The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is unique among architecture prizes: it selects projects from slum upgrading to high rise “green” buildings, that not only exhibit architectural excellence but also improve the overall quality of life. Over the last four decades, it has steadfastly championed the needs and aspirations of human beings within the practice of architecture. Through its efforts, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies across the world and set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation and landscape architecture.

This event will be an informative lecture about the competition, the 19 shortlisted projects, and the six award winners, which includes projects by BIG and Zaha Hadid Architects. The presentation will be made by Shiraz Allibhai, who is the Deputy Director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Geneva, Switzerland.

Winners for this cycle's Aga Khan Award for Architecture include projects by BIG and Zaha Hadid Architects:

• Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, Dhaka (Architect: Marina Tabassum), a refuge for spirituality in urban Dhaka, selected for its beautiful use of natural light.
• Friendship Centre, Gaibandha (Architect: Kashef Chowdhury / URBANA), a community center which makes a virtue of an area susceptible to flooding in rural Bangladesh.
• Hutong Children’s Library and Art Centre, Beijing (Architect: ZAO / standard architecture / Zhang Ke), a children’s library selected for its embodiment of contemporary life in the traditional courtyard residences of Beijing.
• Superkilen, Copenhagen (Architects: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Topotek 1 and Superflex),  a public space promoting integration across lines of ethnicity, religion and culture.
• Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge, Tehran (Architect: Diba Tensile Architecture / Leila Araghian, Alireza Behzadi), a multi-level bridge spanning a busy motorway has created a dynamic new urban space.
• Issam Fares Institute, Beirut (Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects), a new building for the American University of Beirut’s campus, radical in composition but respectful of its traditional context.