Architecture on Stage: Farshid Moussavi Speaks at the Barbican
June 2, 2026
On Thu 11 Jun 2026, 19:00, at Barbican’s Frobisher Auditorium 1, Farshid Moussavi will present the recently completed Ismaili Center in Houston,
On Farshid Moussavi will present the recently completed Ismaili Center in Houston, a landmark project in the London-based architect’s career.
Commissioned by His Highness the Aga Khan, the building is conceived as a venue for educational, cultural and social events. Moussavi, who was born in Iran, will reflect on the project’s radical interpretation of Islamic design principles and its function as a stage for encounters between peoples of diverse backgrounds, faiths and traditions.
Get your tickets to join us in London here.
Edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and richly illustrated with photographs by Iwan Baan and Salina Kassam, our forthcoming publication Spaces of Sociability—releasing in July—provides a rare look into the making of a unique project. Essays by the primary designers of the building and its gardens, Farshid Moussavi, Hanif Kara, and Thomas L. Woltz, describe and elucidate the processes and ideas that shaped their proposals.
Other essays by Azim Nanji and James L. Wescoat Jr. contextualize the contributions of the Ismaili community and the origins of the Islamic garden. Finally, an interview with Prince Amyn Aga Khan sheds light on the transformative role played by architecture as an agent of social interaction and dialogue across diverse communities.
At a time when cultural understanding feels increasingly important, the Ismaili Center Houston stands as a powerful reminder of what design can achieve: a space where tradition and innovation meet, and where a community opens its doors to the wider world.
See you in London on Thu 11 Jun 2026, 7 pm!
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