Overview
The Aga Khan Centre is a place of education, knowledge, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim civilisations. The building is the UK home for three organisations founded by His Highness Aga Khan IV, the hereditary spiritual leader of the Shi‘a Ismaili Muslims.
This building is designed to represent the values of openness, dialogue and respect for different viewpoints (pluralism). The architecture incorporates a collection of gardens, courtyards and terraces that provides an insight into the diversity and influence of Islamic landscape design around the world and through history.
The building was designed by Fumihiko Maki, one of Japan’s most distinguished contemporary architects. The Centre is primarily designed for an academic community, with places for students, scholars and staff to share ideas and work together alongside flexible teaching spaces and quiet research areas.
Gary Kamemoto and Professor Maki of Maki & Associates, the architects of the Aga Khan Centre.
Fitting in, standing out
The building is influenced by Islamic architectural history and uses a small array of timeless materials. It is clad in crisply detailed pale limestone, which is inspired by grand Portland stone buildings across London and contrasts with the darker brick of industrial King’s Cross. The form of the building has a sculptural quality, partly achieved by a white glass window pattern. The building sensitively fits into its context – with each side relating to its surroundings through carefully composed views into, and out of, the building.
The story of the Aga Khan Centre by those that created it and those who use it
Light, pattern and shadows
Organised around a nine-storey glazed atrium, the building layout reflects traditional courtyards found in Morocco and Egypt, where private rooms surround common spaces. The atrium is a social and visual hub, bringing light deep into the building. A geometric eight-point star pattern appears on metalwork and windows, casting shadows across the walls. This motif also appears in some of the Centre’s outdoor spaces.
Left: the view of the Aga Khan Centre from Lewis Cubitt Park. Top right: windows at the top of the atrium draw light into the building. Bottom right: the atrium with Rasheed Araeen’s artwork; ‘Rhapsody in Four Colours’ which reinterprets classical Islamic geometric forms into a three-dimensional sculpture that rises nine-storeys high.
A building of three parts
The Aga Khan Centre comprises a base, a core and a roof. Full-height glass gives the base a visual lightness, and the main part of the building appears to float above this. The top floor is part roof and part garden, inspired by the multiple domes of the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran. The Centre is crowned by the shimmering prism of the ‘Crown’ room.
Gardens, terraces and courtyards
The building incorporates six outdoor spaces of varying sizes, from its first floor to its ninth, to enrich the experience of students and staff. Smaller terraces on the lower floors are for socialising and learning. A large roof garden serves as a space for gatherings and events, with impressive views over London. A more private, intimate courtyard at this level is open only to the sky.
“The Aga Khan Centre is the third project we have worked on with the distinguished architect Fumihiko Maki, a master of form and light.”
