.
During the reign of Empress Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796), peace returned to Russia and Kazan was re-built to allow the resurgence of Tatar culture. Mosques and other buildings were constructed alongside churches, and Kazan’s diverse population of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, who had lived in peace for many generations, continued to co-exist harmoniously.
Temple All Religions Kazan Russia
Established by philanthropist Ildar Khanov in 1992, the Temple of All Religions is an architectural complex consisting of several cupolas, minarets and spires representing the religious architecture of 12 major religions of the world. It is not a functioning worship centre, but rather a cultural centre and the residence of Khanov until his death in 2013. Khanov and his assistants practiced spiritual healing upon his willing subjects Source: Amusing Planet
In the late 19th century, a Russian Muslim intellectual movement, inspired by Ismail Bey Gasprinksi (d. 1914), developed “to reconcile Islam with modernity” (Lazzerini, The Volga Tatars p 2). The movement, which came to be known as jadidism (‘modernism’) “sought to reform education, raise the quality of life for Muslims, improve their economic and technical competitiveness… [It began] with Sufi brotherhoods stressing the inner awakening and moral reformation of the individual, and intellectuals reassessing the accepted traditions of Islamic civilisation” (Oxford Islamic Studies Online).
Bolgar
Mawlana Hazar Imam visited Bolgar on September 12, 2019.
The town of Bolgar (the name perhaps derived from “Volgars” referring to inhabitants around the Volga), located on the Volga River, was inhabited by a semi-nomadic tribe as early as the 8th century. The town was invaded by Mongols in 1236 and completely destroyed forcing survivors to flee to Kazan and surrounding areas. Bolgar was re-built during the reign of the Mongol ruler Khan Berke (r. 1257-1266), becoming an important trading centre.
The town continued to be invaded and destroyed in successive years, its final destruction in 1431 on the order of Prince Vasili II of Moscow (r. 1425-1462). In 1722, Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725) visited the ruins of Bolgar and issued a decree to preserve them. It is a sacred site for all Tatars and a place of pilgrimage for Muslims as a reminder of the acceptance of Islam in the region in the 10th century.
In 1969, the Bolgar State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve was established to protect the site. In 2014, the Bolgar Historical and Architectural Complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bolgar Russia UNESCO Heritage
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex. Photo: UNESCO/Makhmutov R.Z.
The Complex consists of ruins of the historical settlement including a moat, a former mosque, several mausoleums, bath houses, and the remains of a Khan’s palace.
The Kazan Kremlin Complex is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Complex consists of several historic buildings including the 16th century Annunciation Cathedral, the Qol-Sarif Mosque rebuilt in 1996, the leaning Soyembika Tower, and the palace of the president of Tatarstan.
Kazan Kremlin Russia Tatarstan
Kazan Kremlin Complex. Photo: One Planet Nations Online
“Tatarstan has, for centuries, been a place of exceptional commitment to pluralistic values. The city of Kazan and the larger region have long been renowned for their rich mix of ethnicities, and cultures, including the impressive way in which their architectural heritage has been preserved and respected.
It is striking to realise that nearby Bolgar, which I visited yesterday, became a Muslim religious centre as early as 922 – almost eleven hundred years ago. Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue. I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, September 13, 2019
Speech
Sources:
Edward J. Lazzerini, The Volga Tatars in Central Asia, 18th-20th Centuries: From Diaspora to Hegemony? University of New Orleans, 1993
Richard Cavendish, “Kazan Falls to Ivan the Terrible,” History Today, Volume 52 Issue 10 October 2002
Sofia Mazgarova, Islamic Reformism on the Periphery of the Muslim World: Rezaeddin Fakhreddin (1895-1936), Claremont University, 2010
A Short History of Kazan, Moscow Times
Kazan, Encyclopaedia Britannica
Tatarstan, Geohistory
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex, UNESCO World Heritage Objects
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/kazan-the-venue-of-the-2019-aga-khan-award-for-architecture-exemplifies-the-spirit-of-pluralism/
Mawlana Hazar Imam presented awards of the 14th cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, together with Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, on September 13, 2019 at the Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
The earliest settlements of the Republic of Tatarstan date to the Paleolithic period, about 100,000 years ago. In the 10th century, the ancient tribes populated the Volga region, forming the Volga-Karma Bulghar state, adopting Islam as the state religion in 922. The term Tatar is believed to have been derived from the nomadic Turkic Mongols who ruled most of Central Asia in the 13th and 14th centuries. Recently, however, the term refers to people who speak the Tatar language.
Kazan, the capital of the autonomous Republic of Tatarstan (established in 1920), is located on the meeting point of the rivers Volga and Kazanka. Originally a military outpost, Kazan was inhabited in the 7th century by Turkic people, the majority of whom were Sunni Muslims.
Kazan Russia Aga Khan Architecture AKAA
Photo: Moscow Times
The origin of the name of the city is uncertain: some suggest it is from the Turkic word qazan, meaning ‘cauldron’ as the city is surrounded by mountains, forming a hollow that resembles a cauldron; or the Turkic word xusan/xosan, meaning ‘bend’ or ‘hook,’ referring to the bend of the Volga near which the city is located (Encyclopaedia.com). Kazan was an important stopover of several trading routes linking northern Europe and northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea through the Volga River.
In the 13th century, Kazan was captured by the Mongols. However, when Mongol rule collapsed in the 1430s, several independent states emerged, including Kazan Khanate, established in 1438. In 1552, the Russian ruler Ivan IV (d.1584), known as Ivan the Terrible, seized Kazan, burning it down almost entirely. Mosques were destroyed or re-purposed and Kazan became part of the Russian Empire. Ivan ordered the building of the white-stoned Kremlin (‘citadel’) on the grounds of the Khan’s castle in 1556.
During the reign of Empress Catherine the Great (r. 1762-1796), peace returned to Russia and Kazan was re-built to allow the resurgence of Tatar culture. Mosques and other buildings were constructed alongside churches, and Kazan’s diverse population of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, who had lived in peace for many generations, continued to co-exist harmoniously.
Temple All Religions Kazan Russia
Established by philanthropist Ildar Khanov in 1992, the Temple of All Religions is an architectural complex consisting of several cupolas, minarets and spires representing the religious architecture of 12 major religions of the world. It is not a functioning worship centre, but rather a cultural centre and the residence of Khanov until his death in 2013. Khanov and his assistants practiced spiritual healing upon his willing subjects Source: Amusing Planet
In the late 19th century, a Russian Muslim intellectual movement, inspired by Ismail Bey Gasprinksi (d. 1914), developed “to reconcile Islam with modernity” (Lazzerini, The Volga Tatars p 2). The movement, which came to be known as jadidism (‘modernism’) “sought to reform education, raise the quality of life for Muslims, improve their economic and technical competitiveness… [It began] with Sufi brotherhoods stressing the inner awakening and moral reformation of the individual, and intellectuals reassessing the accepted traditions of Islamic civilisation” (Oxford Islamic Studies Online).
Bolgar
Mawlana Hazar Imam visited Bolgar on September 12, 2019.
The town of Bolgar (the name perhaps derived from “Volgars” referring to inhabitants around the Volga), located on the Volga River, was inhabited by a semi-nomadic tribe as early as the 8th century. The town was invaded by Mongols in 1236 and completely destroyed forcing survivors to flee to Kazan and surrounding areas. Bolgar was re-built during the reign of the Mongol ruler Khan Berke (r. 1257-1266), becoming an important trading centre.
The town continued to be invaded and destroyed in successive years, its final destruction in 1431 on the order of Prince Vasili II of Moscow (r. 1425-1462). In 1722, Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725) visited the ruins of Bolgar and issued a decree to preserve them. It is a sacred site for all Tatars and a place of pilgrimage for Muslims as a reminder of the acceptance of Islam in the region in the 10th century.
In 1969, the Bolgar State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve was established to protect the site. In 2014, the Bolgar Historical and Architectural Complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bolgar Russia UNESCO Heritage
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex. Photo: UNESCO/Makhmutov R.Z.
The Complex consists of ruins of the historical settlement including a moat, a former mosque, several mausoleums, bath houses, and the remains of a Khan’s palace.
The Kazan Kremlin Complex is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Complex consists of several historic buildings including the 16th century Annunciation Cathedral, the Qol-Sarif Mosque rebuilt in 1996, the leaning Soyembika Tower, and the palace of the president of Tatarstan.
Kazan Kremlin Russia Tatarstan
Kazan Kremlin Complex. Photo: One Planet Nations Online
“Tatarstan has, for centuries, been a place of exceptional commitment to pluralistic values. The city of Kazan and the larger region have long been renowned for their rich mix of ethnicities, and cultures, including the impressive way in which their architectural heritage has been preserved and respected.
It is striking to realise that nearby Bolgar, which I visited yesterday, became a Muslim religious centre as early as 922 – almost eleven hundred years ago. Through the centuries the spirit of pluralism in Tatarstan has known times of difficult challenge and times of inspiring renewal. But through everything, a commitment to inclusiveness has persisted. This spirit was encouraged under the pluralist leadership of several of the Muslim Khanates that governed the area in the 14th and 15th centuries, and also some later Russian rulers, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. And it has been dramatically evident here in recent years.
On my visits in Kazan, and in Bolgar, I have seen how committed people can honour the power both of cultural identity and cultural pluralism. It is striking to see how churches and mosques, for example, have been built and preserved right next to one another as powerful symbols of a profound intercultural Dialogue. I would hope that we all can help point the rest of the world to the powerful pluralistic model of places like Kazan and Bolgar.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, September 13, 2019
Speech
Sources:
Edward J. Lazzerini, The Volga Tatars in Central Asia, 18th-20th Centuries: From Diaspora to Hegemony? University of New Orleans, 1993
Richard Cavendish, “Kazan Falls to Ivan the Terrible,” History Today, Volume 52 Issue 10 October 2002
Sofia Mazgarova, Islamic Reformism on the Periphery of the Muslim World: Rezaeddin Fakhreddin (1895-1936), Claremont University, 2010
A Short History of Kazan, Moscow Times
Kazan, Encyclopaedia Britannica
Tatarstan, Geohistory
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex, UNESCO World Heritage Objects
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/15/kazan-the-venue-of-the-2019-aga-khan-award-for-architecture-exemplifies-the-spirit-of-pluralism/
Aga Khan Award for Architecture concludes with Winners’ Seminar
On Saturday 14 September, Mawlana Hazar Imam participated in an Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners’ Seminar at the Main International Centre, Universidade Village, Kazan. Hazar Imam was joined by members of his family, and leaders of the Jamat and AKDN.
The Winners’ Seminar is traditionally held after the Award Ceremony, and provides a platform for architects, clients, designers, patrons, and academics to discuss each of the Award winning projects, and the resulting positive impact on their social and natural environments respectively; along with broader trends in the field of architecture and the built environment.
This year’s six award-winning projects offer creative responses to contemporary issues such as climate change, connectivity between people, and the challenge of adapting to new contexts.
Delegates were welcomed to the event by Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award, before a series of presentations and two panel discussions, featuring Award Winners and members of the Award’s Steering Committee and Master Jury.
In his address to guests, Steering Committee member Hanif Kara spoke of the historical value and importance of the Award, saying, “At its core, we believe that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has taught us to recognise that progress is precious, and all progress stems from the human urge to make things that shape the world around us for a better quality of life.”
As part of a panel discussion, Master Jury member Mona Fawaz highlighted the contemporary contribution and potential legacy of the Award, saying, “What we see with these projects — and the sequence really of the Aga Khan [Award] project — is ushering another mode of being an architect: one where you really want to be relevant to the challenges of your times, and you try to do it in a way that you use the language of architecture.”
The Seminar also featured discussions around themes of environmentally harmonious design, bridging past and future, and building to serve the next generation.
Architect Ahmed Al Ali, who designed the Wasit Wetland Centre in the UAE explained, “We are here for a short period of time and each one of us is passing through this journey of life, and we have a responsibility to make sure that when we do our turn, that we really not only preserve what Allah has given us [on] this earth, but also enrich that.”
In a question and answer session during the proceedings, Mawlana Hazar Imam illustrated the social aspects and timeless nature of architecture, saying, “What seems to me to be very important is the quality of life that architecture can offer in various environments — in cities, in rural environments — and the conditions in which future generations grow up. I think a great deal about what our world is going to looks like in fifty years, and how are our great-grandchildren going to be living. What are the environments that they will experience?”
“So architecture from my point of view is a vehicle, it’s an instrument for achieving goals that need to be thought through, evaluated, challenged, renewed. It’s not a single process at a single time.”
Later in the day, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Steering Committee, before departing Kazan, marking the culmination of his four-day visit to Tatarstan.
Hazar Imam was greeted at the airport by State Counsellor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan Shaikhraziev Vasil Gayazovich, who thanked Hazar Imam for visiting the region and wished him a bon voyage.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 cycle took place in Kazan, Tatarstan from 12-14 September. The triennial Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious prizes in the field of architecture, and over time, has had a significant impact on the way architects think about design.
Photos and more..
https://the.ismaili/news/aga-khan-award ... 99-seminar
On Saturday 14 September, Mawlana Hazar Imam participated in an Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners’ Seminar at the Main International Centre, Universidade Village, Kazan. Hazar Imam was joined by members of his family, and leaders of the Jamat and AKDN.
The Winners’ Seminar is traditionally held after the Award Ceremony, and provides a platform for architects, clients, designers, patrons, and academics to discuss each of the Award winning projects, and the resulting positive impact on their social and natural environments respectively; along with broader trends in the field of architecture and the built environment.
This year’s six award-winning projects offer creative responses to contemporary issues such as climate change, connectivity between people, and the challenge of adapting to new contexts.
Delegates were welcomed to the event by Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award, before a series of presentations and two panel discussions, featuring Award Winners and members of the Award’s Steering Committee and Master Jury.
In his address to guests, Steering Committee member Hanif Kara spoke of the historical value and importance of the Award, saying, “At its core, we believe that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has taught us to recognise that progress is precious, and all progress stems from the human urge to make things that shape the world around us for a better quality of life.”
As part of a panel discussion, Master Jury member Mona Fawaz highlighted the contemporary contribution and potential legacy of the Award, saying, “What we see with these projects — and the sequence really of the Aga Khan [Award] project — is ushering another mode of being an architect: one where you really want to be relevant to the challenges of your times, and you try to do it in a way that you use the language of architecture.”
The Seminar also featured discussions around themes of environmentally harmonious design, bridging past and future, and building to serve the next generation.
Architect Ahmed Al Ali, who designed the Wasit Wetland Centre in the UAE explained, “We are here for a short period of time and each one of us is passing through this journey of life, and we have a responsibility to make sure that when we do our turn, that we really not only preserve what Allah has given us [on] this earth, but also enrich that.”
In a question and answer session during the proceedings, Mawlana Hazar Imam illustrated the social aspects and timeless nature of architecture, saying, “What seems to me to be very important is the quality of life that architecture can offer in various environments — in cities, in rural environments — and the conditions in which future generations grow up. I think a great deal about what our world is going to looks like in fifty years, and how are our great-grandchildren going to be living. What are the environments that they will experience?”
“So architecture from my point of view is a vehicle, it’s an instrument for achieving goals that need to be thought through, evaluated, challenged, renewed. It’s not a single process at a single time.”
Later in the day, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Steering Committee, before departing Kazan, marking the culmination of his four-day visit to Tatarstan.
Hazar Imam was greeted at the airport by State Counsellor of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev and Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan Shaikhraziev Vasil Gayazovich, who thanked Hazar Imam for visiting the region and wished him a bon voyage.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019 cycle took place in Kazan, Tatarstan from 12-14 September. The triennial Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious prizes in the field of architecture, and over time, has had a significant impact on the way architects think about design.
Photos and more..
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By TOLOnews.com 16 Sept 2019
Aga Khan Awards $1 Million To Six Architectural Projects
Prizes offered to “proactive, creative people,” regardless of nationality or religion
SHORT VIDEO ON TOLO NEWS: https://youtu.be/IrygzqaCU2k
or on this link: http://ismaili.net/timeline/2019/2019-0 ... n-tolo.mp4
Six prizes totaling $1 million were awarded to architectural projects by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), all chosen with the theme of “dialogue.” The Aga Khan, who spoke at the recent award ceremony in Kazan, Russia, stated that “committed people can honor the power of both cultural identity and cultural pluralism” and that “architecture can lead the way in this effort – as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.”
The winning projects span three continents “and include an urban heritage intervention, a floating school, a national museum, an ambitious program to introduce public spaces across hundreds of localities, a university’s classrooms and halls, and an ecological center,” an Aga Khan statement read.
Mintimer Shaimiev, the UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue, praised the awards because they “support proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession.”
The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKKA) are described as follows by the AKDN statement:
• Revitalization of Muharraq, Bahrain
• Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh
• Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine
• Public Spaces Development Program, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation
• Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal
• Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
“Architecture – more than any other art form – has a profound impact on the quality of human life,” the Aga Khan explained in his speech, adding: “I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture – intellectually and materially – grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.”
By TOLOnews.com 16 Sept 2019
Aga Khan Awards $1 Million To Six Architectural Projects
Prizes offered to “proactive, creative people,” regardless of nationality or religion
SHORT VIDEO ON TOLO NEWS: https://youtu.be/IrygzqaCU2k
or on this link: http://ismaili.net/timeline/2019/2019-0 ... n-tolo.mp4
Six prizes totaling $1 million were awarded to architectural projects by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), all chosen with the theme of “dialogue.” The Aga Khan, who spoke at the recent award ceremony in Kazan, Russia, stated that “committed people can honor the power of both cultural identity and cultural pluralism” and that “architecture can lead the way in this effort – as we listen to one another and learn from one another across old divides.”
The winning projects span three continents “and include an urban heritage intervention, a floating school, a national museum, an ambitious program to introduce public spaces across hundreds of localities, a university’s classrooms and halls, and an ecological center,” an Aga Khan statement read.
Mintimer Shaimiev, the UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue, praised the awards because they “support proactive, creative people, regardless of nationality or confession.”
The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKKA) are described as follows by the AKDN statement:
• Revitalization of Muharraq, Bahrain
• Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh
• Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine
• Public Spaces Development Program, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation
• Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal
• Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
“Architecture – more than any other art form – has a profound impact on the quality of human life,” the Aga Khan explained in his speech, adding: “I believe that we all have a responsibility to improve the quality of life whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Our commitment to influencing the quality of architecture – intellectually and materially – grows directly out of our commitment to improving the quality of human life.”
https://realnoevremya.com/articles/3795 ... d-in-kazan
Mintimer Shaimiyev: “Care about people generates love and respect for one’s native land”
09:00, 17.09.2019
A Tatarstan public space development programme got the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture award ceremony took place in the M. Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre on 13 September. This year six projects that reached the final have got it, including a Tatarstan large-scale programme for the development of public spaces. The winner projects will split the prize money equal to $1 million.
“Such a fashionable word as tolerance has never been understood here — people just live this way, altogether, in peace and harmony”
he Aga Khan Award for Architecture award ceremony, which took place in the M. Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre, gathered a lot of high-ranking guests — from Aga Khan IV himself and first Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev to Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova with her spouse.
Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Eleonora Mitrofanova was first to deliver a speech. According to her, it was very symbolic that the ceremony took place precisely in Tatarstan.
Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Eleonora Mitrofanova was first to deliver a speech
“It is an amazing region that develops in leaps and bounds. It is a republic that has included two exceptional sites — Bolgar and Sviyazhsk — in the [UNESCO] World Heritage Site List in recent time. This has been possible mainly thanks to the republic’s first president’s efforts as well as the people of Tatarstan — diligent, multi-ethnic people who live in harmony, friendship and peace despite having a lot of religions and nationalities. It seems to me that such a fashionable word as tolerance has never been understood here — people just live this way, all together, in peace and harmony,” Eleonora Mitrofanova said.
Prince Aga Khan IV, in turn, noted in his speech that the award ceremony gathered “a unique group of people in a unique place and for unique purposes”. He also stressed that one of the key features of the award was that it notes projects not only for architectural qualities but for improving people’s lives. So he is convinced that architecture influences the quality of life, and we all have repeatedly heard that we form the environment, and it forms us, he said.
Prince Aga Khan IV, in turn, noted in his speech that the award ceremony gathered “a unique group of people in a unique place and for unique purposes”
It should be noted that the programme of the event that consisted of mainly welcome speeches and precisely the award ceremony was well mixed with music performances. So New Music chamber orchestra chaired by Anna Gulishambarova with the composition Sabantuy performed in front of the guests. Composer Jasser Haj Youssef who played a samai composition written by him as early as 1999 appeared on the stage later.
And a performance of honourable artist of Russia, Mariinsky Theatre soloist Akhed Agadi with Tukay’s aria from The Poet’s Love opera by Kazan composer Rezeda Akhiyarova was a real surprise to the ceremony’s guests. After the final chords of the aria calmed down, and a big round of applause finished, first Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev headed towards Agadi to shake his hand in front of all people and express his respect also because the opera singer learnt the Tatar language to perform this composition.
“We do this job with all the people from our heart and for our heart”
Before all six 2019 award laureates stepped on the stage, the first Tatarstan president gave a speech in front of all people. Mintimer Shaimiyev reminded that successfully developing and multi-ethnic Tatarstan was more often becoming a stage for big international forums hosted in Russia. According to him, the confirmation of the correctness of the course for the republic’s transformation for the human’s good is outlined here.
Mintimer Shaimiyev reminded that successfully developing and multi-ethnic Tatarstan was more often becoming a stage for big international forums hosted in Russia
“We base on the rich historical and cultural heritage of our people. We carefully treat the conservation of the interethnic and interreligious peace and harmony, the revival of spirituality — what else can be more valuable nowadays? Both Muslim holy sites in ancient Bolgar and Orthodox sites in the island city of Sviyazhsk and the Kazan Kremlin are equally precious for us. These three historical sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. As I have repeatedly said, we do this job with all the people from our heart and for our heart,” the first Tatarstan president said.
Mintimer Shaimiyev also noted that many projects implemented in Tatarstan are aimed at settling the most topical issues of the population. They include programmes of eradication of dilapidated dwelling, overall gasification and informatisation of settlements and road construction.
“Our president’s initiative in 2015 became a decent continuation of our aspiration — the programme on development of public spaces. Now all big cities and most Tatarstan districts have beautiful parks and squares, places where everyone will find a thing to do, where it is comfortable and safe.
It is quite a complicated and responsible work where we can’t do without professionals. For this reason, we constantly train specialists, work with local masters and businesses, which allows effectively using resources, developing the local economy and creating new jobs. A young, ambitious team working for Tatarstan’s good does this all.
A huge job has been done in the last five years: over 330 embankments, alleys, squares, parks have been built, works on 60 sites are coming to an end. The creation of comfortable public spaces is, first of all, care about people, and it generates love and respect for one’s native land,” Mintimer Shaimiyev noted.
All members of the winner teams arrived in Tatarstan to participate in the award ceremony. They got certificates directly from Prince Aga Khan and Mintimer Shaimiyev
“A high appraisal of the multifaceted activity”
380 projects from 39 countries participated in the competition, and 20 projects from 16 countries fought for the victory in the final. The Tatarstan programme turned out to be the only Russian project to reach the final during 42 years of the award’s existence.
Besides our republic, such developments as the revival of the city of Muharraq in Bahrein, a centre for swamplands in Sharjah, a Palestinian museum, Arkadia educational project and a lecture hall at Alioune Diop University.
We should note that all members of the winner teams arrived in Tatarstan to participate in the award ceremony. They got certificates directly from Prince Aga Khan and Mintimer Shaimiyev. By the way, the first president received a certificate the republic got for the development of public spaces. He was also awarded a “special certificate” of the Aga Khan international award.
“It is a great honour for us to get the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in line with five projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, the UAE, Senegal and Bahrein. We sincerely congratulate them on this big victory. Your Majesty, we evaluate this award as a high appraisal of the multifaceted activity carried out in the republic in people’s interests,” Mintimer Shaimiyev thanked the prince.
By Lina Sarimova. Photo: shaimiev.tatarstan.ru
Mintimer Shaimiyev: “Care about people generates love and respect for one’s native land”
09:00, 17.09.2019
A Tatarstan public space development programme got the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture award ceremony took place in the M. Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre on 13 September. This year six projects that reached the final have got it, including a Tatarstan large-scale programme for the development of public spaces. The winner projects will split the prize money equal to $1 million.
“Such a fashionable word as tolerance has never been understood here — people just live this way, altogether, in peace and harmony”
he Aga Khan Award for Architecture award ceremony, which took place in the M. Jalil Tatar Opera and Ballet Theatre, gathered a lot of high-ranking guests — from Aga Khan IV himself and first Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev to Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova with her spouse.
Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Eleonora Mitrofanova was first to deliver a speech. According to her, it was very symbolic that the ceremony took place precisely in Tatarstan.
Head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation Eleonora Mitrofanova was first to deliver a speech
“It is an amazing region that develops in leaps and bounds. It is a republic that has included two exceptional sites — Bolgar and Sviyazhsk — in the [UNESCO] World Heritage Site List in recent time. This has been possible mainly thanks to the republic’s first president’s efforts as well as the people of Tatarstan — diligent, multi-ethnic people who live in harmony, friendship and peace despite having a lot of religions and nationalities. It seems to me that such a fashionable word as tolerance has never been understood here — people just live this way, all together, in peace and harmony,” Eleonora Mitrofanova said.
Prince Aga Khan IV, in turn, noted in his speech that the award ceremony gathered “a unique group of people in a unique place and for unique purposes”. He also stressed that one of the key features of the award was that it notes projects not only for architectural qualities but for improving people’s lives. So he is convinced that architecture influences the quality of life, and we all have repeatedly heard that we form the environment, and it forms us, he said.
Prince Aga Khan IV, in turn, noted in his speech that the award ceremony gathered “a unique group of people in a unique place and for unique purposes”
It should be noted that the programme of the event that consisted of mainly welcome speeches and precisely the award ceremony was well mixed with music performances. So New Music chamber orchestra chaired by Anna Gulishambarova with the composition Sabantuy performed in front of the guests. Composer Jasser Haj Youssef who played a samai composition written by him as early as 1999 appeared on the stage later.
And a performance of honourable artist of Russia, Mariinsky Theatre soloist Akhed Agadi with Tukay’s aria from The Poet’s Love opera by Kazan composer Rezeda Akhiyarova was a real surprise to the ceremony’s guests. After the final chords of the aria calmed down, and a big round of applause finished, first Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev headed towards Agadi to shake his hand in front of all people and express his respect also because the opera singer learnt the Tatar language to perform this composition.
“We do this job with all the people from our heart and for our heart”
Before all six 2019 award laureates stepped on the stage, the first Tatarstan president gave a speech in front of all people. Mintimer Shaimiyev reminded that successfully developing and multi-ethnic Tatarstan was more often becoming a stage for big international forums hosted in Russia. According to him, the confirmation of the correctness of the course for the republic’s transformation for the human’s good is outlined here.
Mintimer Shaimiyev reminded that successfully developing and multi-ethnic Tatarstan was more often becoming a stage for big international forums hosted in Russia
“We base on the rich historical and cultural heritage of our people. We carefully treat the conservation of the interethnic and interreligious peace and harmony, the revival of spirituality — what else can be more valuable nowadays? Both Muslim holy sites in ancient Bolgar and Orthodox sites in the island city of Sviyazhsk and the Kazan Kremlin are equally precious for us. These three historical sites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. As I have repeatedly said, we do this job with all the people from our heart and for our heart,” the first Tatarstan president said.
Mintimer Shaimiyev also noted that many projects implemented in Tatarstan are aimed at settling the most topical issues of the population. They include programmes of eradication of dilapidated dwelling, overall gasification and informatisation of settlements and road construction.
“Our president’s initiative in 2015 became a decent continuation of our aspiration — the programme on development of public spaces. Now all big cities and most Tatarstan districts have beautiful parks and squares, places where everyone will find a thing to do, where it is comfortable and safe.
It is quite a complicated and responsible work where we can’t do without professionals. For this reason, we constantly train specialists, work with local masters and businesses, which allows effectively using resources, developing the local economy and creating new jobs. A young, ambitious team working for Tatarstan’s good does this all.
A huge job has been done in the last five years: over 330 embankments, alleys, squares, parks have been built, works on 60 sites are coming to an end. The creation of comfortable public spaces is, first of all, care about people, and it generates love and respect for one’s native land,” Mintimer Shaimiyev noted.
All members of the winner teams arrived in Tatarstan to participate in the award ceremony. They got certificates directly from Prince Aga Khan and Mintimer Shaimiyev
“A high appraisal of the multifaceted activity”
380 projects from 39 countries participated in the competition, and 20 projects from 16 countries fought for the victory in the final. The Tatarstan programme turned out to be the only Russian project to reach the final during 42 years of the award’s existence.
Besides our republic, such developments as the revival of the city of Muharraq in Bahrein, a centre for swamplands in Sharjah, a Palestinian museum, Arkadia educational project and a lecture hall at Alioune Diop University.
We should note that all members of the winner teams arrived in Tatarstan to participate in the award ceremony. They got certificates directly from Prince Aga Khan and Mintimer Shaimiyev. By the way, the first president received a certificate the republic got for the development of public spaces. He was also awarded a “special certificate” of the Aga Khan international award.
“It is a great honour for us to get the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in line with five projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, the UAE, Senegal and Bahrein. We sincerely congratulate them on this big victory. Your Majesty, we evaluate this award as a high appraisal of the multifaceted activity carried out in the republic in people’s interests,” Mintimer Shaimiyev thanked the prince.
By Lina Sarimova. Photo: shaimiev.tatarstan.ru
2019 AKAA ceremony - Highlights
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm_xDQGuNjc
Highlights of the ceremony held in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, on 13 September 2019.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm_xDQGuNjc
Highlights of the ceremony held in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, on 13 September 2019.
A Closer Look at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winners
On the 13th of September 2019, the six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were honored at a ceremony held at the Kazan’s Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. After the ceremony, ArchDaily managed to get exclusive comments from all the awarded teams and from the director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Farrokh Derakhshani. Read on to discover what they had to say about this cycle of prizes.
Comments from Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the AKAA
Regarding the diversity of the projects, why was it crucial for this cycle of the Aga Khan Award to pick winning projects from very different contexts and different programs? This cycle of the Awards is not different from any of the previous cycles as it comes to the notion of diversity. In fact, when the Award was created the Master Jury of the first cycle in 1980 was asked to give five Awards but that independent Master Jury chose 15 projects and they argued that at that moment in history it would be difficult to cover all Muslim societies all over the world and the large point of view of the Award addressing all aspects of architecture with only five Awards. His Highness and the Steering Committee immediately accepted the jury’s suggestion and 15 projects received the 1980 Awards.
Regarding the award’s recipients, this award program doesn’t only and specifically honor architectural firm. Why do you think it was important to diversify in the type of the receivers of the award? The achievements of no project are the result of the work on an architect or architectural firm. Architecture is not a piece of art that has an artist « creating » a masterpiece. This is a narrow approach to reality. First, you need a good client as without a client with a vision no architect can do his/her best. Secondly, depending on the nature and scale of the project many people from various disciplines have a role, structural engineers, craftsmen, contractors, planners, landscape architects, social scientists, etc. Therefore, depending on their role, they get recognition.
Save this picture!Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Sanndro di Carlo Darsa (Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Sanndro di Carlo Darsa (
Comments from the winning teams
Why do you think your project won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture?
Revitalisation of Muharraq, Bahrain: I think it was awarded by the jury because it presents a sensible, precise and community-based approach to urban regeneration one that balances contemporary architecture with the conservation of traditional buildings, acknowledging both the city's heritage and its current needs.
Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh: In the citation of the master jury, the reasons for selecting this project as one of the winners is explained very well. I think the message this project carries have both local and global implications. I have approached the problem in a very simple way and to be the response to the particular condition of the site and the design strategy adopted have surely contributed to the selection as one of the winners.
Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine: I think that the project won because of its “grounded-ness”, it’s design drawing from its consideration of the landscape of Palestine and its particular site.
Save this picture!Kaban Lake riverfront promenade, Kazan, Public Spaces Development Programme, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Image © Daniel ShvedovKaban Lake riverfront promenade, Kazan, Public Spaces Development Programme, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Image © Daniel Shvedov
Public Spaces Development Programme, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation: The whole Program was incepted by the Client, Mr. President Minnikhanov with a clear vision to improve quality of life for every citizen of Tatarstan. That was a really clear and simple idea, it was neither designed to gain political capital nor to take advantage of a serious amount of funding. That clarity made it easy for our team to develop the key qualities we have been praised for: public engagement at all stages ending up in unique participatory design manuals. Today this experience is used all across Russia; the equally high quality of design across 45 municipalities in more than 330 spaces, be it a village for 1700 inhabitants of the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan; a brilliant young team of architects who independently managed their projects.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal: If there is a word that defines the Aga Khan Architecture awards, it is Commitment, commitment to giving the best solution to a problem. Commitment is also a fundamental key in the philosophy of IDOM and is the attitude that guided us throughout the design process: to make a building that was timeless, elegant and representative, that solved not only the program but also other problems that the campus had, that was built with local techniques and materials, and sustainable, that consumed the least possible energy and had a low maintenance cost.
Save this picture!Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif TallAlioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall
Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: I think the main reason behind this project winning the AKAA is its contribution to its urban environment in various ways, mainly reclaiming of close to 20 acres of former wasteland and valorizing it as a form of natural capital. What had become a waste dumping ground has had its indigenous ecosystem restored and is proving a popular place for visitors to appreciate and learn about their natural environment. As a result the site is now home for over 350 species of local and migratory birds. While developing the project, we envisioned it as a low-impact and environmentally conscious development, the design of the visitor center blends with site topography minimizing its visual impact on the surrounding and creating natural environments for birds. The key drivers of the center are to educate people about their ecosystem, and at the same time rehabilitating and breeding endangered resident and migratory birds.
And what does it mean to be one of the recipients of the very prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture?
Save this picture!Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Image © Nelson GarridoWasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Image © Nelson Garrido
Revitalisation of Muharraq, Bahrain: It's a great honor to receive a prize that has over the years greatly contributing to constantly redefine and reassess the priorities and definition we give to architecture and acknowledges the complexity of actors and contributors behind the projects.
Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh: It is no doubt a wonderful feeling to be one of the winners of this prestigious award and I consider this as a validation of the ideas that I try to realize through our works. It will provide inspiration for our future works.
Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an award that considers how architecture can meaningfully make a difference. To evaluate the projects, the assessment process is extremely rigorous and emerging as a recipient is truly an honor.
Save this picture!Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal EmdenPalestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal Emden
Public Spaces Development Programme, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation: I think that it is a great honor but also most importantly it is a clear indication that the approach we have formulated is the right way to go! Also helps to realize that working in the furthest away small Tatar village you can influence the world. Unbelievable new knowledge.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal: For years we knew the Aga Khan awards and their philosophy of social commitment that we deeply admire. That is why it is an extraordinary honor and pride, a dream to receive this award, but not only for us, but also for all our colleagues, the client, the Government, and the people who worked on the work. We are tremendously grateful.
Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: We are honored to receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019. It is a remarkable milestone for us. From one point we look at it as an achievement, from the other, it is a life-span commitment to abide by the vision that helped us win and was always part of the beliefs of X-Architects.
Photos and more...
https://www.archdaily.com/925119/winnin ... -archdaily
On the 13th of September 2019, the six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were honored at a ceremony held at the Kazan’s Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. After the ceremony, ArchDaily managed to get exclusive comments from all the awarded teams and from the director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Farrokh Derakhshani. Read on to discover what they had to say about this cycle of prizes.
Comments from Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the AKAA
Regarding the diversity of the projects, why was it crucial for this cycle of the Aga Khan Award to pick winning projects from very different contexts and different programs? This cycle of the Awards is not different from any of the previous cycles as it comes to the notion of diversity. In fact, when the Award was created the Master Jury of the first cycle in 1980 was asked to give five Awards but that independent Master Jury chose 15 projects and they argued that at that moment in history it would be difficult to cover all Muslim societies all over the world and the large point of view of the Award addressing all aspects of architecture with only five Awards. His Highness and the Steering Committee immediately accepted the jury’s suggestion and 15 projects received the 1980 Awards.
Regarding the award’s recipients, this award program doesn’t only and specifically honor architectural firm. Why do you think it was important to diversify in the type of the receivers of the award? The achievements of no project are the result of the work on an architect or architectural firm. Architecture is not a piece of art that has an artist « creating » a masterpiece. This is a narrow approach to reality. First, you need a good client as without a client with a vision no architect can do his/her best. Secondly, depending on the nature and scale of the project many people from various disciplines have a role, structural engineers, craftsmen, contractors, planners, landscape architects, social scientists, etc. Therefore, depending on their role, they get recognition.
Save this picture!Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Sanndro di Carlo Darsa (Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Sanndro di Carlo Darsa (
Comments from the winning teams
Why do you think your project won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture?
Revitalisation of Muharraq, Bahrain: I think it was awarded by the jury because it presents a sensible, precise and community-based approach to urban regeneration one that balances contemporary architecture with the conservation of traditional buildings, acknowledging both the city's heritage and its current needs.
Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh: In the citation of the master jury, the reasons for selecting this project as one of the winners is explained very well. I think the message this project carries have both local and global implications. I have approached the problem in a very simple way and to be the response to the particular condition of the site and the design strategy adopted have surely contributed to the selection as one of the winners.
Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine: I think that the project won because of its “grounded-ness”, it’s design drawing from its consideration of the landscape of Palestine and its particular site.
Save this picture!Kaban Lake riverfront promenade, Kazan, Public Spaces Development Programme, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Image © Daniel ShvedovKaban Lake riverfront promenade, Kazan, Public Spaces Development Programme, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Image © Daniel Shvedov
Public Spaces Development Programme, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation: The whole Program was incepted by the Client, Mr. President Minnikhanov with a clear vision to improve quality of life for every citizen of Tatarstan. That was a really clear and simple idea, it was neither designed to gain political capital nor to take advantage of a serious amount of funding. That clarity made it easy for our team to develop the key qualities we have been praised for: public engagement at all stages ending up in unique participatory design manuals. Today this experience is used all across Russia; the equally high quality of design across 45 municipalities in more than 330 spaces, be it a village for 1700 inhabitants of the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan; a brilliant young team of architects who independently managed their projects.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal: If there is a word that defines the Aga Khan Architecture awards, it is Commitment, commitment to giving the best solution to a problem. Commitment is also a fundamental key in the philosophy of IDOM and is the attitude that guided us throughout the design process: to make a building that was timeless, elegant and representative, that solved not only the program but also other problems that the campus had, that was built with local techniques and materials, and sustainable, that consumed the least possible energy and had a low maintenance cost.
Save this picture!Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif TallAlioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall
Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: I think the main reason behind this project winning the AKAA is its contribution to its urban environment in various ways, mainly reclaiming of close to 20 acres of former wasteland and valorizing it as a form of natural capital. What had become a waste dumping ground has had its indigenous ecosystem restored and is proving a popular place for visitors to appreciate and learn about their natural environment. As a result the site is now home for over 350 species of local and migratory birds. While developing the project, we envisioned it as a low-impact and environmentally conscious development, the design of the visitor center blends with site topography minimizing its visual impact on the surrounding and creating natural environments for birds. The key drivers of the center are to educate people about their ecosystem, and at the same time rehabilitating and breeding endangered resident and migratory birds.
And what does it mean to be one of the recipients of the very prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture?
Save this picture!Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Image © Nelson GarridoWasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Image © Nelson Garrido
Revitalisation of Muharraq, Bahrain: It's a great honor to receive a prize that has over the years greatly contributing to constantly redefine and reassess the priorities and definition we give to architecture and acknowledges the complexity of actors and contributors behind the projects.
Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor, Bangladesh: It is no doubt a wonderful feeling to be one of the winners of this prestigious award and I consider this as a validation of the ideas that I try to realize through our works. It will provide inspiration for our future works.
Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an award that considers how architecture can meaningfully make a difference. To evaluate the projects, the assessment process is extremely rigorous and emerging as a recipient is truly an honor.
Save this picture!Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal EmdenPalestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine. Image © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal Emden
Public Spaces Development Programme, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation: I think that it is a great honor but also most importantly it is a clear indication that the approach we have formulated is the right way to go! Also helps to realize that working in the furthest away small Tatar village you can influence the world. Unbelievable new knowledge.
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal: For years we knew the Aga Khan awards and their philosophy of social commitment that we deeply admire. That is why it is an extraordinary honor and pride, a dream to receive this award, but not only for us, but also for all our colleagues, the client, the Government, and the people who worked on the work. We are tremendously grateful.
Wasit Wetland Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: We are honored to receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019. It is a remarkable milestone for us. From one point we look at it as an achievement, from the other, it is a life-span commitment to abide by the vision that helped us win and was always part of the beliefs of X-Architects.
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https://www.archdaily.com/925119/winnin ... -archdaily
His Highness The Aga Khan hosts 14th edition of Architecture Awards
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddAtcJXPy0k
The 14th edition of the The Aga Khan award for architecture has been held in Kazan, in the republic of Tartastan, Russia.
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Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddAtcJXPy0k
The 14th edition of the The Aga Khan award for architecture has been held in Kazan, in the republic of Tartastan, Russia.
Subscribe to NTV Kenya channel for latest Kenyan news today and everyday. Get the Kenya news updates, discussions and other exciting shows.
2019, September 15: NTV News presentation on Aga Akhan Award for Architecture ceremonies in Kazar in 2019.
VIDEO!
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2019/2019-09-15-ntv.mp4
VIDEO!
http://ismaili.net/timeline/2019/2019-09-15-ntv.mp4
2019 AKAA ceremony - Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan (English subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyN5CNMCgtc
13 September 2019 - Speech by Highness the Aga Khan at the 2019 AKAA ceremony in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (English subtitles)
Important places and events mentioned in the speech illustrated.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyN5CNMCgtc
13 September 2019 - Speech by Highness the Aga Khan at the 2019 AKAA ceremony in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (English subtitles)
Important places and events mentioned in the speech illustrated.
2019 AKAA ceremony - Speech by Mr. Mintimer Shaimaiev (English subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFHSot ... rce=Direct
13 September 2019 - Speech by Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (English subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFHSot ... rce=Direct
13 September 2019 - Speech by Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (English subtitles)
2019 AKAA ceremony - Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan (Russian subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w555MA0lOw
******
2019 AKAA ceremony - Speech by Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev (Russian subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4SJTANTKrY
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w555MA0lOw
******
2019 AKAA ceremony - Speech by Mr. Mintimer Shaimiev (Russian subtitles)
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4SJTANTKrY
The architecture of life
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was conceptualised with the hope of creating a platform to cultivate conversation and debate about the built environment and provide direction for the betterment of human life through its enhancement. Award-winning architect and Steering Committee member Marina Tabassum spoke to The Ismaili to continue the conversation.
“The Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognises projects that celebrate humane values through a language of architecture strongly rooted to its place and culture ,” says Marina Tabassum, winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016.
The Award is based on a conviction, that Architecture has the capacity to transform life, the pursuit of which makes the Award unique amongst the growing landscape of architectural awards and prizes. Winners must prove that their project improves the quality of life of the end users of the building or public space.
The projects are subjected to a rigorous process of selection and this, Marina believes is the reason that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is the most coveted architectural prize in the world. As a Member of the Steering Committee for the Award’s most recent cycle, Marina has had the chance to be closely involved in the Award process. “The Steering Committee, invited and led by His Highness, selects the Master Jury and sets recommendations and themes for the award cycle emphasising the agendas that are relevant of our time. The Master Jury goes through the projects that are nominated by experts from around the world and prepares a shortlist. An independent reviewer is sent from the Award Secretariat for an On-Site review of the shortlisted projects. Based on the reviewers' extensive reports the Master Jury finalises the winners,” she says.
The methodical on-site investigation of each project, its programme, design, and execution, forms an important component of the Master Jury’s decision-making process. The post-occupancy evaluation of each project is equally vital, including its conditions of construction and use, along with responsive and innovative use of materials and technology. The On-Site visits by the reviewers provide indispensable evidence of the broader physical impact of the project, how the community is using it and how it benefits them. It is much more than merely looking at six or seven beautiful pictures.
While the process of selection for the Award has remained constant since its inception, the emphasis of the award along with its concerns has evolved, reflecting the human, societal, and environmental challenges of the day. Mawlana Hazar Imam, in his speech at the 2016 Award Ceremony, mentioned a few of the qualities of architecture that the Award seeks to promote and honour: the ability of great architecture to integrate inherited tradition and changing needs; its inclination to integrate the Gifts of Nature and the potential of the human mind to engage with Nature respectfully and not by subduing or conquering it; and the quality to find a balance between aesthetic inspiration and practical utility; and the propensity to highlight the Spirit of Pluralism – an approach to life that welcomes difference and diversity.
“The emphasis on pluralism is quite evident if the shortlisted projects are studied carefully. Projects quite often directly address the context of a multicultural environment and respond through the creation of spaces and programs that are inclusive and celebrate diversity,” adds Marina. This emphasis is evident at the award-winning Bjarke Ingels Group designed Superkilen in Copenhagen, which creates a public space for diverse identities, highlighting its plural nature and addressing political conflicts and social controversies by using bold creativity and participatory design.
“For the current cycle, His Highness particularly emphasised on the pressing issues of climate change and projects that focused on the environment and there were a significant number of projects that dealt with adaptive re-use and conservation were nominated,” points out Marina. The Master Jury too, in its deliberation, considered the conditions in which the vast majority of the world’s population lives in today: climate change, rising economic and digital inequalities, epidemics, greater restrictions on liberties, growing polarisation, raging wars, large waves of population displacements and the difficulty of living in dignity. As such, the dominant themes that emerged, and which define the winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Cycle, are three-fold: living heritage, ecological resiliency and recovery, and thriving and inclusive commons. These themes are integrated across six projects that span three continents. They include an urban heritage intervention, a national museum, a floating school, a university’s classrooms and halls, an ecological centre, and an ambitious programme to introduce public spaces across hundreds of localities.
To gauge the impact of the Awards on the Architectural scene of the subcontinent, one does not have to look further than Marina herself. “Prior to 2016, there were several other cycles where projects from the sub-continent were awarded. In fact, I claim to be of a generation where we were inspired by the values of the Award. So, I would think the impact is affirmation and inspiration to the younger generation of architects to focus on projects that contribute meaningfully to our societies and environment.
“Moreover, the award has accumulated information on large number of projects that is part of research keeping pedagogy in mind ,” she continued. This focus on pedagogy is evident in the establishment of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the architectural database Archnet, both which are testaments to how the Award has always had, as an important part of its activities, the objective of educating young architects.
Another aspect of the Award was highlighted by Marina Tabassum: “The Aga Khan Trust for Culture also collaborates with many educational institutions around the world for workshops and seminars -- keeping the award in focus.” In September 2018, the Bengal Institute, with the involvement of Marina and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, hosted a month-long lecture series called “Learning from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture”. The workshop included former AKAA Secretary General Suha Ozkan, Moroccan architect and writer Hassan Radoine, and past winners of the Award. Similar attempts to bring the discourse of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture to architecture schools and the younger generation of architects are being carried out in other parts of the world.
Incredibly, the impact of the Award is not limited to the architecture community. As Marina puts it, “The Award is given to a project for its impact on community and society at large. It is not only celebrating the architect but also everyone associated with the project, including the users. Architecture shapes human lives and has the power to suggest change in human perceptions and living conditions.”
Photo at:
https://the.ismaili/our-stories/archite ... -173435533
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was conceptualised with the hope of creating a platform to cultivate conversation and debate about the built environment and provide direction for the betterment of human life through its enhancement. Award-winning architect and Steering Committee member Marina Tabassum spoke to The Ismaili to continue the conversation.
“The Aga Khan Award for Architecture recognises projects that celebrate humane values through a language of architecture strongly rooted to its place and culture ,” says Marina Tabassum, winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016.
The Award is based on a conviction, that Architecture has the capacity to transform life, the pursuit of which makes the Award unique amongst the growing landscape of architectural awards and prizes. Winners must prove that their project improves the quality of life of the end users of the building or public space.
The projects are subjected to a rigorous process of selection and this, Marina believes is the reason that the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is the most coveted architectural prize in the world. As a Member of the Steering Committee for the Award’s most recent cycle, Marina has had the chance to be closely involved in the Award process. “The Steering Committee, invited and led by His Highness, selects the Master Jury and sets recommendations and themes for the award cycle emphasising the agendas that are relevant of our time. The Master Jury goes through the projects that are nominated by experts from around the world and prepares a shortlist. An independent reviewer is sent from the Award Secretariat for an On-Site review of the shortlisted projects. Based on the reviewers' extensive reports the Master Jury finalises the winners,” she says.
The methodical on-site investigation of each project, its programme, design, and execution, forms an important component of the Master Jury’s decision-making process. The post-occupancy evaluation of each project is equally vital, including its conditions of construction and use, along with responsive and innovative use of materials and technology. The On-Site visits by the reviewers provide indispensable evidence of the broader physical impact of the project, how the community is using it and how it benefits them. It is much more than merely looking at six or seven beautiful pictures.
While the process of selection for the Award has remained constant since its inception, the emphasis of the award along with its concerns has evolved, reflecting the human, societal, and environmental challenges of the day. Mawlana Hazar Imam, in his speech at the 2016 Award Ceremony, mentioned a few of the qualities of architecture that the Award seeks to promote and honour: the ability of great architecture to integrate inherited tradition and changing needs; its inclination to integrate the Gifts of Nature and the potential of the human mind to engage with Nature respectfully and not by subduing or conquering it; and the quality to find a balance between aesthetic inspiration and practical utility; and the propensity to highlight the Spirit of Pluralism – an approach to life that welcomes difference and diversity.
“The emphasis on pluralism is quite evident if the shortlisted projects are studied carefully. Projects quite often directly address the context of a multicultural environment and respond through the creation of spaces and programs that are inclusive and celebrate diversity,” adds Marina. This emphasis is evident at the award-winning Bjarke Ingels Group designed Superkilen in Copenhagen, which creates a public space for diverse identities, highlighting its plural nature and addressing political conflicts and social controversies by using bold creativity and participatory design.
“For the current cycle, His Highness particularly emphasised on the pressing issues of climate change and projects that focused on the environment and there were a significant number of projects that dealt with adaptive re-use and conservation were nominated,” points out Marina. The Master Jury too, in its deliberation, considered the conditions in which the vast majority of the world’s population lives in today: climate change, rising economic and digital inequalities, epidemics, greater restrictions on liberties, growing polarisation, raging wars, large waves of population displacements and the difficulty of living in dignity. As such, the dominant themes that emerged, and which define the winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Cycle, are three-fold: living heritage, ecological resiliency and recovery, and thriving and inclusive commons. These themes are integrated across six projects that span three continents. They include an urban heritage intervention, a national museum, a floating school, a university’s classrooms and halls, an ecological centre, and an ambitious programme to introduce public spaces across hundreds of localities.
To gauge the impact of the Awards on the Architectural scene of the subcontinent, one does not have to look further than Marina herself. “Prior to 2016, there were several other cycles where projects from the sub-continent were awarded. In fact, I claim to be of a generation where we were inspired by the values of the Award. So, I would think the impact is affirmation and inspiration to the younger generation of architects to focus on projects that contribute meaningfully to our societies and environment.
“Moreover, the award has accumulated information on large number of projects that is part of research keeping pedagogy in mind ,” she continued. This focus on pedagogy is evident in the establishment of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the architectural database Archnet, both which are testaments to how the Award has always had, as an important part of its activities, the objective of educating young architects.
Another aspect of the Award was highlighted by Marina Tabassum: “The Aga Khan Trust for Culture also collaborates with many educational institutions around the world for workshops and seminars -- keeping the award in focus.” In September 2018, the Bengal Institute, with the involvement of Marina and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, hosted a month-long lecture series called “Learning from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture”. The workshop included former AKAA Secretary General Suha Ozkan, Moroccan architect and writer Hassan Radoine, and past winners of the Award. Similar attempts to bring the discourse of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture to architecture schools and the younger generation of architects are being carried out in other parts of the world.
Incredibly, the impact of the Award is not limited to the architecture community. As Marina puts it, “The Award is given to a project for its impact on community and society at large. It is not only celebrating the architect but also everyone associated with the project, including the users. Architecture shapes human lives and has the power to suggest change in human perceptions and living conditions.”
Photo at:
https://the.ismaili/our-stories/archite ... -173435533
The Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYcxJHsmKMY
“For the Aga Khan Award, architecture is not just about building; it is a means of improving people’s quality of life. Architecture, urbanism, and the creation of public spaces can be exemplary vehicles to enhance the sustainability, health and vibrancy of all of our communities,” Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYcxJHsmKMY
“For the Aga Khan Award, architecture is not just about building; it is a means of improving people’s quality of life. Architecture, urbanism, and the creation of public spaces can be exemplary vehicles to enhance the sustainability, health and vibrancy of all of our communities,” Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
https://en.prothomalo.com/lifestyle/new ... r-honoured
Aga Khan Award for Architecture winner honoured
Prothom Alo English Desk | Update: 19:15, Nov 03, 2019
Saif Ul Haque – one of the winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture has been honoured by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), Aga Khan National Council, and Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) in collaboration with the Institute of Architects Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi project, Arcadia Education Project in South Kanarchor, was celebrated and recognised for excellence in architecture, at a ceremony held in Dhaka city on Saturday night, reports UNB.
Together with the award’s steering committee members – Emre Arolat, Hanif Kara, and Maria Tabassum, director of the AKAA Farrokh Derakhshani presented the award certificates to the architect and sponsor of the winning project.
In addition to a panel discussion on stage with the winning architect, president of the executive council, Institute of Architects of Bangladesh Jalal Ahmed, AKDN resident diplomatic representative Munir M Meraliand president, Aga Khan National Council Sulaiman Ajanee addressed the function.
The guests were entertained with performance by Sharmila Banerjee, director, choreographer and dancer, Nritya Nandan.
In addition to business, civic and other leaders, the event was graced with the presence of diplomats including, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Peter Fahrenholtz and ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Saed Mohammed Saed Hmaid Almeheiri.
After four decades of teaching in United Kingdom, Razia Alam returned to her home country of Bangladesh where she established a school for underprivileged children, using her pension funds.
When the lease on the existing premises of this school expired, its founder sought out a site on which to build.
The budget restricted her choice to areas not well suited for development. Wanting the school to be near water, she purchased a riverside plot which, it turned out, is submerged in up to 3m of monsoon water for a third of the year.
Rather than disrupting the ecosystem to create a stabilised mound for building on, or erecting a structure on stilts that would have been too high in the dry season, her chosen architect – a lifelong acquaintance – devised the solution of an amphibious structure, anchored to the site, that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on the seasonal conditions.
Aga Khan Award for Architecture winner honoured
Prothom Alo English Desk | Update: 19:15, Nov 03, 2019
Saif Ul Haque – one of the winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture has been honoured by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), Aga Khan National Council, and Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) in collaboration with the Institute of Architects Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi project, Arcadia Education Project in South Kanarchor, was celebrated and recognised for excellence in architecture, at a ceremony held in Dhaka city on Saturday night, reports UNB.
Together with the award’s steering committee members – Emre Arolat, Hanif Kara, and Maria Tabassum, director of the AKAA Farrokh Derakhshani presented the award certificates to the architect and sponsor of the winning project.
In addition to a panel discussion on stage with the winning architect, president of the executive council, Institute of Architects of Bangladesh Jalal Ahmed, AKDN resident diplomatic representative Munir M Meraliand president, Aga Khan National Council Sulaiman Ajanee addressed the function.
The guests were entertained with performance by Sharmila Banerjee, director, choreographer and dancer, Nritya Nandan.
In addition to business, civic and other leaders, the event was graced with the presence of diplomats including, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Peter Fahrenholtz and ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Saed Mohammed Saed Hmaid Almeheiri.
After four decades of teaching in United Kingdom, Razia Alam returned to her home country of Bangladesh where she established a school for underprivileged children, using her pension funds.
When the lease on the existing premises of this school expired, its founder sought out a site on which to build.
The budget restricted her choice to areas not well suited for development. Wanting the school to be near water, she purchased a riverside plot which, it turned out, is submerged in up to 3m of monsoon water for a third of the year.
Rather than disrupting the ecosystem to create a stabilised mound for building on, or erecting a structure on stilts that would have been too high in the dry season, her chosen architect – a lifelong acquaintance – devised the solution of an amphibious structure, anchored to the site, that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on the seasonal conditions.
Introduction: Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k089Ubu ... rce=Direct
Introductory film to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k089Ubu ... rce=Direct
Introductory film to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019.
Video: Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2019
In case you missed the live webcast from Kazan in September, The Ismaili is pleased to publish the full 50-minute Aga Khan Award for Architecture film. Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the 14th cycle of the award, which is presented every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation, and landscape architecture.
https://the.ismaili/news/video-aga-khan ... ure-2019-1
In case you missed the live webcast from Kazan in September, The Ismaili is pleased to publish the full 50-minute Aga Khan Award for Architecture film. Mawlana Hazar Imam presided over the 14th cycle of the award, which is presented every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation, and landscape architecture.
https://the.ismaili/news/video-aga-khan ... ure-2019-1