Pakistani Architecture

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Today, September 2, the seven winners of the 16th Cycle (2023–2025) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced, following on-site reviews of the 19 shortlisted projects revealed in June. Established in 1977, the Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that respond to the physical, social, and economic needs of communities with a significant Muslim presence, while also addressing their cultural aspirations. To understand the vision behind this cycle's winners, ArchDaily's Editor-in-Chief, Christele Harrouk, spoke with Farrokh Derakhshani, who has been with the award for over four decades. He described the initiative as "a curated message to the world," a message that evolves with the times.

The independent Master Jury of the 16th Award Cycle (2023–2025) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced seven winners, selected following on-site reviews of projects shortlisted earlier in June. Collectively, the awarded works demonstrate architecture's potential to act as a catalyst for pluralism, community resilience, social transformation, cultural dialogue, and climate-responsive design. Two projects from Iran, and one each from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Pakistan, and Palestine, will share a prize of $1 million, among the most significant awards in the field of architecture.

When one thinks of public spaces, the image of a pool rarely comes to mind. Public spaces are the center of civic life, places where most interactions, activities, and behaviors follow strict social and cultural norms to ensure the safety and comfort of all users. In contrast, swimming and bathing represent something more intimate and primordial, a sensorial experience distinct from any other. In addition to the health benefits, the act of floating in space creates a break from everyday life and its constraints.

Every year, World Population Day is observed on July 11th, aiming to increase people's awareness of various population issues, such as the importance of urbanization, gender equality, poverty, health, and human rights. In 2025, under the theme "Empowering Youth to Build the Families They Want," the United Nations draws attention to the largest generation of young people in history, many of whom are coming of age in rapidly urbanizing contexts. Urban centers remain key to understanding these demographic patterns, as cities continue to attract populations seeking opportunity, stability, and access to essential services. Today, more than half of the global population resides in urban areas, a share projected to increase to 66% by 2050.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) has announced the 19 shortlisted projects for its 2025 cycle. Selected from a pool of 369 nominations, these projects will compete for a share of the USD 1 million prize, one of the most significant awards in the field. The shortlist was determined by an independent Master Jury composed of nine members: Azra Akšamija, Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop, Lucia Allais, David Basulto, Yvonne Farrell, Kabage Karanja, Yacouba Konaté, Hassan Radoine, and Mun Summ Wong. The Jury will meet later this summer to review on-site evaluations and select the final recipients of the 16th Award Cycle (2023–2025).

Pakistan has unveiled its national pavilion for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, set to take place from May 10 to November 23, 2025, in Venice, Italy. Titled (Fr)Agile Systems), the pavilion explores the dual nature of resilience and vulnerability in the face of climate change, using Pakistan's rich geological and cultural heritage as a lens to examine global environmental inequities. Through a striking installation featuring rock salt, a material shaped by time yet susceptible to change, the pavilion challenges dominant narratives of climate adaptation, advocating for localized, nature-based solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

With millions of residents flocking to metropolitans each year, South Asia is witnessing staggering levels of urban development. Growth brings economic prosperity and ecological strain as concrete jungles replace natural habitats. The region, home to countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Nepal, is faced with addressing contextual challenges when it comes to balancing urbanization with environmental sustainability. These negotiations are fairly nuanced, with a need to understand the economic, social, and political scenarios systematically in each country.

The concept of low-tech architecture recognizes the impact of carbon-intensive technologies and building practices and proposes an alternative: a rediscovery of practical, rational, locally adapted solutions that count on smart design strategies instead of energy-intensive devices to ensure a safe, comfortable living environment. Far from being a regressive approach, the term remains open to innovations but seeks to rebalance the industry's reliance on mechanization. It thus favors an architecture of fewer components, minimized dependence on high-tech solutions, and a preference for low-embodied carbon materials.

In the mid-twentieth century, a set of South Asian countries collectively experienced a catharsis from colonizers' rule. The period that followed sparked an era of ideas and philosophies for a new future. During this time, architects were pivotal in creating modernist structures that defined the countries' post-colonial, post-partition and post-imperial identities. South Asian architects used design as an expression of hopeful societal visions, most of which have been actualized. With this success in nation-building, there has been a lack of accreditation for women architects in shaping South Asian histories. 

As we reflect on the tumultuous events of 2023, it becomes evident that the challenges posed by changing environmental conditions have left an indelible mark on communities worldwide. In response, architects and urban planners have set out, searching for the ways in which their actions can help create safer environments for communities worldwide, responding with both fast-to-deploy emergency architectures and long-term strategies to build resilience and mitigate risks.