Architecture, Recognised: Aga Khan Architecture Award Exhibition and Public Lecture

Architecture, Recognised: Full September Series

Use the buttons to expand or collapse the section.

• Architecture, Recognised: Aga Khan Architecture Award Exhibition

  What does world-class architecture look like when it is judged on more than beauty?

  Architecture, Recognised brings the seven winning projects of the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture to UTS – from flood-resilient bamboo housing in Bangladesh to a transformed metro plaza in Tehran.

  See the projects honoured for design quality, social impact and long-term value.

  Dates: 1–11 September

  Time: Mon–Fri 9am–6pm

  Venue: UTS Central (Building 2), Level 4 Foyer, 61 Broadway, Ultimo. 

  Free admission – no registration required.

• Beyond Design: How Architecture Is Judged (Public Lecture)

  Architecture is discussed through photographs, drawings and awards – but how is it actually evaluated? What separates a good project from an exceptional one?

  Speaking from inside the jury room, Farrokh Derakhshani – Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture since 2006 – unpacks how completed works are critically examined: design quality, social impact, cultural relevance, environmental performance and long-term value, weighed together into a holistic understanding of architectural excellence.

  Using the award-winning Community Spaces in Rohingya Refugee Response (Teknaf, Bangladesh) as a case study, the lecture offers rare insights for students, practitioners and anyone curious about how architecture is judged after completion. 

  Date: Wednesday 2 September

  Time: 5–6pm 

  Venue: Guthrie Theatre, UTS Building 6 (Peter Johnson Building), Level 3, Room 028, 702 Harris St, Ultimo, NSW 2007

  Free admission. Register here

• Panel Discussion: The Life of a Building: Architecture Beyond Completion

  The Sydney programme continues on 3 September with the official opening reception of the Aga Khan Architecture Award Exhibition, followed by a panel discussion considering the life of architecture beyond completion.

  Moderated by Professor Anthony Burke and featuring Lee Hillam, Annette Pitman, Justin Hill, and Farrokh Derakhshani, the panel will explore what happens to architecture once a building is completed and occupied.

  Architecture is often considered at the point of completion, yet this is only the beginning of a building's story. As buildings are used, adapted, and experienced over time, they acquire new meanings and develop relationships with the people and communities around them.

  The discussion will consider how buildings endure, evolve, and create lasting value, and how their legacy might be understood beyond the original intentions of the architect.

  Together, the opening reception and panel discussion provide an opportunity to celebrate the exhibition while reflecting on a broader question: what makes architecture matter over time?

  Date: Thursday 3 September 2026

  Time: 5–7:30 pm 

  Venue: UTS Central (Building 2), 61 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007, Level 4 Foyer (Facing Broadway)

  Free admission. Register here