Following the presentation of the Gold Medal, the highest distinction of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) a dozen years ago, just three days ago RAIC bestowed a second honour to His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV by inducting His Late Highness as an Honorary Fellow. Honorary Fellowship is bestowed for life and is one of the highest honours the RAIC can confer upon a non-member.
In addition to Canada, Prince Karim Aga Khan’s architectural endeavours have received wide recognition with the highest levels of distinction from around the world in terms of awards, honorary fellowships and medals by Architectural Institutes from France, Spain, UK, USA, as well as an Insignia of Honour from The International Union of Architects.
“The remarkable accomplishments of His Late Highness Price Karim Aga Khan IV spans various aspects of the field of architecture as part of his broader social and economic development work, particularly the specialized cultural programming undertaken through the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).
This includes the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, which has been responsible for the restoration of many heritage sites throughout the Muslim world, as well as the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
When New York’s Museum of Modern Art decided to present an exhibition to recognize projects from around the world that emphasized social program and environmental performance, no fewer than three Aga Khan Architecture Award winners were included among the ten projects exhibited.”
The press release cited Aga Khan’s remarkable work though AKDN’s cultural agency – AKTC and its specialized agencies such as the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (AKHCP) & Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA). AKAA is scheduled to hold its16th Award cycle (2023-2025) later this year (venue and date to be disclosed at a later date) with a prestigious US$ 1 million Award for the winners.
The Architectural Institute’s Gold Medal was presented to the Aga Khan in 2013 at a special ceremony held at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Canada.
Honorary Fellows will be officially inducted to the RAIC College on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at a convocation ceremony during the RAIC Conference in Montréal, Quebec in Canada. Honorary Fellows of RAIC are members who have rendered distinctive service to the profession of architecture, nationally or internationally.
RAIC is a premier Canadian organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in the built environment and elevating the practice of architecture in the country.
RAIC College Welcomes Five New Honorary Fellows
OTTAWA, March 7, 2025
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is pleased to announce the five Honorary Fellows being inducted into the RAIC College.
An Honorary Fellow of the RAIC College is an Honorary Member of the RAIC who has achieved international professional eminence or has rendered distinctive service to the profession or to the community at large, nationally or internationally. Nomination and advancement to Honorary Fellowship is administered by the RAIC College. Honorary Fellowship is bestowed for life and is one of the highest honours the RAIC can confer upon a non-member.
This year’s Honorary Fellows are:
His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Kimberly N. Dowdell, Chicago, IL
Emily Grandstaff-Rice, Boston, MA
Michelangelo Sabatino, Chicago, IL
Martin Segger, Victoria, BC
Fellows and Honorary Fellows will be officially inducted to the RAIC College on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at a convocation ceremony during the RAIC Conference in Montréal, QC.
RAIC’s citation: His Late Highness Price Karim Aga Khan IV
The remarkable accomplishments of His Late Highness Price Karim Aga Khan IV spans various aspects of the field of architecture as part of his broader social and economic development work, particularly the specialized cultural programming undertaken through the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. This includes the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, which has been responsible for the restoration of many heritage sites throughout the Muslim world, as well as the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
His Late Highness the Aga Khan was the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development agencies in the world. Since taking on his role as Imam in 1957, the Aga Khan has been deeply engaged in improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations, while emphasizing the need to uphold human dignity as well as respect for tolerance and pluralism.
The AKDN is active in over 30 developing countries employing some 96,000 people with the support of tens of thousands of volunteers. The Network’s underlying ethic is that of compassion for the most vulnerable in society and service to humanity without regard to faith, origin or gender.
His Late Highness the Aga Khan created the Aga Khan Award for Architecture established in 1977. It is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, urban and regional design, conservation and landscape architecture. The Award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence.
When New York’s Museum of Modern Art decided to present an exhibition to recognize projects from around the world that emphasized social program and environmental performance, no fewer than three Aga Khan Architecture Award winners were included among the ten projects exhibited.
His Late Highness the Aga Khan passed away on February 4, 2025.
Retrospective: Ismaili Centres are symbols of new hope, says His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV upon receiving RAIC Gold Medal
OTTAWA, November 13, 2013: In a ceremony held at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV was lauded by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, who presented the Imam with their highest honour – the 2013 Gold Medal.
“The Gold Medal was established to recognise a person of science or letters related to architecture and the arts,” said Paul E. Frank, President of the RAIC Board of Directors. “The selection of His Highness the Aga Khan marks the first time in more than 30 years that a non-architect has been chosen. It recognises the extraordinary achievements of His Highness in using architecture as an instrument to further peaceful and sustainable community development around the world.”
In his remarks, His Highness Prince Karim expressed his gratitude and went on to describe the connection between architecture and quality of life, explaining how the Ismaili Centres embodied for the Jamat (Ismaili Community) the hopeful aspirations of a forward looking community.
“In Islam, the role of an Imam is not limited to the domain of faith. It also includes a deep engagement in the world, in all of the wide and complex issues that affect our quality of life. Among those issues, not many have more impact than architecture.
… What I would like to describe in particular this evening, however, is my experience with Canadian architecture. The story goes back to 1972 …
There was unanimity that wherever we would settle we would never become a demotivated, marginalized minority and that we would, instead, demonstrate the will and the capacity to rebuild our future. We therefore decided to build new spaces for the gathering of our communities, and for the practice of their faith, in the countries that were welcoming us.
But we also agreed on one more thing. These new buildings, which we decided to call Ismaili Centres, had to reflect our aspirations for the future, rather than the tragedy of our recent past. We saw them as structures where we could receive other communities and institutions in a dignified manner, and where we could demystify our faith – which was sometimes badly misunderstood. They would be symbols of new hope, replacing past pain.”
About RAIC
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization dedicated to representing architects and architecture since 1907. The RAIC is the only national voice for excellence in the built environment in Canada focused on providing Canada’s architectural community with the tools, resources, and education to elevate their practice. The RAIC is committed to showcasing how design enhances quality of life, while advocating for important issues of society through responsible architecture. The RAIC’s purpose is to create a better world for all by empowering Canada’s architectural community. Through our work, the organization envisions a strong architectural community that is valued and empowered to create change. The RAIC’s national office is based in Ottawa with a growing federated chapter model. Current chapters and networks are based in British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia.
About AKTC
Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), integrating cultural heritage into its broader development strategies.
AKTC works to preserve and promote the cultural and material heritage of Muslim societies, ensuring that culture plays a central role in improving economic prospects and providing hope to vulnerable communities. Its programmes include the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (AKHCP), which works to revitalise historic cities in the Muslim world, both culturally and socio-economically. For three decades, it has been engaged in the rehabilitation of historic areas in Cairo, Kabul, Herat, Aleppo, Delhi, Zanzibar, Mostar, northern Pakistan, Timbuktu and Mopti.
The programmes of AKTC also include the Aga Khan Music Awards, an interregional music and arts education programme with worldwide performance, outreach, mentoring and artistic production activities; the Education Programme, which aims to promote broader and deeper awareness amongst young people of the philosophy and values that underpin the efforts of the Trust; and the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, which provides visitors with a window into the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions of Muslim civilizations to world heritage.
The Trust supports the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as http://www.ArchNet.org, a major online resource on Islamic architecture.
Research, Insight & Perspective by A. Maherali
Be the First to Know – Join Ismailimail
Get breaking news related to the Ismaili Imamat, the world wide Ismaili Muslim community and all their creativity, endeavors and successes.
Inspired? Share the story
Want to inspire? Send your stories to us at Ismailimail@gmail.com
Subscribe and join thousands of other individuals – Subscribe now by clicking this link!
Recommended
Accelerate your awareness and find out what Global Leaders are saying about His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV | Constellation of Honours: Over 300 Accolades from 55 Countries
Discover, Explore & Learn more via:
- The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) | RAIC College Welcomes Five New Honorary Fellows
- The Ismaili | Mawlana Shah Karim named posthumous Honorary Fellow of RAIC
- The Ismaili | Video: Ismaili Centres are symbols of new hope, says Mawlana Hazar Imam upon receiving RAIC Gold Medal
- AKDN | His Late Highness Aga Khan IV Remarts at the presentation of the Gold Medal by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
- AKDN | Royal Architecture Institute of Canada’s Gold Medal: the Aga Khan and architecture
- AKDN | Aga Khan Award for Architecture announces 2025 Master Jury
Explore |
||
|---|---|---|
Earlier |
|---|
Ismailimail 