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Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

The Project

After a long international search, In 1971, H.H. The Aga Khan selected Mozhan Khadem as the Design Consultant for the Aga Khan University in Karachi and Payette Associates as the technical hospital consultant. As the design leader, Mozhan Khadem conceptualized the Aga Khan University and hospital as “the architecture of continuous interior spaces that surrounds the observer”– consistent with the tradition of Indo-Persian and Mughal architectural heritage of Pakistan. In order to familiarize the architectural and engineering design teams, with the blessing of the Aga Khan, Mozhan organized a tour of over one-month duration through countries under Islamic influence, including Spain in Europe; Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt in North Africa; and Iran, Pakistan, and India in Asia, where the design team could become familiar with the important historic architectural monuments in Islamic countries and could understand the basic architectural concept Mozhan Khadem was advocating for in the design of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

Architectural Design Concept

Mozhan Khadem’s design concept for the Aga Khan University was based on his architectural design philosophy of “continuous architecture with a sense of place”. Thus the master plan of the Aga Khan University consisted of a progression of unfolding landscaped courtyards and open spaces woven holistically into the solids of  functional facilities, each marked by a distinctive entrance portal and enhanced by  fountains, lush landscaping, and water features. In this respect, Mozhan designed the volumetric weave of solids (buildings) and voids (open spaces) into an organic whole resulting in the continuous architecture of enclosed spaces that surrounds the observer rather than separated buildings that stand apart from the observer. He also directed the interior architecture and graphic design of the facility. All aspects of design as well as the on-site conduction of the facility were carried out under his complete supervision. 

The project started as a 100,000 sm (One million sf) facility and ended up in its present condition as a 300,000 Sm (3,000,000 sf) facility it contains:

A 750-bed hospital, medical school, university, Outpatient clinic, VIP hospital, nursing school, student housing, Student Center, Dining facilities, Sports Facilities, Gymnasium, etc.

STAFF BY PROJECT:

  • Mozhan Khadem, Design Consultant, Director of Design, and Principal in Charge, (Khadem Studio Payette)
  • Tom Payette
  • Peter Haney
  • Garey Lahey
  • John Ruffing
  • Jim Wilkinson
  • Dennis Kaiser
  • Bob Grow
  • Farouk Noormohammad
  • Isam al Anni
  • Mosafar Ansari
PORTFOLIO

Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey

April 8, 2022

In 1991 the Koc Family, one of the most prominent families in Turkey, decided to build a private university in that country. They conducted a search for finding an architect who could respond to their objectives. They decided to conduct an architectural competition between three architectural offices: Khadem Design Studio at Payette in Boston, MA, Architects Collaborative in Boston, MA, and Ove Arup in London, England.

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American University, Cairo

April 8, 2022

The American University in Cairo (AUC) was designed to relocate its main campus from El Tahrir Square, in the heart of the city, to the planned community of New Cairo, where the university would be one of the largest landowners and employers. The built area of the campus comprised some 300,000 square meters, set on a 260-acre site, with an estimated budget of substantially over $400mil for construction. At the time of the initiation of this project, AUC occupied 100,000 square meters of owned and rented space on approximately 7 acres in several locations in downtown Cairo. AUC’s new campus is located some 35 kilometers to the east of downtown Cairo in the planned community of New Cairo, a development with a projected population of 2 to 3 million people in a desert characterized by petrified forest remnants.

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Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, Miami University, FL, USA

April 14, 2022

The project was won in an interview at the University of Miami, Medical school in which Hercut Sylvester, the donor, was present. Many outstanding firms were invited to present their qualifications. Mozhan, who was leading the “Khadem Design Studio at Payette”, presented his idea of “a continuous kind of architecture with a sense of place” that would make the facility not only functionally at the cutting edge of technology, but also would reflect a sense of place and help develop a focal space for interaction in the otherwise chaotic medical campus of Miami University in Florida. Upon hearing Mozhan’s presentation, Mr. Hercut Sylvester told the architectural interviewing committee that he likes to only have Mozhan Khadem design this facility.

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