Dezeen Magazine

Jadgal Elementary School by DAAZ Office

Buildings in Niger, Sharjah and Cape Verde shortlisted for 2022 Aga Khan Award

The adaptation of an Oscar Niemeyer-designed house in Lebanon and a circular school in Iran are on the 20-strong shortlist for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022.

Projects from 16 different countries are vying to win this year's prize, which celebrates "the needs and aspirations of communities in which Muslims have a significant presence".

An Oscar Niemeyer-designed house in Lebanon
Top image: Jadgal Elementary School made the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022 shortlist. Photo is by Deed Studio. Above: a converted Oscar Niemeyer-designed house was also shortlisted. Photo is by Cemal Emden

The illustrious Aga Khan Award for Architecture is a triennial award established by Muslim spiritual leader Aga Khan in 1977. The prize is now in its 15th cycle.

All 20 shortlisted projects are now in the running for a share of the one million dollar prize (£799,000), which is one of the largest in architecture.

Aerial view of school in Sri Lanka by Feat.Collective
A school by Feat.Collective is one of four buildings for education on the list. Photo is by Nipun Prabhakar

A stand-out theme in of the 2022 shortlist was adaptive reuse, with projects including East Architecture Studio's transformation of the Niemeyer Guest House in Lebanon into a production facility and the renovation of Manama Post Office in Bahrain by Studio Anne Holtrop.

Others are a converted brewery in Iran by ASA North, the overhaul of an abandoned 19th-century ginnery in Turkey by Sayka Construction Architecture Engineering Consultancy and the restoration of the brutalist Flying Saucer in the UAE by SpaceContinuum Design Studio.

Exterior of a converted brewery in Iran by ASA North
A converted brewery in Iran by ASA North is among the shortlisted adaptive reuse projects. Photo is by Deed Studio

Buildings for education also feature prominently on the list, with the Jadgal Elementary School in Iran by DAAZ Office and the CEM Kamanar Secondary School in Senegal by Dawoffice both shortlisted.

Elsewhere, RMA Architects made the shortlist for its Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University in India, alongside a school for adults in Sri Lanka designed by Feat.Collective to allow locals to learn craftsmanship skills.

the Expandable House in Indonesia by ETH Zurich
Shortlisted residential schemes include the Expandable House by ETH Zurich. Photo is by Mario Wibowo

Among the residential projects on the list is an adaptable dwelling prototype in Indonesia by ETH Zurich and the narrow Aban House in Iran by USE Studio.

AGi Architects' 13-storey Wafra Wind Tower apartment block in Kuwait also made the cut, alongside Niamey 2000 – a housing prototype for Niger by United4design.

Enhanced public spaces are also celebrated in the shortlist, with examples including a community-driven project called Urban River Spaces in Bangladesh by Co.Creation.Architects.

Another is the Outros Bairros Rehabilitation Programme in Cape Verde designed by Outros Bairros to enhance the locals' sense of belonging.

Le Jardin d'Afrique, Zarzis, by Rachid Koraïchi
A graveyard that honours migrants by Rachid Koraïchi is vying for the prize. Photo is by Cemal Emden

The other shortlisted projects include community spaces in world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh by Rizvi Hassan, Khwaja Fatmi, Saad Ben Mostaf; Blimbingsari Airport in Indonesia by Andramatin; the Issy Valley Improvement in Morocco by Salima Naji and Inside Outside; and the Tulkarm Courthouse in Palestine by AAU Anastas.

A Rachid Koraïchi-designed memorial and graveyard in Tunisia that honours migrants who died whilst crossing the Mediterranean is the final project on the list.

Rehabilitation of Manama Post Office, Manama, by Studio Anne Holtrop
A Studio Anne Holtrop-designed post office renovation is on the list. Photo is by Maxime Delvaux

The 20 shortlisted entries are now on display in an exhibition in King's Cross in London until 30 June. They were selected from a pool of 463 schemes by an independent master jury including architects Lina Ghotmeh, Francis Kéré and Anne Lacaton.

Conservation architect Nada Al Hassan, Columbia University professor Amale Andraos, artist Kader Attia, director-general of Bengal Institute for Architecture Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Boston University professor Sibel Bozdoğan and architect Nader Tehrani were also on the panel.

Aerial view of Urban River Spaces by Co.Creation.Architects
Urban River Spaces by Co.Creation.Architects is among the enhanced public spaces on the shortlist. Photo is by Asif Salman

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is overseen by a steering committee chaired by Khan and including architects David Chipperfield, Marina Tabassum, Emre Arolat of EAA and Meisa Batayneh of Maisam Architects.

In 2019, there were six winning projects including a bamboo preschool, a Palestinian museum and a nature reserve built on an old rubbish dump.

Scroll down for the full 2022 shortlist:


Bahrain
› Rehabilitation of Manama Post Office, Manama, by Studio Anne Holtrop

Bangladesh
› Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response, Teknaf, by Rizvi Hassan, Khwaja Fatmi, Saad Ben Mostafa
› Urban River Spaces, Jhenaidah, by Co.Creation.Architects/Khondaker Hasibul Kabir

Cape Verde
› Outros Bairros Rehabilitation Programme, Mindelo, by Outros Bairros/Nuno Flores

India
› Lilavati Lalbhai Library at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, by RMA architects/Rahul Mehrotra

Indonesia
› Blimbingsari Airport, Banyuwangi, by Andramatin
› Expandable House, Batam, by ETH Zurich/Stephen Cairns with Miya Irawati, Azwan Aziz, Dioguna Putra and Sumiadi Rahman

Iran
› Aban House, Isfahan, by USE Studio/Mohammad Arab, Mina Moeineddini
Argo Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Tehran, by ASA North/Ahmadreza Schricker
› Jadgal Elementary School, Seyyed Bar, by DAAZ Office/Arash Aliabadi

Lebanon
› Renovation of Niemeyer Guest House, Tripoli, by East Architecture Studio/Nicolas Fayad, Charles Kettaneh

Kuwait
› Wafra Wind Tower, Kuwait City, by AGi Architects/Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea, Nasser B Abulhasan

Morocco
› Issy Valley Improvement, Ait Mansour, by Salima Naji

Niger
› Niamey 2000, Niamey, by United4design/Mariam Kamara, Yasaman Esmaili, Elizabeth
Golden, Philip Straeter

Palestine
Tulkarm Courthouse, Tulkarm, by AAU Anastas

Senegal
› CEM Kamanar Secondary School, Thionck Essyl, by Dawoffice

Sri Lanka
› Lanka Learning Centre, Parangiyamadu, by Feat.Collective/Noemi Thiele, Felix Lupatsch, Valentin Ott and Felix Yaparsidi

Tunisia
› Le Jardin d'Afrique, Zarzis, by Rachid Koraïchi

Turkey
› Rehabilitation of Tarsus Old Ginnery, Tarsus, by Sayka Construction Architecture Engineering Consultancy

United Arab Emirates
Flying Saucer Rehabilitation, Sharjah, by SpaceContinuum Design Studio/Mona El Mousfy

The photography is courtesy of Aga Khan Trust for Culture.