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.

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

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

Aga Khan Award for Architecture  / Salah Jabeur

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: