Marina Tabassum Triumphs Again with Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum is set to receive the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the second time, becoming the first Bangladeshi architect to achieve this distinction twice. The award ceremony will take place on September 15 in Bishkek, Kazakhstan.
Tabassum’s design project Khudi Bari has been selected for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2025. On Tuesday, September 2, the names of seven winners, including Marina Tabassum, were announced in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Earlier, in 2016, she received the same award for her architectural design of the Bait ur Rouf Mosque. This year, she has been recognized for Khudi Bari, a bamboo-and-tin modular house designed to provide affordable, portable, and climate-resilient shelter for flood-affected communities. Tabassum also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Bangladesh National Museum.
Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus extended heartfelt congratulations to Tabassum on the same day, calling her achievement “a rare and historic honor for Bangladesh.”
In his congratulatory message, Dr. Yunus said: “Your climate-resilient, affordable, and portable housing ‘Khudi Bari’ for flood-affected and displaced people stands as an extraordinary example of humanitarian architecture.”
He recalled her first Aga Khan Award in 2016 for the Bait ur Rouf Mosque, which brought Bangladeshi architecture to new heights on the global stage, adding that this year’s recognition further consolidates that legacy.
Dr. Yunus also remarked, “This honor has once again presented Bangladesh to the world as a symbol of creativity and social innovation. Your work has turned adversity into possibility, inspiring all of us towards compassion and sustainable solutions.”
He expressed gratitude on behalf of Bangladesh, highlighting Tabassum’s invaluable contributions as Chairperson of the Governing Council of the National Museum and as Chief Advisor of the July Uprising Memorial Museum.
Dr. Yunus expressed hope that her work will continue to serve as “a beacon of light and inspiration for future generations of architects and changemakers.”
Tabassum’s global acclaim extends beyond the Aga Khan Award. She won the Soane Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2021, followed by the Lisbon Architecture Triennale Millennium Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
She founded Marina Tabassum Architects in 2005 after graduating from BUET in 1994 and serving from 1995 as a co-founder at URBANA. She first rose to prominence for her acclaimed design of the Bait ur Rouf Mosque in Abdullahpur.
In 2024, Time Magazine included her in its list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Born in 1968, Tabassum is renowned for her community-centric, sustainable, and long-term architectural practice, which addresses local needs and challenges through innovative and aesthetic design.
