By A.Thobhani
One of the first presentation after a two year pandemic was a welcome treat at the Ismaili centre on the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AAKA). The in-person event features a keynote by AAKA Director, Farrokh Derakhshani and a photographic exhibit of the 20 Shortlisted Projects on August 19, 2022. It was displayed both in the social hall which held the event and downstairs in the logia and was attended by about hundred and fifty enthusiasts comprising of architectural fans, scholars and architects or aspiring ones. Derakshani had returned from his Edmonton presentation a day earlier which comprised mostly of a slide show power point of these twenty projects throughout the world. This was followed by a Q & A on the merits of and the eligibility time frame on the entries to questions on Islamic architecture which was alarming to some when Derakshani responded with ” there is no such thing as Islamic or Catholic architecture, just like there is no Islamic airport” The afternoon event ran for just over an hour followed by refreshments and the tour off the exhibition or the centre for the interested patrons.
