SAPL Design Matters

SAPL Design Matters with Farrokh Derakhshani - Architecture & Optimism

Please join us for our Design Matters lecture on May 7, 2026 with Farrokh Derakhshani.

Topic
Architecture & Optimism

Positioned between critical reflection and disciplinary agency, this lecture explores architecture's potential to produce positive impacts across social, spatial, and cultural contexts. Through the analysis of selected projects whose architectural qualities have demonstrably enriched the lives of individuals and communities, the talk will investigate how such examples may be identified, interpreted, and circulated.

About Farrokh Derakhshani 
Farrokh Derakhshani is an Iranian architect and urban planner based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than four decades of professional experience in architectural practice and institutional leadership. He has served as Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, an initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) since 2006, following his earlier role directing Award Procedures from 1982 to 2006. During this period, he has led the Award’s nomination and evaluation processes, convened international juries and experts, and developed a global programme of symposia and scholarly initiatives in partnership with architects, scholars, and institutions worldwide. He has also contributed to architectural initiatives within the AKDN.

Farrokh’s principal area of specialization is contemporary architecture in Muslim societies, with particular attention to cultural context, social responsibility, and design excellence. He has organized and participated in international architectural competitions, curated exhibitions, and contributed essays and editorial work to numerous publications.

He has lectured at over fifty universities across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the United States and regularly serves as a visiting critic, juror and advisor to academic and professional institutions.

Before joining the Award, he practiced in France and Switzerland and worked in Iran on the design and construction management of large-scale public works and infrastructure projects. He holds a Master’s degree from the National University of Iran and pursued graduate studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (UP1) in Paris.

He was named Honorary Professor at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Honorary International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2018.

A small selection of recent Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) publications will be available for purchase at the event.

Event Agenda

5:00PM | Reception with buffet dinner and drinks

6:00PM | Farrokh Derakhshani presents

7:00PM | Q&A

Please contact outreach@sapl.ucalgary.ca with questions.