How dignity and other principles reveal themselves through his work can be found in the Ismaili Centers and many of their aligned programs.
Ismaili Centers
The Ismaili Center in central London was the first religious and cultural center to be built for the Ismaili community in the West. First established in 1951, it moved to Palace Gate in Kensington in 1957. There are now seven Ismaili centers worldwide: Dubai, Dushanbe, Houston, Lisbon, London, Toronto, and Vancouver. Four other centers are in development or being planned for Toronto, Houston, Los Angeles, and Paris.
Ismaili centers are designed and built to be bridges between communities and cultures. They are places and spaces that “embody the values and ethics of the Ismaili Muslim community” and offer spaces for “peaceful dialogue, contemplation, education and exchange.” The goal is to “enhance relationships among faith communities, government and civil society.” As a result, the centers host religious ceremonies, leadership meetings, lectures, performances, and general gatherings.
Architecture is also a major component part of the Ismaili Center. Throughout the building, form and design and sayings are meant to convey notions of beauty and the values placed upon community “cohesion.” Amin Mawji, President of the Ismaili Council for the UK has observed that it also “speaks to the value we put on equality – between men and women,
young and old, rich and poor. And anyone who comes to this building can see these things – we don't need to articulate them.”
One attribute of the London Ismaili Center that gains particular attention is its rooftop garden.
The garden draws inspiration from the Qur’anic Garden of Paradise. A fountain serves as a central and focal point for channels of waters, which in turn produce four interconnected parts to the space. Collectively, the space provides a shelter above the city, with granite and greenery combining with geometry, symbols, and water. The garden serves as a means of outreach to the larger London community when it opens to the public during London’s “Open Garden” event, an event that allows any member of the public to visit private gardens across the city.
Right:
The Aga Khan
Development Network
Video
Courtesy of:
The Ismaili Centre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIwfzfS5GKw
Singular inputs alone will not do the job – not in the time available, not across the wide spectrum of needs. But if we can work simultaneously and synergistically on several fronts, then progress in one area will spur progress in other areas. The whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.
— His Highness the Aga Khan
Paris, March 2010
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