US Architectural League honours Karim Aga Khan

The Architectural League of New York has awarded its President's Medal to Prince Karim Aga Khan IV on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The President's Medal is the league's highest honour and is  bestowed on individuals to recognise an extraordinary body of work in architecture, urbanism, art or design. Prince Karim Aga Khan is the current Imam of Ismaili Muslims. In the words of the medal's citation, "for the extraordinary work of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the recognition, scholarship and investment it has catalysed and supported, which has raised the quality of urban and rural environments around the world." 

The citation added that the Aga Khan "has demonstrated the capacity for architecture to be encompassing and inclusive, through his probing search to conceive anew the nature of cultural identity and continuity, his openness to innovation and experimentation, and his unwavering commitment to pluralism as a foundational principle of human community."    The Architectural League of New York nurtures excellence in architecture, design and urbanism, and stimulates thinking and debate about the critical design and building issues of our time.