! His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the United States of America Renowned international architects to design the Ismaili Center Houston Houston, February 6, 2019 - Internationally acclaimed, London-based architect Farshid Moussavi, also Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, has been selected to design the Ismaili Center in Houston, Texas. The Center will be the seventh in a series of iconic cultural buildings commissioned, over the past four decades, by His Highness the Aga Khan in the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, United Arab Emirates and Tajikistan. The Center’s prestigious design team will include: Thomas L. Woltz, of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects; Hanif Kara, co-founder of structural engineering firm AKT II and Professor in Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Design; and Paul Westlake of DLR Group, who leads the firm’s Global Cultural+Performing Arts Studio, as the architect of record. Leading world architects who had presented designs for the Houston project included David Chipperfield, Jeanne Gang and Rem Koolhaas. As with the other Ismaili centers that have emerged distinctive in conception, structure and setting in London, Toronto, Vancouver, Lisbon, Dubai and Dushanbe, the Center in Houston will serve as a national hub for the social, cultural and intellectual activities of the Ismaili Muslim community. These centers are recognized for their aesthetic sensitivity and the thoughtful symbolism of their architecture. As the Aga Khan, himself, described the centers at the opening of the Ismaili Centre Lisbon: “the spaces within and around them, are rich in symbolism; drawing on the plurality of cultures which characterize Ismailis here, and around the world. The array of facilities included is a reflection of the core values of the Ismaili community, its organization, its discipline, its social conscience, the importance of its community organizations, and its attitude toward the society in which it exists.” Noting the design team’s broad perspective and multidisciplinary experience, Farshid Moussavi, is confident that the Center, as conceived, “will bring Houston’s diverse communities together in a unique space for cultural, educational and social activities.” Farshid Moussavi’s portfolio includes the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Ohio, an installation at the 13th Architecture Biennale in Venice, a mixed tenure residential complex in the La Défense business district of Paris, La Folie Divine, a residential complex in Montpellier, France, a three-story flagship store for Victoria Beckham in London and an office tower in the City of London. At her previous practice, Foreign Office Architects, among the award-winning projects she co- authored are the Yokohama International Cruise Terminal and the Spanish Pavilion at the Aichi International Expo, both in Japan, London’s Ravensbourne College of Media and Communication, and the Torrevieja Auditorium and the Madrid Carbanchel Social Housing in Spain. Trained at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, she has taught at Columbia, Princeton and the University of California in Los Angeles and has held her professorship at Harvard since 2006 and at the Royal Academy Schools since 2017. Elected to the Royal Academy in 2015, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for Services to Architecture. Farshid was the Chair of the Master Jury of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004, and a member of its Steering Committee between 2005 and 2015. 1700 First Colony Boulevard, Sugar Land, TX 77479 Telephone: 281-980-4747 Fax: 281-980-4737 Thomas Woltz, is the owner of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects with offices in New York, Charlottesville, VA, and Houston, TX. He was named the Design Innovator of the Year by the Wall Street Journal Magazine in 2013. In 2011, he was invested into the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows. Educated at the University of Virginia in architecture, landscape architecture, fine art, and architectural history, his commissions include the design of major public parks across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Notable amongst them are Hudson Yards (New York, NY), Memorial Park (Houston TX), Aga Khan Garden, (Edmonton, Canada), and Cornwall Park (Auckland, New Zealand). Paul Westlake is a Lead Designer specializing in planning and design for the Cultural+Performing Arts studio at DLR Group, which was ranked #1 in the world by BD World Architecture in January 2019. His award-winning projects encompass theaters and performance venues as well as cultural facilities such as museums and fine arts buildings. He has been personally involved in the study, renovation, and design of approximately 200 cultural facilities nationally and internationally, including work in Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, and Gabon, Africa. A Trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Orchestra and Museum of Contemporary Art, he is Trustee Emeritus of the Cleveland Arts Prize. Hanif Kara is a practicing structural engineer and Professor in Practice of Architectural Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has taught at KTH Stockholm and the Architectural Association London. He is a design director and co-founder of the London-based structural engineering firm AKT II, a practice that has won over 350 design awards in collaboration with leading architects including the RIBA best UK building in 2018, 2012, and 2000. The projects include: MASDAR city Abu Dhabi; Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre Baku, Azerbaijan; Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University; Bloomberg headquarters in London; and the Vessel project Hudson Yards, New York. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Institute of Civil Engineers, Institute of Structural Engineers, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, a member of the UK National Infrastructure Commissions Design Task Force and a member of the Steering Committee for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2016 and 2019 cycles). He has also served on the Award Master Jury in 2004 and serves as a trustee of the Architecture Foundation London. For more information, please contact: Omar Samji Communications Coordinator [email protected] https://the.ismaili/ https://the.ismaili/ismailicentres NOTES His Highness the Aga Khan His Highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He is also the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and a graduate of Harvard University. His Highness has stressed the role of the intellect in faith and has promoted an understanding of Islam that draws on the values of generosity, tolerance, pluralism, forgiveness, the stewardship of God's creation, and the unity of our shared humanity. The Shia Ismaili Muslim Community The Ismaili Muslims are a culturally diverse community living in over 25 countries around the world. They adhere to a 1,400-year tradition of Shi'a values that are expressed through a commitment to a search for knowledge for the betterment of self and society; embracing pluralism by building bridges of peace and understanding; and generously sharing of one's time, talents, and material resources to improve the quality of life of the community, and those among whom they live. These values are illustrated by the continuous service initiatives that engage Ismaili volunteers around the country. Page 2! .