Aban House, Isfahan, Iran. On a narrow rectangular site in Isfahan’s historic centre, the three-storey house is arranged around three open courtyards.
Flying Saucer, Sharjah, is a 1978 building that was fully restored as a community art space. All photos: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Wafra Wind Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait, is a 13-storey building conceived as a wind tower featuring a central, vertical courtyard that provides natural ventilation to each apartment unit.
Expandable House, Batam, Indonesia. This new sustainable dwelling prototype is designed to be flexibly configured around its residents’ (often) precarious resources over time. Photo: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Tulkarm Courthouse, Tulkarm, Palestine, features two buildings, one for administration and the other containing 10 courtrooms. The Courthouse is anchored to its urban context by a public space.
Blimbingsari Airport, Banyuwangi, Indonesia. This transport hub serves more than 1,100 domestic passengers per day, the airport’s roofs indicate a clear division between departure and arrival halls.
Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University, in Ahmedabad, India. The library, a living case study of passive climate mitigation strategies, integrates seamlessly into the existing campus while forging its own distinct identity.
Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response, Teknaf, Bangladesh. Sustainably built structures in the world’s largest refugee camps, which were built by residents in the field without drawings or models.
Jadgal Elementary School, Seyyed Bar, Iran, is managed by villagers and teachers and funded by tourism and needlework from local women. It is a sustainable development centre for surrounding areas.
Le Jardin d'Afrique, Zarzis, Tunisia. An ecumenical cemetery provides a sanctuary and dignified place of final rest for the hundreds of unburied bodies that had been washing ashore.
Manama Post Office, Manama, Bahrain, was renovated to its original form and role as a functioning post office. A new wing has been added to the existing building.
Urban River Spaces, Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, is a community-driven project providing public spaces in a riverine city with 250,000 residents, offering walkways, gardens and cultural facilities, as well as environmental efforts to increase biodiversity along the river.
Niemeyer Guest House, Tripoli, Lebanon, was designed by Oscar Niemeyer but abandoned when civil war erupted in 1975; the guest house has been transformed into a design platform and production facility for the local wood industry.
Niamey 2000, Niamey, Niger. As a response to a housing shortage amid rapid urban expansion, this prototype housing of six family units seeks to increase density while remaining culturally appropriate.
Lanka Learning Centre, Parangiyamadu, Sri Lanka, is a multifunctional cultural centre and adult school where locals learn craftsmanship creates a multi-ethnic meeting point.
Outros Bairros Rehabilitation Programme, Mindelo, Cape Verde. This renovation and redesign of a public space allowed residents to execute works in their own neighbourhood and enhance their sense of belonging.
CEM Kamanar Secondary School, Thionck Essyl, Senegal. For this secondary school, volunteers, using local techniques, produced vault modules from clay which (with lattices) act as evaporating coolers.
Issy Valley Improvement, Ait Mansour, Morocco. While improving the palm orchards and water reservoirs, trails and facilities for tourists were also upgraded in the first phase of a larger project for the valley.
Argo Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran. Distinct materials differentiate new additions from the brick-built historic fabric in this contemporary art museum housed in an abandoned 100-year-old brewery.
Tarsus Old Ginnery, Tarsus, Turkey, is an adaptive reuse of an abandoned 19th century ginnery. It allows the operation of a contemporary centre for archaeological research and public engagement.
Aban House, Isfahan, Iran. On a narrow rectangular site in Isfahan’s historic centre, the three-storey house is arranged around three open courtyards.
Flying Saucer, Sharjah, is a 1978 building that was fully restored as a community art space. All photos: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Wafra Wind Tower, Kuwait City, Kuwait, is a 13-storey building conceived as a wind tower featuring a central, vertical courtyard that provides natural ventilation to each apartment unit.
Expandable House, Batam, Indonesia. This new sustainable dwelling prototype is designed to be flexibly configured around its residents’ (often) precarious resources over time. Photo: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Tulkarm Courthouse, Tulkarm, Palestine, features two buildings, one for administration and the other containing 10 courtrooms. The Courthouse is anchored to its urban context by a public space.
Blimbingsari Airport, Banyuwangi, Indonesia. This transport hub serves more than 1,100 domestic passengers per day, the airport’s roofs indicate a clear division between departure and arrival halls.
Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University, in Ahmedabad, India. The library, a living case study of passive climate mitigation strategies, integrates seamlessly into the existing campus while forging its own distinct identity.
Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response, Teknaf, Bangladesh. Sustainably built structures in the world’s largest refugee camps, which were built by residents in the field without drawings or models.
Jadgal Elementary School, Seyyed Bar, Iran, is managed by villagers and teachers and funded by tourism and needlework from local women. It is a sustainable development centre for surrounding areas.
Le Jardin d'Afrique, Zarzis, Tunisia. An ecumenical cemetery provides a sanctuary and dignified place of final rest for the hundreds of unburied bodies that had been washing ashore.
Manama Post Office, Manama, Bahrain, was renovated to its original form and role as a functioning post office. A new wing has been added to the existing building.
Urban River Spaces, Jhenaidah, Bangladesh, is a community-driven project providing public spaces in a riverine city with 250,000 residents, offering walkways, gardens and cultural facilities, as well as environmental efforts to increase biodiversity along the river.
Niemeyer Guest House, Tripoli, Lebanon, was designed by Oscar Niemeyer but abandoned when civil war erupted in 1975; the guest house has been transformed into a design platform and production facility for the local wood industry.
Niamey 2000, Niamey, Niger. As a response to a housing shortage amid rapid urban expansion, this prototype housing of six family units seeks to increase density while remaining culturally appropriate.
Lanka Learning Centre, Parangiyamadu, Sri Lanka, is a multifunctional cultural centre and adult school where locals learn craftsmanship creates a multi-ethnic meeting point.
Outros Bairros Rehabilitation Programme, Mindelo, Cape Verde. This renovation and redesign of a public space allowed residents to execute works in their own neighbourhood and enhance their sense of belonging.
CEM Kamanar Secondary School, Thionck Essyl, Senegal. For this secondary school, volunteers, using local techniques, produced vault modules from clay which (with lattices) act as evaporating coolers.
Issy Valley Improvement, Ait Mansour, Morocco. While improving the palm orchards and water reservoirs, trails and facilities for tourists were also upgraded in the first phase of a larger project for the valley.
Argo Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran. Distinct materials differentiate new additions from the brick-built historic fabric in this contemporary art museum housed in an abandoned 100-year-old brewery.
Tarsus Old Ginnery, Tarsus, Turkey, is an adaptive reuse of an abandoned 19th century ginnery. It allows the operation of a contemporary centre for archaeological research and public engagement.
Aban House, Isfahan, Iran. On a narrow rectangular site in Isfahan’s historic centre, the three-storey house is arranged around three open courtyards.
