Farrokh Derakhshani

Farrokh Derakhshani

 

Farrokh Derakhshani is Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He has been associated with the Award since 1982, where his work has brought him into contact with architects, builders, and planners throughout the world. He travels extensively in Muslim countries, and has organised and participated in numerous international seminars and colloquia dealing with contemporary built environments. He has collaborated on a large variety of publications and exhibitions on architecture, and has been involved in organising professional workshops and international architectural competitions. He lectures widely and has served as a jury member at schools of architecture in Europe, Africa and Asia. Mr. Derakhshani’s main field of specialisation is the contemporary architecture of Muslim societies, and his professional work has included the design and construction management of large-scale public works and infrastructure projects in Iran, as well as architectural design in Paris and Geneva. He also serves on boards and committees of a number of cultural institutions. In 2018, he was named an International Fellow of RIBA. Farrokh Derakhshani was trained as an architect and planner at the National University of Iran and later continued his studies at the School of Architecture in Paris (UP1).

Bridging Boundaries in Search of an Inclusive Architecture

An architect’s main goal is to intelligently use all available information and tools, while considering the social, environmental, and cultural realities of a place as well as the material and economic resources available, to create a new project that has added value to its society. Through a journey of exceptional architectural projects of different natures that address the quality of life of its users, the talk will elaborate on how some architects have been able to go beyond their limits and create meaningful projects.