TEHRAN – Two innovative projects from Iran have been named winners of the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, one of the world’s most distinguished prizes in the field. 

On Tuesday, the Majara Complex and Community Redevelopment on Hormuz Island, designed by ZAV Architects, and Jahad Metro Plaza in Tehran, designed by KA Architecture Studio, were selected among seven projects worldwide to receive the prestigious recognition.

The Majara Complex forms part of the “Presence in Hormuz” initiative, an ambitious cultural and social development program aimed at reviving the island’s struggling economy through eco-tourism and community-driven design, bringing together cultural development and local employment through earth-based dome construction that recalls the island’s colorful landscapes. 

The project combines visitor accommodation with artist residencies, restaurants, workshops, a library, and prayer spaces, while earlier interventions such as the Rong Cultural Center and Ozar mobile cinema have provided venues for cultural exchange. Beyond its architectural achievement, the project has created much-needed employment, transformed the landscape into a living symbol of resilience, and offered a framework for tourism and social engagement in a region long marked by economic precarity. 

The second Iranian winner, Jahad Metro Plaza in central Tehran, redefines a central urban intersection in the capital, transforming a metro entrance into a vibrant pedestrian hub through a vaulted structure inspired by Iranian brickwork traditions.

 The vaulted structures, built in only seven months using modular steel-mesh frameworks and handmade local bricks, recall Iran’s rich tradition of geometric brickwork while remaining cost-effective and durable. The space provides shade and light-filled gathering areas, enabling social activities, performances, and rest. By incorporating spaces for street vendors, the project integrates informal commerce into the city’s public realm, turning the plaza into a vibrant urban hub that reflects Tehran’s evolving identity. 

Alongside the Iranian achievements, projects from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Pakistan, and Palestine also received recognition. Together, the seven winners will share the $1 million prize, one of the most significant awards in the field of architecture.

In Bangladesh, Marina Tabassum Architects won recognition for Khudi Bari or Little House, an affordable and adaptable housing solution for char communities threatened by recurring floods and river erosion. Built from bamboo, steel connectors, and corrugated tin, the modular houses can be assembled in three days and dismantled in hours. 

From China, architect Zhang Pengju was honored for the West Wusutu Village Community Center in Inner Mongolia. Transforming the ruins of a former Buddhist temple, the project created a dynamic cultural hub built largely from salvaged bricks. With its off-centered courtyard, roof terraces, and flexible spaces for mahjong, pottery, and cultural events, the center has not only revitalized village life but also sparked local economic growth through tourism, guesthouses, and restaurants.

In Egypt, the award went to the Revitalization of Historic Esna by Takween Integrated Community Development. Once at risk of destruction, Esna’s layered urban heritage – from Graeco-Roman remains to Islamic and Ottoman structures – has been safeguarded through a process of urban acupuncture. 

Pakistan was represented through Vision Pakistan, designed by Mohammad Saifullah Siddiqui in Islamabad. The vocational training facility provides literacy, tailoring, and life skills to non-literate young men, offering classrooms, exhibition halls, shops, and prayer spaces. Built with modest means but careful detailing, the building now trains 40–50 students annually and serves as a model for sustainable, community-based education. 

In Palestine, AAU Anastas was awarded for the Wonder Cabinet in Bethlehem, a cultural and educational hub dedicated to preserving Palestinian craft traditions. With its bold concrete frame and transparent façades, the building emphasizes process over form, housing workshops, artist studios, a radio station, and performance spaces. Local artisans played a central role in shaping the details, ensuring that the building not only serves as a venue for contemporary arts but also sustains livelihoods and reinforces cultural presence in the West Bank. 

The 16th Award Cycle (2023–2025) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture was announced after extensive site reviews earlier this year, with the jury highlighting the winners as examples of architecture’s power to foster resilience, pluralism, and optimism in a time of global uncertainty. The award ceremony will be held on September 15 at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 

Beyond architects, the Aga Khan Award also acknowledges the municipalities, clients, engineers, and artisans who contributed to each project. In addition, the book “Optimism and Architecture,” edited by Lesley Lokko, will be released later this year, presenting the awarded and shortlisted projects while situating them in broader global debates on tradition, innovation, and inclusivity in architecture. 

Established in 1977 by the late His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the Award was created to recognize and encourage projects that respond not only to social and economic needs but also to cultural aspirations. Over 16 cycles, it has honored 136 projects and documented nearly 10,000 building initiatives worldwide, offering a rich record of how architecture can serve humanity across diverse contexts.

Photo: This combination photo shows the Majara Complex and Community Redevelopment on Hormuz Island (L), and Jahad Metro Plaza in central Tehran.

SAB/