Photo: Collected

DHAKA, Sept 16, 2025 (BSS) – Celebrated Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum has received the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the second time at a formal ceremony held at the Kyrgyz National Philharmonic in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Monday.

Tabassum’s award-winning project Khudi Bari – a low-cost, climate-resilient, and portable housing solution for communities displaced by river erosion and floods – was recognized for its innovative, sustainable, and humane approach to architecture.

The project addresses urgent needs faced by climate-affected populations while promoting environmentally responsible design.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977.

According to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation, and landscape architecture.

The award seeks to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of societies across the world, in which Muslims have a significant presence, the website added.

The prize carries a total value of one million US dollars, making it one of the most significant architecture prizes globally. The prize money is distributed among the selected laureates.

Marina Tabassum received her first Aga Khan Award in 2016 for the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, renowned for its unique play of light and shadow, and the UK's Soane Medal in 2021.