Foster & Partners - Petronas University of Technology

Note: Article by Guest Blogger

Foster & Partners and Petronas has won one of nine Aga Khan awards for architecture in the Islamic world with its University of Technology Petronas in Malaysia.

The awards, which have been instigated and sponsored by the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, are presented every three years and have grown in prestige and profile since their inception 30 years ago. The aim of these rich awards is to identify and encourage building concepts that meet the needs and aspirations of Muslim communities.

I visited the university more than five years ago when it was not yet finished. But it was obvious even then that this was a powerful architectural statement. The canopy is as majestic as you can get: taller than the surrounding trees, they were elegantly supported by slender steel columns. Looking at the photos now, you can easily agree with Foster’s senior architect, David Nelson that it “fits discreetly on the site fitting into the contours of the site”. This is cool, crisp modern architecture, but infused with local cultural references and climatic context.

Lord Foster himself said: “If you visit this building, you’ll see that it couldn’t be anywhere else. It is highly evocative of the culture.”