Aga Khan Award for Architecture Shortlists 9 MENA Buildings

Some buildings are considered to be more than mere architectural works. When thoughtfully designed, they become forms of art that deserve to be awarded. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is an award presented every 3 years to infrastructure projects that demonstrate design excellence, but also highlight the needs and aspirations of significant Muslim societies. Out of the 348 entries from 69 countries, 19 of them have been shortlisted, and 9 of them are from the MENA region!

Check out these 9 beautiful creations below, all competing for the 1 million dollar prize and one of the most lucrative architectural prizes in the world!

1. Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon; the late Zaha Hadid’s first building in the Arab world
2. Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge, Tehran, Iran; Iran’s largest pedestrian bridge by Diba Tensile Architecture/Leila Araghian and Alireza Behzadi.
   

   

3. Royal Academy for Nature Conservation, Um Al-Yanabea,Jordan; a lone building surrounded by nature, by Khammash Architects
4. 40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran; An Iranian mesh of Persian Carpet by Habibeh Madjdabadi, Alireza Mashhadi Mirza
5. Manouchehri House, Kashan, Iran; rebuilt and renovated to preserve history by Akbar Helli, Shahnaz Nader
6. Guelmim School of Technology, Guelmim, Morocco; connects buildings with a series of canopies creating sheltered canopies by Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani, Mohamed Amine Siana
7. Casa-Port New Railway Station, Casablanca, Morocco; prepared to welcome 25 million passenger trips in the future by AREP and Groupe 3 Architects
8. Doha Tower, Doha, Qatar; a steel latticed tower by Ateliers Jean Nouvel
9. King Fahad National Library, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; by Gerber Architekten International