Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Client:
Fumihiko Maki and Associates Moriyama & Teshima Architects
Country:
Canada
Role:
Structural glass design; building envelope services; full structural engineering services

The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat is an elegant two-storey building containing meeting rooms, exhibition areas, an atrium, a resource centre and offices for the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network.

Musical Slideshow about the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Canada

Design Excellence:

60 Richmond Street Housing Development
Toronto
Teeple Architects Inc.

Centre for Urban Ecology
Toronto
Taylor Hazell Architects Ltd. with Architects Alliance and gh3 inc.

Fire & Emergency Services Training Institute
Mississauga
Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects Incorporated

Gerstein Reading Room, Gerstein Science Information Centre
Toronto
Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated

House in Frogs Hollow
Grey Highlands
WILLIAMSONWILLIAMSON INC.

House in Grey Highlands
Grey Highlands
Ian MacDonald Architect Inc.

MaRS Centre
Toronto

The Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning in Toronto has won this year’s Best of Show Award from the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA).

The jury said the 1,100-seat concert hall has been widely praised both for its acoustic qualities and its physical beauty.

The centre was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects.

The 2010 People’s Choice Award went to The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, designed by Maki and Associates and Moriyama and Teshima Architects.

The 2010 People’s Choice Award went to The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, designed by Maki and Associates and Moriyama and Teshima Architects.

Chosen from among this year’s winners of design excellence awards, the award was announced during the OAA’s recent celebration of excellence in Windsor.

The Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, holds his hand on his heart during the opening ceremony of the new Delegation of Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008.

Maki and Associates has completed the first building in the world specifically designed for the Aga Khan and his agencies.

Maki and Associates has completed the first building in the world specifically designed for the Aga Khan and his agencies.

The new, 95,000-square-foot building, known as the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, is located in Ottawa, Canada, and houses offices for the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada and Aga Khan Development Network.

A full hour before he showed up, a throng of more than 100 of his followers waited patiently on Sussex Drive Saturday afternoon, enduring the cold for the chance of a mere glimpse of their spiritual leader.

When the Aga Khan arrived at the opening ceremony of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, accompanied by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen, a great cheer arose from the crowd outside.

This in turn set off a round of excited giggling from the throngs of dignitaries inside the dramatic main atrium of the delegation.

Six years ago, the Aga Khan presented architects with an unusual challenge: create for him a headquarters in Ottawa that was both transparent and translucent, pleasing and confusing, mysterious, esoteric and ethereal. The budget was impressive, and the demands were exacting. The stunning $54-million structure that resulted officially opens today. Here, according to Maria Cook, who has spoken with the designers and builders and toured the building, is how it came to be.

The Aga Khan, the Ismaili Muslim spiritual leader who ended an eight-day Canadian tour in Vancouver less than two weeks ago, is back in Ottawa today to open a new architectural landmark on Sussex Drive.

The $50-million building is to be the permanent home of the Ismaili Imamat delegation - in effect, an embassy for representatives of his 15 million followers who are scattered in 25 or 30 countries around the globe.

It's the first such Ismaili delegation anywhere, though another is planned for Portugal, and the Aga Khan says more will be eventually built in other places.

The Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, left, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper talk during the opening ceremony of the new Delegation of Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa on Saturday Dec. 6, 2008. The delegation will serve as the headquarters for the humanitarian efforts of the Aga Khan Development Network.