Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil - Awards

Awards

El-Wakil has received recognition for his contribution to traditional architecture and sustainable building technology for the third world, addressing at an early date the now more widely understood issues of sustainability.

• In 1980, The Agamy Beach house claimed the first Aga Khan Award for Architecture. El-Wakil shared the award with his mason Ala-el-Din Moustafa who was one of the master masons to build Hassan Fathy’s village in Gourna.

• In 1985, he received the King Fahd Award for Research in Islamic Architecture.

• In 1986, El-Wakil’s work was recognized by the American Institute of Architects and was made Honorary Fellow at San Antonio in Texas.

• In 1987, on the occasion of The International Year of Shelter for the Homeless (IYSH), a competition was organised for New Technological Solutions for Social Housing (CINTUS). Out of entries from 75 nations, El-Wakil’s design won him an award.

• In 1988, El-Wakil was accorded the title of Professor by the International Academy of Architecture and the International Union of Architects.

• In 1989, El-Wakil acquired a second Aga Khan Award for the design of the Corniche Mosque in Jeddah. The Award Ceremony was held in Cairo, El-Wakil’s home town and was presented to him by the First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.

• In 1993, El-Wakil received a Certificate of Appreciation from Dade County in Miami for his entry, within a charette of 20 architectural firms organised by Andres Duany, for the urban design development for South Beach, Miami.

• In 1994, El-Wakil received an Award and Trophy for his achievements within the city Al-Madinah Munawarah, an achievement unique for a non-Saudi.

• In 1994 El-Wakil also received a Certificate of Appreciation from Solidere in Beirut, Lebanon for his contribution as president of the jury for the reconstruction of the Souks of Beirut.

• In 1999 El-Wakil was honoured in Riyadh at the International Congress for Mosque Architecture with the First Prize for the Design of the Contemporary Mosque Architecture.

• In 2008, El-Wakil was named the 2009 winner of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for his contributions to classical architecture.