His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the Emir of Qatar confers with His Highness the Aga Khan at the Aga Khan Award for Architecture ceremony in Doha, Qatar November 24, 2010. AKDN
By CHURCHILL OTIENO in Doha, QatarPosted Thursday, November 25 2010 at 11:55
The Aga Khan has called on builders to use their work to celebrate pluralism in the world while at the same time improving lives.
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Addressing a gathering to honour winners of the US$500,000 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the Ismailia leader said diversity was part of the essence of Islam.
“The unity of the Ummah does not imply sameness. Working in an Islamic context need not confine us to constraining models,” he told an audience that included architects, scholars, religious leaders and politicians.
This year’s winners are a city restoration project in Tunis; a school built on a bridge in China, a textile factory in Turkey, a museum at an archaeological site in Spain, and a reclaimed wetland in Saudi Arabia.
Prof Oleg Grabar, an American scholar, was honoured for his contribution to Islamic art and architecture.
The awards were announced at a gala dinner held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Also present were the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, his wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, and Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Mr Musalia Mudavadi.
The Aga Khan award is one of the most prestigious globally.
The Ismailia leader said architecture offered a unique opportunity to improve lives, conserve nature and celebrate heritage.
“We have come a long way from a careless confidence that the built environment would somehow take care of itself. We are increasingly aware that the quality of our buildings can transform the quality of our lives, both spiritual and material,” he said.
The Aga Khan sees four principle areas of concern influencing architecture in the future, especially in the Moslem world.
These are the shifting social and economic scene, the impact of new technologies, the cultural (Islamic) context of architectural work, and the relevant constituencies of such work.
He quoted the Quran to emphasise that humankind must take responsibility for shaping and reshaping the earthly environment.
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