{"id":246540,"date":"2025-11-06T03:20:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T03:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/246540\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T03:20:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T03:20:29","slug":"abdelwahed-el-wakil-receives-the-2025-tamayouz-lifetime-achievement-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/246540\/","title":{"rendered":"Abdelwahed El-Wakil Receives the 2025 Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Abdelwahed<\/a>Al-Ruwais Mosque. Image Courtesy of Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1035744\/abdelwahed-el-wakil-receives-the-2025-tamayouz-lifetime-achievement-award<\/p>\n

Egyptian<\/a> architect Abdelwahed El-Wakil<\/a> has been named the recipient of the 2025 Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award<\/a>. The recognition was announced during the Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/a> Ceremony in Baghdad<\/a>, held as part of the inaugural Arab Architecture<\/a> Festival. The recognition highlights his contributions to the revival of traditional Islamic architecture<\/a>, as well as his contributions as a researcher<\/a>, educator<\/a>, and mentor whose work has influenced generations of architects across the region and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"Abdelwahed<\/a>\"Abdelwahed<\/a>\"Abdelwahed<\/a>\"Abdelwahed<\/a>\"Abdelwahed+ 13<\/a><\/p>\n

Born in Cairo<\/a> in 1943, El-Wakil<\/a> studied architecture at Ain Shams University, graduating with distinction in 1965. Early in his career, a mentorship under Egyptian<\/a> architect Hassan Fathy<\/a> shaped his approach toward vernacular<\/a> construction<\/a>, local materials<\/a>, and climate-responsive design<\/a>. This engagement informed his architectural philosophy<\/a>, which integrates craftsmanship<\/a> and cultural continuity within modern building practices, aiming to reconcile tradition with contemporary<\/a> needs and contexts.<\/p>\n

\"AbdelwahedHalawa House. Image Courtesy of Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/a><\/p>\n

One of El-Wakil’s early projects, the Halawa House in Agami<\/a>, Egypt<\/a>, earned the Aga Khan Award for Architecture<\/a> in 1980. The residence<\/a> exemplifies his early exploration of vernacular<\/a> construction<\/a> methods and climate-responsive design, establishing principles that would define much of his later work. During the 1970s and 1980s, he designed a number of mosques in Jeddah<\/a> and Madina that played a significant role in shaping Saudi Arabia<\/a>‘s architectural landscape. The King Saud Mosque, among his most notable works from this period, highlights his refined use of brick<\/a>, domes<\/a>, and vaults, reinterpreting traditional<\/a> forms within contemporary<\/a> frameworks. El-Wakil’s practice later extended internationally, with projects such as the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in the United Kingdom<\/a>, which integrates cultural identity and spiritual intent within a modern architectural language.<\/p>\n

Related Article Tamayouz Excellence Award Announces George Arbid as the 2024 Middle Eastern Architectural Personality of the Year<\/a> <\/p>\n

Throughout his career, El-Wakil has received global recognition for his work. He remains the only architect to have been awarded the Aga Khan Award<\/a> twice<\/a> and has also received the Richard H. Driehaus Prize<\/a> for Classical Architecture<\/a> in 2009 and the Arthur Ross Award for Excellence in the Classical Tradition in 2023. These acknowledgments reflect his continued engagement with the relationship between tradition<\/a> and contemporary<\/a> practice across different cultural contexts.<\/p>\n

\"AbdelwahedAsh-Shaliheen Mosque. Image Courtesy of Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/a>\"AbdelwahedOxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Image Courtesy of Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award<\/a> recognizes architects whose work has made a lasting contribution to the discipline and the built environment<\/a>. Since its establishment, the award has celebrated key figures in Middle Eastern architecture<\/a>, beginning with Iraqi<\/a> architects Mohamed Makiya in 2014, Rifat Chadirji<\/a> in 2015, Kahtan Al-Madfai in 2016, Hisham Munir in 2017, and Maath Alousi in 2018. In 2019, it expanded to include architects from the broader Near East<\/a> and North Africa, honoring Rasem Badran of Jordan and Palestine<\/a>, followed by Egyptian architect Abdelhalim Ibrahim Abdelhalim in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AbdelwahedCorniche Mosque. Image Courtesy of Tamayouz Excellence Award<\/a><\/p>\n

In other similar news, the Cr\u00e9ateurs Design Awards (CDA) announced Xu Tiantian, founder and principal architect of DnA_Design and Architecture, as the recipient of the 2026 edition of Le Prix Charlotte Perriand<\/a>. The Lisbon Architecture Triennale named ReSa Architects from India as the winner of the fifth D\u00e9but Award<\/a>, which highlights emerging voices in architecture. Meanwhile, French architect Christian de Portzamparc was selected for the 2026 Andr\u00e9e Putman Lifetime Achievement Award, also presented by the Cr\u00e9ateurs Design Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n