Renditions of h3 Architects

Text: Ar. Maria A
Photography: Courtesy h3 Architects

There are numerous definitions and interpretations of contextualism in design that one comes across in the world of art and architecture. Throughout history many architects have responded to the context of their time and place. This attitude can be observed through their technological or material application or through a response to climatic or socio-cultural sensitivity. As argued through the ages, these issues such as context, technology and cultural appropriateness should be taken as a given underlying force of any good design. There can be little debate about their validity and hence it has been argued that the one thing which really distinguishes an architect’s work from another is “Style”. True as it may be, there are still examples that one comes across every so often where the contextual response of a designer becomes so dominant in his/ her work that it actually becomes the syntax of his architectural language and hence the approach of that designer. It is interesting to note that in such cases the context so dictates the design that the apparent stylistic thread that binds an architect’s work is difficult to find; but never the less exists.

One such example can be found in the work of a relatively new but important architectural practice of h3 Architects. Iftikhar Azam is not a new name in architectural circles of Karachi yet the flourishing of his work under the banner of an independent firm is a significant landmark. h3’s work seems to have such diversity of typology and geography that it almost becomes difficult to label it as a particular style. This body of work is definitely responsive and not self-referential. Since establishing h3, over the past few years, Iftikhar has participated and won some national architectural competitions as well as producing an impressive array of buildings in a relatively short period of time. It is interesting to note that having worked for over a decade in the US, Iftikhar’s design influences and its impact on the h3’s work displays an inherent dichotomy. One almost feels an underlying struggle within the designer to reconcile the duality of his own existence.