These 28 case studies analyse projects that have been short-listed for or received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The five sets of case studies are of projects that are related respectively to education, housing, public urban spaces/ environments, public buildings and natural and built environments. The case studies may be used as part of wider studies of human life, behaviour and actions, and their impacts, across time, place and space, as well as to reflect on ways in which the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development may be realised. Through the case studies, learners are encouraged to connect theoretical learning to the on-the-ground realities and form a deep understanding of their own context and its interconnectedness with the rest of the world. Learners may be thus inspired and empowered, as they engage with real-world projects, to become ethical leaders who achieve positive and sustainable change that can transform our world for the better.

The Aga Khan Academies (AKA) work to develop curriculum units that are relevant to their students in Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Mozambique. This resource has been developed as part of a collaborative project between the Academies and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to develop curriculum units for use in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. This compilation of case studies draws on two sets of archives developed through the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Eight of the case studies draw on projects that have been recipients of or shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture featuring projects in Bangladesh, China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Tunisia. Three of the case studies draw on the work of AKTC’s Historic Cities Programme in Afghanistan and Egypt. The case studies present contexts within which built (human-made) environments are used to shape open-minded and inclusive communities. They have been designed for use within Integrated humanities but could be used across the curriculum in Arts, Design, Language and literature, or Language acquisition.