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Enhancing the Quality of Urban Life: Fifteen Winning Projects of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

Find out how we can improve life for people in cities by looking at award-winning architecture projects from across the globe.

3,602 enrolled on this course

Enhancing the Quality of Urban Life MOOC
  • Duration

    7 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

This open online course looks at the challenges of enhancing the quality of urban life as they have been addressed by projects from across the world that have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. All of these projects have benefited Muslim communities, but the messages they communicate are universal.

Over 115 projects have received the Award since 1980. Many of these projects directly address the urban scale and essentially are planning projects. A number of them are works of architecture that nonetheless have an impact on the urban fabric.

Skip to 0 minutes and 11 seconds I am Mohammad al-Asad the Director of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment in Amman, Jordan and I would like to thank you for joining us for this Aga Khan Trust for Culture Open Online Course entitled “Enhancing the Quality of Urban Life” This course will specifically look at projects from all around the world that have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and have contributed to improving the quality of life for city residents Although these projects are primarily connected to Muslim communities the messages that they convey are very much universal in nature The Aga Khan Award for Architecture completed its first cycle in 1980 since then, it has gone through thirteen cycles, and is currently in its fourteenth cycle which will be concluded in 2019 Since its inception around four decades ago over 115 projects have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture some of these projects are urban in nature some of them are architectural in nature but nonetheless have had an urban impact In this course, we will be presenting to you fifteen of these urban and architectural projects that have had an impact on the quality of life in the city We will be presenting these projects to you under seven categories The first category is public buildings that function as urban landmarks

Skip to 1 minute and 46 seconds The second category relates to urban infrastructure

Skip to 1 minute and 53 seconds The third category addresses projects that connect the city to the surrounding natural context

Skip to 2 minutes and 2 seconds The fourth category deals with the creation of open public spaces in the city

Skip to 2 minutes and 10 seconds The fifth category deals with improving the quality of housing for the urban poor

Skip to 2 minutes and 19 seconds The sixth category addresses the protection and revitalization of the city’s built heritage

Skip to 2 minutes and 28 seconds And the seventh and final category addresses the needs and challenges relating to post-conflict cities

Skip to 2 minutes and 40 seconds I will be presenting to you ten of these fifteen projects that belong to five categories My colleague Lara Zureikat, the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment will be presenting to you five projects that belong to two categories As we present these projects and categories to you we would like you to keep a couple of issues in mind The first is that you will notice that a number of these projects may very well belong to more than one category However, we will be presenting those projects to you within the context of the category that we feel they are best connected to Moreover, we would like you to keep in mind that these projects have received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture since its inception, that is over a period of about four decades As a result, we will present to you information about these projects at the time they were conceived and at the time that they received the Award and obviously the condition of these projects may very well have changed between now and then Nonetheless, these projects remain as relevant today to the concerns of urban life as they were when they were conceived and when they received the Award

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Public Buildings as Urban Landmarks

    • Introduction to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

      The Aga Khan Award for Architecture briefly introduced

    • Introduction to "Enhancing the Quality of Urban Life: Fifteen Winning Projects of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture "

      In this video, you will be introduced to the course's main educator, the course syllabus, as well as some notes to consider before starting the course.

    • Introduction to Week 1

      This week presents public buildings that function as urban landmarks.

    • Project 1: Great Mosque - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

      Winner of the 1993 - 1995 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 2: Bibliotheca Alexandrina - Alexandria, Egypt

      Winner of the 2002 - 2004 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

    • Week 1 overview: Discussion Topic, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Public Buildings as Urban Landmarks" category, and other readings on the Bibliotecha Alexandrina and the Great Mosque projects

  • Week 2

    Urban Infrastructure: Transcending the Utilitarian

    • Introduction to Week 2

      This week addresses works of urban infrastructure that transcend the purely utilitarian and the purely economic to take on an integral and important visual and physical role in the public realm of the city.

    • Project 3: Water Towers - Kuwait City, Kuwait

      Winner of the 1978 - 1980 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 4: Hassan II Bridge Rabat - Sale, Morocco

      Hassan II Bridge Rabat - Sale, Morocco. Winner of the 2011 - 2013 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 2 Overview: Discussion topics, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Urban Infrastructure: Transcending the Utilitarian" category, and other readings on the Water Towers and the Hassan II Bridge projects

  • Week 3

    Co-existing with the Surrounding Natural Context

    • Introduction to Week 3

      As we face serious challenges relating to environmental degradation and climate change, special attention should be given to protecting and enhancing natural habitats located within or adjacent to urban centers.

    • Project 5: The Middle East Technical University Forestation Program - Ankara, Turkey

      Winner of the 1993 - 1995 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 6: The Wadi Hanifa Wetlands Project - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

      Winner of the 2008 - 2010 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 3 Overview: Discussion topic, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Co-existing with the Surrounding Natural Context" category, and other readings on the two projects under this category.

  • Week 4

    Developing Public Spaces in the City

    • Introduction to Week 4

      This week addresses the need for public, open, green spaces in the city as places of equality where all city residents come together for leisure and recreation.

    • Project 7: Superkilen Park - Copenhagen, Denmark

      Winner of the 2014 – 2016 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 8: Tabiat Pedestrian Bridge -Tehran, Iran

      Winner of the 2014 – 2016 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 9: Samir Kassir Public Garden - Beirut, Lebanon

      Winner of the 2005 - 2007 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 4 Overview: Discussion topic, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Developing Public Spaces in the City" category, and other readings on the two projects under this category.

  • Week 5

    Improving Housing Conditions for the Urban Poor

    • Introduction to Week 5

      This week presents projects that address the challenges involved in working on improving housing conditions for the urban poor.

    • Project 10: The Aranya Community Housing Project - Indore, India

      Winner of the 1993 - 1995 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 11: Kampung Improvement Program - Jakarta, Indonesia

      Winner of the 1978 - 1980 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 5 Overview: Discussion topic, Readings and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Improving Housing Conditions for the Urban Poor" category, and other readings on the projects under this category.

  • Week 6

    Protecting and Revitalizing the City’s Built Heritage

    • Introduction Week 6

      This week addresses the topics of protecting and revitalizing works of the built heritage in cities.

    • Project 12: The Conservation of Old City of Sana'a Project - Sana'a, Yemen

      Winner of the 1993 - 1995 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 13: The Rehabilitation of the Tabriz Bazaar Project - Tabriz, Iran

      Winner of the 2011 - 2013 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Project 14: Revitalization of the Recent Heritage of Tunis - Tunis, Tunisia

      Winner of the 2008 - 2010 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 6 Overview: Discussion topic, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a general reading on the category and other readings and related videos for each of the included projects under it

  • Week 7

    Addressing the Needs and Challenges Relating to Post-Conflict Cities

    • Introduction Week 7

      This week addresses the needs and challenges relating to post-conflict cities.

    • Project 15: Rehabilitation of the Walled City of Nicosia - Nicosia, Cyprus

      Winner of the 2005 - 2007 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

    • Week 7 Discussion topic, Readings, and Videos

      This section consists of a discussion topic and a general reading on the "Addressing Needs and Challenges Relating to Post-Conflict Cities" category, and other readings and related videos on the project under it.

    • End of course

      Congratulations on completing this course! one final step is left to help you tie the course up by reflecting on all 7 themes, and the 15 projects.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of the challenges and opportunities affecting cities across the world, with an emphasis on the Islamic World.
  • Reflect on the varieties of innovative and effective solutions that can be implemented to improve the quality of life in cities.
  • Reflect on the diverse and multifaceted nature of cities as physical entities that are equally defined by geographic, social, cultural, economic, historical, and political factors.

Who is the course for?

This course will be of interest to:

  • Architecture and planning university students.
  • Architects and planners.
  • Municipal decision makers and staff.
  • High school students who wish to continue their studies in architecture and planning.
  • The general public.

Who will you learn with?

Mohammad al-Asad is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE), and is a member of the Steering Committee of the 2019 cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Lara Zureikat is a landscape architect and the Associate Director at the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE).

Who developed the course?

Aga Khan Trust for Culture

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture seeks to be a catalyst for a better quality of life through the preservation and revitalisation of cultural assets.

Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE)

The CSBE is a non-profit, interdisciplinary private study and research institution that aims at addressing the challenges affecting the built environment in Jordan and beyond.

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