Architecture improving the life of communities: the winners of the Aga Khan Award 2025

From Bangladesh to Iran, and from Egypt to Palestine: the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced the projects that, over the past three years, have stood out as catalysts for improving community life.

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Francesca Critelli
02 September 2025

Every three years, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture introduces to the world works that combine architectural quality with social and cultural impact. Established in 1977 by Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the award focuses on the role of buildings as agents of change for communities in the Muslim world, serving as inspiration on a global scale. The 17th edition confirms this vision, honoring interventions that range from modular housing for climate-displaced people to urban revitalizations, from schools fostering social inclusion to cultural centers that strengthen identity and local traditions. "Architecture can – and must – be a catalyst for hope, shaping not only the spaces we inhabit but the futures we imagine." said Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Prize for Architecture. This year's winners include seven projects that differ in type, geographic location, and design group.

Marina Tabassum Architects, Khudi Bari, Bangladesh © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Among the well-known names is Marina Tabassum, whose studio is among the most active in addressing climate and social emergencies, and who has also been selected this year to design the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion in London. Tabassum had already won the award in 2016 with the red-brick Bait Ur Rouf mosque, another project in her home country, Bangladesh. This year, she is recognized for Khudi Bari, small mobile bamboo-and-steel houses for communities affected by floods and forced migrations in various parts of the country. In China, the West Wusutu Village Community Centre in Hohhot brings residents and artists together in a building constructed with reclaimed bricks recycled from local demolitions, a widespread practice in the country, as seen in projects by Pritzker laureate Liu Jiakun. There is also an educational center for disadvantaged youth in Pakistan, the revitalization of an entire historic center in Egypt, and an exhibition and production space in Palestine, designed by Aau Anastas, which also hosts a program within the building to involve artisans and designers.

Architecture can – and must – be a catalyst for hope.

Farrokh Derakhshani, Director of the Aga Khan Prize for Architecture

Aau Anastas, Wonder Cabinet, Palestine © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Mikaela Burstow (photographer)

Finally, two awards go to Iran, with the Majara Residence on the island of Hormuz, a colorful complex of domes reflecting local ochre soils and opening up for sustainable tourism, and the Jahad Metro Square in Tehran, a dilapidated station rethought as an urban monument clad in handmade bricks, in memory of the Persian building tradition.

Khudi Bari, Bangladesh

Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA), Khudi Bari, various locations, Bangladesh, 2020-2023

Marina Tabassum Architects' community project responds to one of the country's most dramatic emergencies: displacement due to flooding and climate change. Khudi Bari is a lightweight yet durable house, composed of a modular structure made of bamboo and steel connectors, easy to disassemble and reassemble by just three people with basic tools. The design includes two levels: the lower one dedicated to social and private life, the upper one intended for rest and designed as a shelter in case of flood. A very relevant aspect of the design is its adaptability in different contexts: the facades are designed to be made of locally sourced materials, varying according to availability.

West Wusutu Village Community Centre, China

Inner Mongolian Grand Architecture Design Co., West Wusutu Village Community Centre Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, 2023

In Hohhot, Mongolia, stands a center that weaves together social, cultural and religious functions for a rural community. At 1,276 sq. m., it is organized around a central circular courtyard that serves as a plaza for collective activities, with a large 786 sq. m. practicable roof. The West Wusutu Village Community Center is built entirely with recycled bricks from local demolition, and incorporates sustainable solutions such as ventilation towers and automated skylights, which provide natural comfort and energy efficiency. The result is an inclusive place that mends community ties and becomes a focal point for Hui Muslims away from their main mosque.

Vision Pakistan, Pakistan

DB Studios, Vision Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan, 2023

DB Studios' Vision Pakistan center is a social project created to offer a second chance to disadvantaged youth. The facility currently houses about 50 students between the ages of 16 and 25, who undergo a year-long training as tailors for integration within society and literacy. The building, with flexible classrooms, recreational spaces and a central atrium lit by natural light, integrates a roof garden cultivated by the students. Rough concrete facades are enlivened by perforated colored metal screens (jaali), inspired by Pakistani and Arab handicrafts.

Revitalization of Esna, Egypt

Takween Integrated Community Development, Revitalisation of Historic Esn, Esna, Egypt, 2018-ongoing

This time it is a project aimed at making an entire historic center attractive again. In Upper Egypt, the city of Esna was known only for the Temple of Khnum. The Takween / Kareem Ibrahim-led project, which is still ongoing, aims to transform it into a living hub of cultural tourism. The interventions involved the preservation and reuse of several buildings and monuments, such as the 18th-century Wakalat al-Geddawi, the Qisariyya Market and the 19th-century Royal Guesthouse, as well as the rehabilitation of 15 historic sites, with the recovery of traditional techniques and local materials.

Wonder Cabinet, Palestine

AAU Anastas, Wonder Cabinet, Bethlehem, Palestine, 2023

In Bethlehem, overlooking the Al-Karkafeh Valley, the Wonder Cabinet is a three-story building dedicated to creativity and craft production. Designed as a nonprofit space, it integrates workshops, offices, café, restaurant and a performance area in the basement. Its architecture emphasizes transparency: glazed partitions connect different functions, while a central void connects the levels and accompanies the gaze to the outdoor landscape. Local artisans contributed to the furnishings and finishes, making the building a manifesto of Palestinian cultural production as a form of resistance and self-assertion.

Majara Complex, Iran

On the island of Hormuz, called "rainbow" for its colorful terrain, the Majara Residence and Community Redevelopment project has created an archipelago of domes that house residences, community spaces and cultural centers. There are about 200 domes, inspired by traditional water cisterns, made from local materials and arranged organically to reflect the landscape. The complex designed by ZAV Architects / Mohamadreza Ghodousi houses a library, craft workshops, and worship spaces in a place marked by conflict and marginality where the intervention aims to create new economic and social opportunities.

Jahad Metro Plaza, Iran

The second award-winning project in Iran is located in Tehran, and stands on the ashes of what, until recently, was just the plaza of a run-down metro station. KA Architecture Studio transformed this hostile space into an urban plaza by building a vaulted roof of handmade bricks typical of Persian tradition. The structure, which is permeable to light and air, mitigates traffic noise and creates a cozy, livable environment: a limited-budget but high-impact urban intervention.

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Architecture improving the life of communities: the winners of the Aga Khan Award 2025

From Bangladesh to Iran, and from Egypt to Palestine: the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced the projects that, over the past three years, have stood out as catalysts for improving community life.

View Article details

Khudi Bari, Bangladesh

West Wusutu Village Community Centre, China

Vision Pakistan, Pakistan

Revitalization of Esna, Egypt

Wonder Cabinet, Palestine

Majara Complex, Iran

Jahad Metro Plaza, Iran

Sections

Specials

Magazine

Architecture improving the life of communities: the winners of the Aga Khan Award 2025

From Bangladesh to Iran, and from Egypt to Palestine: the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced the projects that, over the past three years, have stood out as catalysts for improving community life.

View Article details

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Khudi Bari, Bangladesh

West Wusutu Village Community Centre, China

Vision Pakistan, Pakistan

Revitalization of Esna, Egypt

Wonder Cabinet, Palestine

Majara Complex, Iran

Jahad Metro Plaza, Iran

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