Profile: Conservation of Gjirokastra

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Conservation of Gjirokastra in Albania:

The town of Gjirokastra in southern Albania is a well-preserved example of an Ottoman Balkan town, distinguished by its residential architecture but also notable for what is absent: unusually for an Ottoman town, it has only one minaret—the rest having been destroyed during the communist era. Declared a ‘museum city’ in 1960, Gjirokastra’s architectural heritage was preserved and maintained well by its Institute of Monuments for several decades. With the collapse of the regime and the economy in 1992, however, the town’s institutional structure disintegrated and skilled workers and craftsmen emigrated to Greece and elsewhere.

The Gjirokastra Conservation and Development Organisation has, for the better part of the last decade, attempted to reverse the decline of Gjirokastra’s built heritage through a grassroots programme that emphasises the development potential of conservation: Preservation projects are designed with a focus on adaptive reuse and sustainability, integrating training, business development and community outreach. Its many projects to date include the restoration and reuse of the castle of Gjirokastra; the rehabilitation of the bazaar; the restoration of cobblestone streets and creation of pedestrian walkways in the old town; and the preservation of several significant buildings.

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Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / GCDO

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / GCDO

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / GCDO

Profile: Revitalization of the Recent Heritage of Tunis

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Revitalization of the Recent Heritage of Tunis:

The nineteenth and early twentieth-century architectural heritage of North African cities embodies an important cultural exchange between the southern and northern Mediterranean. This heritage commonly lies adjacent to the old medinas, and has often been neglected in the drive to revitalise the historic centres of cities in this region. The Ville Nouvelle of Tunis was built when Tunisia was a French Protectorate and reflects a move from the urban patterns of the old medina to a grid plan that changed the character of the city. Planned around the strategic Avenue de la Marine (now Avenue Bourguiba), it contains outstanding historic landmarks such as the cathedral and the governor’s residence, in addition to theatres and the central market. The urban revitalisation plan, devised and spearheaded by the Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis (ASM), has restructured the public spaces of the area and made them chiefly pedestrian. It has also listed and restored key monuments, which are once again in use. The Association continues to actively guide institutions and individuals in the public and private sectors who wish to undertake preservation projects, in order to ensure overall quality and meet the objectives of the many stakeholders.

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Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

Profile: American University Campus, Beirut

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is The American University Campus in Beirut:

The master plan for the American University of Beirut was developed to shape and guide the development of the university’s century-old campus over the next 20 years. Situated on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean, the existing campus is composed of more than 80 academic, residential and administrative buildings, primarily of neo-Moorish and modern design that represent different eras of architectural development. The master plan provides architectural, landscape and urban design guidelines to serve the existing and future needs of the university. It articulates an integrative landscape plan that demonstrates a subtle use of topographical conditions to enhance the existing landscaping, in particular that of the green and wooded middle campus at the heart of the university with its lush environment and dramatic views towards the sea. The plan addresses improvements to the campus infrastructure, proposing new facilities such as classroom buildings and parking structures. It covers the renovation of existing buildings and preservation of historic structures; the expansion of the medical campus and its integration with the main campus; and the building of a new sports centre and business school. Pedestrians have replaced cars almost everywhere, with roads giving way to promenades, plazas and new green spaces designed to link the upper, middle and lower campuses. The generation of the master plan was a truly participatory process, successfully engaging the large number of beneficiaries including the entire university community.

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Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Yasser Mahgoub

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Yasser Mahgoub

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Yasser Mahgoub

Profile: Tulou Collective Housing, Nanhai

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Tulou Collective Housing, in Nanhai:

This pioneering prototype for affordable housing in China is inspired by the traditional tulou, the multi-family, fortress-like earth house found in the rural areas of Fujian province. The urban Tolou consists of an outer circular block with a rectangular box within that is connected to the outer ring by bridges and a courtyard. Both the circular and rectangular blocks contain small apartment units; the spaces in between are for circulation and community use. The lower floors contain shops and other community facilities. Rents are low and apartments are not available to car owners, adding to the homogeneity of the community, many of whom are migrant workers. The self-contained circular form stands in sharp contrast to the typical high-rise blocks around it. The entire structure is wrapped in a concrete screen with wooden inserts that shade the balconies, giving each unit a secondary living space. The position of the apartments also allows for good light and ventilation. Resulting from extensive research into the original earth houses as well as the social dynamics of current urbanisation trends in China, the Tulou Collective Housing is a unique experiment in low-income housing and the transformation of ancient heritage to suit contemporary living environments.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / SHEN Xiaoming

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / SHEN Xiaoming

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / SHEN Xiaoming

Profile: The Bridge School, Xiashi

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Bridge School in Xiashi:

The ‘Bridge School’ bridges the two parts of the small village of Xiashi that lie on either side of a small creek running about ten metres below the village. The structure is created by two steel trusses that span the creek with the space between them housing the functions of the school. Suspended from the structure and running below it is a pedestrian bridge for the people of the village to use. Small and modern in design, with no reference to the area’s traditional building style, the school has nonetheless become the physical and spiritual centre of what was a declining village. Placed in such a way that it addresses its surroundings, the Bridge School connects the village together, providing a central, social space. The broader social aspect of the project was part of the brief, which was developed with the school principal and head of the village to answer community needs rather than simply those of a primary school. A public library separates the two classrooms and open stages at either end of the building enable performances. The result is a project that has successfully invigorated the entire community, encapsulating social sustainability through architectural intervention.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Li Xiaodong

Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Li Xiaodong

Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Li Xiaodong

Profile: Palmyra House, Alibagh

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is Palmyra House in Alibagh:

This two-storey timber house, built as a weekend retreat, lies in the shade of an extensive coconut grove on coastal agricultural land facing the sea, near the fishing village of Nandgaon, south of Mumbai. The functions of the house are placed within two oblong masses slightly offset from one another, whose facades are predominantly characterised by louvers made from the trunks of the local Palmyra palm. The structure is made of ain wood; local basalt was used to make boundary walls, plinths and paving. Plaster finishes were pigmented with sand from the site. The development of the design and detail, which resulted from collaboration between the architect and the craftsmen, took on tested techniques, both local and foreign, and raised them to a finer construction resolution. The house is well-adapted to its environment: the louvers on the elevations enable passive cooling, as does the extensive shade provided by the coconut trees above; water for the house is harvested from three on-site wells, filtered and stored at the top of a water tower and fed by gravity to the house. The result of these measures is a quietly compelling project that is fully integrated into its landscape.

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Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Rajesh Vora

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Rajesh Vora

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Rajesh Vora

Profile: CBF Women's Health Centre, Ouagadougou

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the CBF Women's Health Centre in Ouagadougou:

Set in one of the poorest suburbs of Ouagadougou, the CBF Women’s Centre provides health and educational services and builds awareness about women’s rights. The building consists mainly of two separate but closely-related blocks. A number of passive cooling measures reduce the need for air conditioning and provide a prototype that can be replicated across the region: the two buildings are raised on a platform to encourage natural ventilation and protect the interiors from dust, mud and humidity; a lightweight PVC canopy on steel trees shades the whole; and exterior openings are fitted with glass louvres. Constructed from interlocking, compressed, soil-cement bricks made on-site, the centre has its own well and photovoltaic cells. Not only does the Centre provide health care, training and education, it also provides a gathering place for the community, somewhere to share ideas and hold celebrations. Despite its unconventional appearance, the Centre has been able to generate a strong sense of belonging.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / FARE Studio

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / FARE Studio

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Bas Princen

Profile: The Green School, Badung

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Green School, in Badung:

Environmentalists and designers John and Cynthia Hardy wanted to motivate communities to live sustainably. Part of that effort was to show people how to build with sustainable materials, namely bamboo. They established the Green School, and its affiliates: the Meranggi Foundation, which develops plantations of bamboo plants through presenting bamboo seedlings to local rice farmers; and PT Bambu, a for-profit design and construction company that promotes the use of bamboo as a primary building material, in an effort to avoid the further depletion of rainforests. The Green School, a giant laboratory built by PT Bambu, is located on a sustainable campus straddling both sides of the Ayung River in Sibang Kaja, Bali, within a lush jungle with native plants and trees growing alongside sustainable organic gardens. The campus is powered by a number of alternative energy sources, including a bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system, a hydro-powered vortex generator and solar panels. Campus buildings include classrooms, gym, assembly spaces, faculty housing, offices, cafes and bathrooms. A range of architecturally significant spaces from large multi-storey communal gathering places to much smaller classrooms are a feature of the campus. Local bamboo, grown using sustainable methods, is used in innovative and experimental ways that demonstrate its architectural possibilities. The result is a holistic green community with a strong educational mandate that seeks to inspire students to be more curious, more engaged and more passionate about the environment and the planet.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture / PT Bambu

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / PT Bambu

Profile: Souk Waqif, Doha

Each day for the next couple of weeks, we will profile one project that has been nominated for the 2010 Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Today's project is the Souk Waqif, in Doha:

The origins of the Souk Waqif date from the time when Doha was a village and its inhabitants gathered on the banks of the wadi to buy and sell goods. The revitalisation project, a unique architectural revival of one of the most important heritage sites in Doha, was based on a thorough study of the history of the market and its buildings, and aimed to reverse the dilapidation of the historic structures and remove inappropriate alterations and additions. The architect attempted to rejuvenate the memory of the place: modern buildings were demolished; metal sheeting on roofs was replaced with traditionally built roofs of dangeal wood and bamboo with a binding layer of clay and straw, and traditional strategies to insulate the buildings against extreme heat were re-introduced. Some new features were also introduced, such as a sophisticated lighting system that illuminates the market’s streets. In complete contrast to the heritage theme parks that are becoming common in the region, Souk Waqif is both a traditional open-air public space that is used by shoppers, tourists, merchants and residents alike, and a working market.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture.

Photograph © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Ziyad Shawkat

Photograph © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Ziyad Shawkat

Photograph © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Ziyad Shawkat

Photograph © Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Ziyad Shawkat

2010 Aga Khan Architecture Award Nominees Announced

This year's nominees for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture have been announced.  The nominees include a broad range of buildings, mostly in the third world.  Interestingly, this isn't one of those naval-gazing exercises that the architecture and engineering community so often engages in.  Instead, it rewards architects along with cities, construction firms, and other organizations responsible for turning great ideas into great buildings.

The winner will be announced in Doha in October, 2010.

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll profile one nominee each day here along with pictures of the project.

Click here for more information on the Aga Khan architecture award.

The full press release follows: