: More Images Of This Project :

Moriyama & Teshima worked in collaboration with Fumihiko Maki & Maki and Associates of Japan to deliver this extraordinary building located on Sussex drive in Ottawa, our nation's capital. The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat is a formal and symbolic representational building for the Aga Khan and the non-denominational, philanthropic and developmental agencies, which constitute the Aga Khan Development Network.

The building rests on a podium of black granite. The Neoparies cladding, made of crystalized glass, has a softly translucent surface. A dramatic rock crystal inspired dome vaults over the interior courtyard. The dome is composed of multi-faceted angular planes. Within the dome is a layer of glass-fibre fabric that appears to float over the atrium. A floor of Canadian maple gives warmth, made up of a pattern of 49 squares, a reference to the 49th Imam.

The space is filled with light and the play of shadows from the glazed roof. Surrounding the atrium is a patterned screen of cast aluminum. It evokes the screens of carved marble and wood that filter light and view in historic Islamic architecture.

Continuing across the wood floor of the atrium, you have a view into the garden court. Its geometric layout recalls the char-bagh, or traditional Persian-Islamic walled garden, a representation of paradise.

Links:
+ Maki and Associates
+ Aga Khan Museum - Aga Khan Development Network

Awards:
+ The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Governor General's Medal in Architecture
+ Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), Design Excellence Award
+ Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), People's Choice Award