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Nineteen projects from 15 countries have been shortlisted for the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture—the first cycle since its founder, Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the Aga Khan IV, died in February at 88 years old. It is now chaired by his son, Prince Rahim Aga, the  Khan V. Established in 1977 and presented triennially, the $1 million prize—shared between multiple recipients, it is one of the largest in architecture—honors designs that address the practical needs and cultural aspirations of communities with a significant Muslim presence. Based in Geneva, the award is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Over 15 past editions, 128 winners of various scope and size have been chosen among nearly 10,000 documented projects, ranging from Zaha Hadid’s Issam Fares Institute in Beirut to the revitalization of Muharraq, a World Heritage Site in Bahrain with a history of pearling. Other past awardees include projects by Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel, Bjarke Ingels Group, Charles Correa, B.V. Doshi, and Louis Khan. 

Campus Startup Lions, in Turkana, Kenya, by Kéré Architecture is an educational and entrepreneurial hub which provides a space for technology-driven education, business incubation, and community engagement. Photo © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Christopher Wilton-Steer

The finalists, whittled down from 369 nominations, had to have been completed between 2018 and 2023 and in use for at least one year to qualify for submission. Notable works include an affordable modular structural system conceived by past winner, the Dhaka-based Marina Tabassum Architects; a Brutalist former governmental building in Doha transformed into a hotel by David Chipperfield Architects, a Kenyan youth-entrepreneurship hub designed by another past winner, Kéré Architecture; and a climate-sensitive “eco-urban enclave” led by the Heritage Foundation Pakistan with 2023 RIBA Gold Medalist Yasmeen Lari. The finalists were vetted by an independent master jury of nine architects and scholars—among them 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient Yvonne Farrell and past Aga Khan Award for Architecture laureates Azra Akšamija, Noura Al-Sayeh Holtrop, and Mun Summ Wong—who will reconvene this summer to determine the final winners based on rigorous on-site reviews.

The Ned Hotel in Doha, Qatar, by David Chipperfield Architects is a Middle Eastern Brutalist structure that once hosted the Ministry of Interior before being carefully adapted into a 90-room boutique hotel. Photo © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Cemal Emden

The full 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture shortlist is below. More information about each finalist project can be found at the AKDN website.

Khudi Bari | Marina Tabassum Architects | Bangladesh (various locations) 

West Wusutu Village Community Centre | Zhang Pengju | Hohhot, China

Revitalization of Historic Esna | Takween Integrated Community Development | Egypt 

Morocco Pavilion Expo Dubai 2020, by Paris-based Oualalou + Choi, was designed to outlive the Expo 2020 and be converted into a cultural facility. The pavilion pioneers the advancement of large-scale rammed earth construction methods. Photo © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Deed Studio

The Arc at Green School | IBUKU / Elora Hardy | Bali, Indonesia

Islamic Centre Nurul Yaqin Mosque | Dave Orlando and Fandy Gunawan | Palu, Indonesia

Microlibraries | SHAU / Daliana Suryawinata, Florian Heinzelmann | Indonesia (various cities)

Majara Complex and Community Redevelopment | ZAV Architects / Mohamadreza Ghodousi | Hormuz Island, Iran

Jahad Metro Plaza | KA Architecture Studio | Tehran

Khan Jaljulia Restoration | Elias Khuri | Jaljulia, Israel

Campus Startup Lions | Kéré Architects | Turkana, Kenya

Revitalization of Lalla Yeddouna Square | Mossessian Architecture and Yassir Khalil Studio | Fez, Morocco

Vision Pakistan | DB Studios / Mohammad Saifullah Siddiqui | Islamabad, Pakistan

Denso Hall Rahguzar Project | Heritage Foundation Pakistan / Yasmeen Lari | Karachi, Pakistan

Wonder Cabinet | AAU Anastas | Bethlehem, Palestine

Khudi Bari by Marina Tabassum Architects is a replicable solution for displaced communities affected by climatic and geographic changes, which can be easily disassembled and reassembled to adapt to the users' circumstances. Photo © Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

The Ned Hotel | David Chipperfield Architects | Doha, Qatar

Shamalat Cultural Centre | Syn Architects / Sara Alissa, Nojoud Alsudairi | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Rehabilitation and Extension of Dakar Railway Station | Ga2D | Dakar, Senegal

Rami Library | Han Tümertekin Design & Consultancy | Istanbul

Morocco Pavilion Expo Dubai 2020 | Oualalou + Choi | United Arab Emirates

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