Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2025 recognizes seven architectural projects in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Palestine that address contemporary challenges through material innovation, cultural heritage, and community engagement. Marina Tabassum’s Khudi Bari responds to flood-induced displacement in Bangladesh through mobile bamboo and steel structures. ZAV Architects receives recognition for Majara Residence on Hormuz Island, a complex of domes reflecting local soil colors. KA Architecture Studio revitalizes Tehran’s Jahad Metro Plaza, reinforcing public space with handcrafted brick design. In Hohhot, China, Inner Mongolian Grand Architecture Design creates a multi-ethnic civic hub using reclaimed bricks. Takween Integrated Community Development in Egypt restores and adapts historic buildings in Esna while promoting local businesses. In Islamabad, DB Studios completes Vision Pakistan, a multi-level educational building that incorporates regional crafts. Wonder Cabinet, designed by AAU Anastas in Bethlehem, houses non-profit exhibition and design production spaces rooted in national identity. Each winning studio shares the $1 million (739,000 GBP, 931,000 EUR) prize. The ceremony takes place on 15 September at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
Seven architecture studios have been selected as winners of the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Chosen from a shortlist of 19 projects announced in June, the winning works are located in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Palestine. Each responds to specific cultural, environmental, or urban challenges. The winners will share a total prize of $1 million (739,000 GBP, 931,000 EUR).
Marina Tabassum received the award for Khudi Bari, a series of mobile structures developed for communities displaced by flooding in Bangladesh. Constructed using bamboo and steel, the lightweight units are transportable and affordable.
“The Khudi Bari project is profoundly optimistic, as it reframes the role that architecture can and should play in times of difficult global realities,” the Aga Khan Award jury noted.
Inner Mongolian Grand Architecture Design was recognized for the West Wusutu Village Community Centre in Hohhot, China. Built from reclaimed bricks, the center serves the local multi-ethnic community and offers spaces for social interaction.
According to the jury, “The dynamics of this project significantly enhance social interaction, cultural experience, and environmental resilience.”
In Egypt, Takween Integrated Community Development was awarded for the Revitalization of Historic Esna. The first phase focused on restoring historic buildings using traditional methods and techniques. A second phase introduced initiatives to support small businesses, tourism services, and cultural branding.
The Aga Khan Award jury praised its “highly participative approach towards urban heritage conservation.”
ZAV Architects received recognition for the Majara Residence and Community Redevelopment on Hormuz Island, Iran. The complex of interconnected domes references the island’s ochre-rich soil and functions as a tourist and community space.
“In its deep sensitivity to context, this project exemplifies how architecture can become a formidable force of optimism and rigorous resolve to shift the social, cultural, and material pendulum,” stated the jury.
In Tehran, KA Architecture Studio was honored for the transformation of Jahad Metro Plaza, a deteriorated public transportation node. The project used local handmade bricks to restructure and revive pedestrian space.
The jury described the work as exemplifying “the role of architecture in shaping public spaces as living dialogues between history, people, and ideas.”
DB Studios was awarded for Vision Pakistan, a multi-story educational building in Islamabad. Commissioned by a charity focused on youth empowerment, the building integrates local materials and Arab-Pakistani craft traditions. Architect Mohammad Saifullah Siddiqui and educator Rushda Tariq Qureshi were recognized for transforming a plot of land near public transport into a building described by the jury as one that “would not only contain a new type of education, but be full of light, spatially interesting, economically efficient, and highly distinct.”
AAU Anastas received the award for the Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem. Designed as a space for craft, innovation, and learning, the facility includes non-profit exhibition and production spaces.
The jury stated, “By imagining both the cultural institution and the physical structure that hosts it, the architects have created a building that transcends its immediate political context, providing a model for an architecture of connection that is rooted in contemporary expressions of national identity and asserts the importance of cultural production as a means of resistance.”
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by the Aga Khan to identify and support architectural works that address the needs of Muslim communities worldwide. The 2025 award ceremony will take place on 15 September at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
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