His Highness the Aga Khan elaborated on the importance of this pursuit: “Today, with the climate more volatile than ever, architects have a great responsibility, and an opportunity, to use their creativity to design the buildings that will buffer that volatility and protect us all – and especially the most vulnerable – from climatic risk,” he said.
“This quality – flexibility in the face of the unexpected – was at the heart of the jury’s concerns in this cycle of the award.”
As well as environmental justice, the built environment is well placed to help solve issues of social justice, His Highness explained in his address: “It is not an exaggeration to say that affordability of our housing, ease of access to green space, education, health and cultural heritage all hinge on the creativity of our architects and the wisdom of our civic planners.”
Buildings, he added, have the power to raise living standards, inspire reverence and solve problems for generations to come. “Great architecture,” he went on to say, “has the power to answer directly to the most acute development challenges, and to create the inclusive, safe, dignified world that we want for everyone.” Read His Highness the Aga Khan’s speech.