Building for Islam

A four part series of half-hour documentaries, which focuses on top finalists of the 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Each programme takes an in-depth look at two winning projects selected for The Aga Khan Award for Architecture - one of the world's most prestigious architectural awards with a half a million dollar prize.

The Award recognises examples of architectural excellence throughout the world where Islamic people have significant presence. It is held every three years. The Award was established by the Aga Khan in 1977 "in order to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies".

The Award categories are:
¤ buildings and structures of contemporary and traditional design
¤ social housing, community improvement and development
¤ restoration, reuse and area conservation
¤ landscape design and buildings that improve the environment.



University of Technology Petronas, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Malaysia
 In this series, the viewer is given a unique behind the scenes insight into selected projects from conception to construction, to present day use. As well as focusing on the finalists, we also track the exhaustive selection process that sees 800 entries winnowed to 35. These are visited by technical assessors and we film in the Yemen as two on the short-list are assessed. We also film the three day deliberations as eight winners are selected from the 35. And we will be on hand in Kuala Lumpur in early September when the Malaysian PM hands out the awards.

Through exclusive interviews, architects; project managers; present guardians and users of the selected buildings will provide their own personal perspectives on why these structures are special.

And as the camera travels through the winning buildings, picking out the detail, often to where the general public have limited opportunity to visit, the viewer is provided with an insight into these unique and prominent buildings in the Islamic world.

The programmes examine how each project contributes to the society around it, how its construction or development was carried out and how successfully it is fulfilling its objectives and goals. And we tackle the following questions:
¤ How well do these projects reflect the artistic, social and cultural values of the parts of the world they are in?
¤ What can make the difference between a building ending up as a cultural icon or an unfulfilled eyesore?
¤ Will these projects stand the test of time? Will they be perceived as outdated as architectural fashions and mores evolve?
¤ Are they grandiose statements or responsible and functional structures, which fulfill their purposeas well being aesthetically pleasing?
¤ How well do they reflect the rich diversity of architecture in the Islamic world today?
2004 winning projects included the iconic Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur; the Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Programme; Sandbag Shelter Prototypes in numerous locations including Siberia, the US and Iran; the ultra-modern B2 House in Turkey and the restoration of the Al- Abbas Mosque in Yemen.


Central Market, Koudougou, Burkina Faso

The series is repeated on BBC World during August 2008.

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