Overview of 10 Aga Khan Winning Projects Building Sustainable Design

2. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Over view of 10 project
Pre- Master
2014
Safa Mohamed AL-Saeed

3. Résidence Andalous
30
Résidence Andalous
Sousse, Tunisia
Apartment Hotel
Architects: Serge Santelli
Paris, France
Completed:1980
Award: 1983
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
The building is bearing structure , made up
of cast concrete walls 18cm , thick.
Foundation : concrete slab foundation
Floors : They are made of slabs of
reinforced concrete .
2. Materials:
Partitions: interior partitions rooms are of
hollow brick.
Floor coverings : local material origin.
Stone of”keddel type”,marble
Ceiling covering: painted wood of tunnis
houses.
Facades : “rustic style”
Joinery : wood, traditionally made.
3. Construction Technology :
The bearing walls were cast on the spot
between two metal forms; the
reservation necessary for openings
were placed between the forms .
Then the slabs ,previously made on
the spot ,were hoisted and set in
place on the bearing structure .
• The partitions and lining-walls were
constructed of hollow brick in the
tradition manner .
• All components of the structure were
made on spot .
• Two cranes had to be set up for
pacing the metal .
• The Labor used was 100% Tunisian ;
20% of workers were skilled ,80%
unskilled.

4. Design Features:
It maybe truthfully said that this is an exemplary project .
The integration into the existing site is good ,the building is
not high , and volumes and masses are diversified .
The prevailing colures of the site are the dark ochre of the
soil and the dark green of the tufts of vegetation .
The colures selected for apartment hotel are softer; light
ochre for the walls and facades ,green for the wood work ,
windows and shutters.
The relationships between the built –up masses and the
empty spaces (patios) are very well balanced.
The design of the facades reflects great mastery of
composition .
The connecting passages are well differentiated from the
interior courtyards .They are relatively narrow , with well-
designed details ,and make the walk from one patio to
another a varied and interesting one .
Résidence Andalous
30

5. Kaedi Regional Hospital
31
Kaedi Regional Hospital
Kaedi, Mauritania
Architects: Association pour le
Développement naturel d’une
Architecture et d’un Urbanisme Africains
Completed:1989
Award: 1995
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
The hospital structural system can not be
considered traditional system in Kaedi
, but the architect developed
structural local vocabularies , such as
bricks locally produced.
Structural elements:
a. Simple domes :built without form work
on a circular plan, using rotation
guides to direct bricklaying.
Function: medical areas , toilets ,
stores.
b. Complex domes: also built rotating guides
providing a number of spaces ,
including :
1.Oves or tear-shaped spaces, used as
four-bed wards or consultation
rooms.
2.Lentilles or pod-shaped spaces ,
used as consultation rooms.
c. A repetition of slender self supporting
pointed arches ,covering corridors .
d. A series of radiating pointed arches , used
as the four 16-bed wards of the
hospital.
e. A series of smaller niche-like forms
radiation , consultation rooms.
2. Materials :
The construction technology derived from
the availability of soils that were
suitable for the production of fired
bricks, and the availability of rice
husks A waste product from the
processing of locally cultivated rice.
Labor Force:
Fundamental to the program was the
training of skilled workers in
innovative techniques adopted for
both materials production and
.construction

6. Kaedi Regional Hospital
31
B.2
C
D
A B.1

7. Kaedi Regional Hospital
31
Design Features:
Having establish a structural system that served the specific
functional requirements for the medical services on offer ,the
overall massing of the building responds to the spatial needs of
each department without any apparent to a formal architectural
vocabulary.
A number of detailed aspects of the design seem to have been
neglected , For example:
a. The junction of the arched corridors of the extension with the
rectilinear form of existing hospital are clumsy.
b. The detailing around the external doors that lead from wards,
although practical, is crude, and detracts from the simplicity of
the forms of the domes .
A more satisfactory visual result , that was also practical and
climatically effective, must have been possible.

8. Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel and Rantau Abang Visitors’
Centre
32
Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel
and Rantau Abang Visitors’
Centre
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Architects: Wimberly, Whisenand, Allison,
Tong and Goo .... U.S.A.
Completed:1980
Award : 1983
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
Post and beam construction in the
traditional ethnic style .
Roofs : carried by timber trusses, and are
covered with local traditional clay
tiles on hard wood battens and rafter.
Walls : filled timber panels between
columns with natural wax finish .
2. Materials:
Infill: All partitions were timber locally
produced
Rendering of Facades: Timber locally
produced, glass imported
Floor : Timber locally produced
Ceilings : Timber locally produced
Interiors and Exterior Roofs :clay tiles
locally produced.
3. Construction Technology :
Timber frame construction with high level
of manual labor; no crafts or lifts.
The design provided an outlet for the
utilization of the wood construction
craftsmen who were available and
familiar with this medium of
construction.
The Lumber was milled on site and a
carpentry shop and saw mill was
established for the duration of the
project . Columns , beams and
trusses were fabricated on site .
Timber carved panels and mould
rings were fabricated elsewhere.
The tiles were kilned in the nearby villages
and were supplied through a local
contractor .

9. Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel and Rantau Abang Visitors’ Centre
32
Design Features:
The hierarchy of spaces from the public to the private is
controlled, one bridges into the other in transitional sequence .
The topography and the landscaping provide the integrating
rhythm.
The service areas in the front and the public areas around the
lagoon while the private areas face the sea .
The spatial integration is provided by the rambling landscaped
pathways.
The choice of materials, the warmth of wood , the friendly
informality of cane and wicker was suitable for the site nature.
The architectural structural and geometric purity of the native
building from has been preserved.

10. Tomb of Shah Rukn-i-’Alam
33
Tomb of Shah Rukn-i-’Alam
Multan, Pakistan
Architects: Muhammad Wali Ullah
Khan...
(Awqaf Department)
Lahore, Pakistan
Completed:1977
Award : 1983
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
A construction of burnt bricks laid in mud
mortar with sloping walls and corner
turrets strengthened with a frame
work of horizontal and vertical
wooden beams.
The whole is surmounted by a
hemispherical dome externally
finished with a thick coat of lime
plaster .
On the apex of the dome is a lantern
instead of a usual pinnacle.
2. Materials:
Foundation :stone and brick.
Walls :backed brick and timber.
Roofing : plaster
Other special features :partly tiled in blue,
white and turquoise tile.
3. Construction Technology :
Brick construction strengthened with
wooden bonding laid horizontally and
vertically.
The framed spaces are filled with dressed
brick work laid in mud mortar .
Labor:
The architect set about reemployment of
traditional craftsmen who had
inherited through their family some
knowledge of 14 of the building
crafts used in this building which had
largely fallen into disuse or had
become seriously altered with time.

11. Design Features:
The technical quality of the repair the moment is remarkable . Only
the keenest eye can tell the difference between the restored parts
and the original.
The brick and tile restoration falls little short of perfection.
The colors of the tiles have been matched perfectly and, like the
original.
The wood carving is equally superb ,if not quite matching the
artistic sense of the original ,since it was executed more
mechanically , match in color and overall appearance is other wise
perfect.
The architect has given an excessively new appearance by
designing a new main door to the tomb and a new outer portico to
its enclosure.
33
Tomb of Shah Rukn-i-’Alam

12. Alhamra Arts Council
34
Alhamra Arts Council
Lahore, Pakistan
Architects: Nayyar Ali Dada
Lahore, Pakistan
Completed:1992
Award : 1998
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
R.C.C frame construction with steel pipe
scaffolding and steel plate shuttering.
Foundation : reinforced concrete .
Principal structural members :concrete column
and beam framed structure.
2. Materials:
Infill :hand made hollow brick walls.
Exterior finishes :exposed brick work in lime and
SURKHI mortar.
Floors :Terrazzo floors.
Ceiling : Acoustic plaster ceiling in auditorium
with no false ceiling in other areas.
Roofing : steel trusses above auditorium with tin
sheet roofing, galleries and admin block
have R.C.C roofing.
3. Construction Technology :
The building of Alhamra are made of cast-
in-place concrete with a handmade
red brick with traditional local
mortar.
The structural concrete used in the roof
was left exposed on the inside.
The theatre halls are covered with steel
trusses, light tin sheet roofing, and
special acoustic treatments of
exposed wood or plaster.
The only challenge for the contractors
were the inclined walls.
Vertical reinforced concrete buttresses
were used inside the wall to support
the inclined walls, along with steel
pipe scaffolding and steel plate
sheering .
All the consultant and contractors were
local enterprises.

13. Design Features:
The building represents an outstanding example or contemporary
building built in exposed brick ,making a powerful statement
reflecting the local tradition.
The building provides accommodation for 850 seats with all
necessary facilities for stage and musical shows.
The building reflects the aspirations of the people as a monument
of art and culture.
34
Alhamra Arts Council

14. Azem Palace
35
Azem Palace
Damascus, Syria
Apartment Hotel
Architects: Michel Ecochard
Paris, France--- Shafiq al-Imam
Damascus, Syria
Completed:1954
Award: 1983
Project summery :
Historical background:
It was a residence for one of the last great
Ottoman governors of the province
of Damascus, Assad al-Azem Pasha,
that the Azem palace was originally
built in the mid-eighteenth century.
1. Type of structure :
Load bearing walls
Materials:
Walls :squared coursed limestone ,
sometimes patterned.
Foundation :stone , in lime and ash mortar
Roofing : clay over earth on wood ,clay
over concrete on wood, or
bituminous felt on concrete over
wood.
Other special : Fine patterned and striped
stone floors and courtyard features
paving.
3. Construction Technology :
The architect tried to ascertain the original
condition of the building and the
original techniques by which it was
constructed.
The architect acquired stones and
decorations which brought from
other buildings of the same period.
The destroyed upper stories were built in
new materials and plastered.
The roofs were constructed in original way,
but instead of having a layer of soil
over the ceiling reinforced concrete
slab was introduced .
The parapet was covered with traditional
plaster and the roof surface was
finished with clay over the top of the
reinforced concrete.

15. Design Features:
The restoration dose not follow the original design exactly , but this
dose not seriously detract from the general effect of theses rooms
of the palace as a whole .
The palace and the museum are quite successful in attaching many
national visitors eager to learn how previous generations used to
live and getting proud of the monuments of their past , which is
contribution to the country’s cultural identity.
Azem Palace
35
The palace in 1950

16. Restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque
36
Restoration of al-Aqsa
Mosque
Al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem
Restoration
Architects: Isam Awwad, Jerusalem,
ICCROM -- Rome, Italy
Completed:1983
Award: 1986
Project summery :
Historical background:
Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by the Umayyad
Khalif Al Walid in 711. Following the
earthquake, the Abbasid Khalif Al-
Mahdi rebuilt the mosque with major
changes in its dimensions.
Anther earthquake occurred at the time of
the Fatimayyad Khalif Al-Zaher who
restored the hypostyle structure in
1034.Tremendous changes occurred
during the crusader occupation
between the 1099-1187.From the
major of Salahdin which followed in
the 12th century till now the size and
plan of the mosque did not basically
change.
Following fire in the mosque in 1969 which
damaged the painting and the timber
construction of the dome.
1. Materials:
Except for very limited special chemical
materials ( raisins, adhesives, coating,
etc.) , marble or some marble mosaic
of specific color , and finally the gold leaves
,almost all materials were local.
2. Restoration work :
The restoration of the dome :
Three different works can be identified :
a. Improvement of the outer dome covering :
replacing the silver colored aluminum
sheets ,and putting back the original
covering material which was lead.
b. Restoration of the timber structure : phase
of the restoration of the inner dome
and new timber perfectly adjusted.
c. Restoration of the paintings : the damage
caused by fire being dramatically large.
It was only after the complete removal
of re-painted layers .

17. Design Features:
The appropriation of all the Haram area by careful restoration,
landscaping and re-use of spaces and monuments which have a
specific symbolic value for the Muslim community.
The improvement of the quality of structures including the covered
mosque of Al-Aqsa and the dome of the rock , giving them back
their authentic and intrinsic architectural and artistic value which
were seriously menaced by carless “ restorations”.
Restoration of al-Aqsa Mosque
36
The dome before & after restoration

18. Yaama Mosque
37
Yaama Mosque
Yaama, Niger
Architects: Falké Barmou
Illela-Yaama, Niger
Completed:1982
Award: 1986
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
Rows of closely spaced and large-
dimension column(1 to 3/3.5) on
which rested short beam, covered
by closely placed branches laid
along varying angles to support the
mud roof.
2. Materials:
Sun-dried brick and wood. The wood is
of all possible kinds: trunks or split
trunks of various trees including,
but not exclusively, palm trees ;
poles sticks and branches; planks.
Mortar for rendering is made of mud
into which various agricultural
and/or animal waste products are
mixed for various purposes.
Part of the mosque has been rendered in
cement stabilized mortar, finished
with a lime-wash.
3. Construction Technology :
The technology employed is commonly
used in the region.
Bricks were made by the villagers .
Mud for mortar was extracted then
prepared on site .
Labor:
Villagers acting as unskilled labor.

19. Design Features:
From the technical point of view the mosque's design is partly conventional,
partly innovative within its context . Its basic structure is simple ,even if it was
built by subsequent modifications, extensions and additions . The final result is
homogeneous design.
Treatment of masses and volumes is technically speaking conventional and
simple.
Details however indicate an unusually marked individual search for
experimentation and variety especially where structural elements (roofing
support system) and plastic quality are concerned.
Integration into the site and the built environment is harmonious.
Yaama Mosque
37

20. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
38
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Architects: Henning Larsen
Copenhagen, Denmark
Completed:1984
Award: 1989
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
Foundation: reinforced pad and strip
foundations.
Principal structural members:
Double external walls: the exterior
brownstone veneer itself ( Cerma
Mora from Italy) and a concrete slab .
There is a small air cavity in between.
Columns and beams: prefabricated steel.
Floor: composite floors (steel decking and
85cm layer of concrete ).
The construction grid is 7.2*4.8m.
2. Materials:
External facades : marble cladding.
Facades in courtyards : painted in
sophisticated blues , mauves and
ochre .
Floors:
Office areas: carpets.
Public areas: green and white marble tiles.
Ceiling: suspended gypsum boards and
painted white.
Roofing : high density isolation with
marble/concrete tiles.
3. Construction Technology :
All concrete is cast in site.
All prefabricated elements are fabricated
else where.

21. Design Features:
Consummate care has gone into many of the smaller parts of the
building to insure that major themes are expressed appropriately .
For example , the gypsum board walls with the notion of protected
citadel.
Given this level of care , it is disturbing to come across crude
aluminum door frames juxtaposed with fine with fine “Mashrabiyya”
screen, and very banal “Islamic Ornament” handled in a hackneyed
and inappropriate way as if the screens were pictures on a wall.
It turns out that some of these “faults” were introduced beyond the
architect’s control.
38
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

22. Corniche Mosque
39
Corniche Mosque
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Apartment Hotel
Architects: Abdel Wahed El-Wakil
London, United Kingdom
Completed:1986-1989
Award: 1989
Project summery :
1. Type of structure :
Foundation : reinforced concrete.
Principal structure members: load bearing
brick.
2. Materials:
Exterior finishes: plaster rendered with
cement.
Floors: marble or terracotta.
Ceilings : on site curved plaster for flat
ceiling.
Roofing : vault and dome in brick work.
3. Design Features:
These mosques borrow features found in
both monumental and vernacular
Islamic architecture as it has been
expressed over the past 900 years.
None of these features particularly pertains
to the Saudi tradition as such, but
their combination and inventive
reshuffling seek to express university
rather then particularism ; the
architect has been described these
structures as sculptures.