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Text: Ar. Ahmed Asad Zuberi
Photography: Ar. Ahmed Asad Zuberi & Farah Mahbub
Project: The Elbow Room (Restaurant)
Client: Shahzad and Tanya
Architects: Design Options
Project Team: Ar. Moyena Niazi
Location: I. I Chundrigar Road
Area: 4000 sqft
Commission: January 2007
Completion/ opening: July 2007

I.I Chundrigar is the most influential business district in Karachi, in all of Pakistan in fact. It is the work place of the movers and shakers in banking, investments, shipping and all related businesses. With so much money roaming the streets one would expect the public facilities for this place would be as attractive as Wall Street. If any have visited this place, they are probably familiar with the anticlimax, the urban nightmare that ensues: traffic congestion, parking issues, extremely limited pedestrian spaces. Not even a whisper of a tree or plaza.
Another issue that is often considered of lesser importance, but is problematic all the same is the question of quality dinning. The local khoka, even though might work for many; but the average yuppie would die before taking a client to lunch there. So imagine the ordeal of professionals who in an hour’s time have to drive out of that congestion, to a decent restaurant, order eat and come back, that’s no mean feat. This was always the norm of anyone who craved fine dinning for lunch, until one enterprising couple saw opportunity in this need. And thus was founded the adequately named Elbow room café in this congested area of I.I Chundrigar.

The place they found was a small warehouse tucked into a tributary lane right next to the old BCCI building. The couple approached Architect Moyena Niazi of Design Options, a young collaborative firm whose hands-on approach to their projects and attention to detailing has earned them considerable repute.

The project can be described as an adaptive reuse project. Reuse projects are always tricky to deal with; questions of context and history are underlying. Decisions of using of old versus new elements are paramount. And quite frankly the right decision becomes apparent half way through the project.

Moyena took the stance that as the warehouse was in a modernist/art nouveau building the restaurant would be interesting if it were reminiscent of old Karachi. This is a commendable stance in a time where every new restaurant is trying to be the Asian minimal and the heritage buildings are being destroyed for the newer and shinier: Dubai syndrome…

There is an entire theme that follows through the restaurant from the selection of doors, grills, seats, handles, sofas, wall surfacing, lights even the fans. This is the essence of interior design accurate selection of element that will define the experience of space: ‘creating an ambiance’ as they say.

It wasn’t the easiest of jobs as Moyena describes, the warehouse had no elevation as one can expect, and the wood work dilapidated, it was a scavenger hunt for all things of the old Karachi era, doors windows, cast iron grills and the list goes on.

When one approaches the restaurant the most commendable thing seen is that the restaurant takes an active interest to better the atmosphere of the street as well: the pavement if renewed, shades drawn over to protect even the pedestrians from the harsh sun, wonderful cast iron lamp posts invigorate the street and stand tall to announce the presence of a new restaurant. Urban Responsibility to one’s store front is important, if the banks and large stores were held responsible to upgrade the pedestrian ways the face of this crucial market of urban elevation could change.

The façade has been changed from a dead masonry wall to painted doors and windows of a bygone era. Entering the restaurant, one comes into a double height space, which is a visual treat for most office goers living working in 9ft dungeons. The lighting is subtle and the earthy tones of the restaurant sink in: brick work, rough plasters, and deep colored wood. The light fittings hanging low from the double height ceiling, the fans painted a dark brown to look an age. The flooring is a treat in its own: cement tiles with the yesteryear patterns used to define major areas in the restaurant. And thank God not over used: it is the restraint in design that defines the designer; it’s like salt in a meal: just the right amount makes it delectable less or more shoves it into averages.

Guests are greeted immediately by the maitre de at the front desk which is smartly tucked under an ornate stair. The double height hall is the main dinning area bounded by a low height brick wall. The wall has a wood copping which provides as a shelf for assorted trinkets. There are two rows of tables and fixed benches against the elevation wall. If you have frequented a khoka or two you will realize these tables and chairs are none other than those khoka tables from the local khan bhai’s place of business, ofcourse the major difference is the table cloth.

There are two stairs that lead up to a loft sub level. One is right next to the front desk, is a delicate wood stair which was from the original warehouse, its wood was refaced and cast iron grills were added to construct an ornate balustrade. This leads to the coffee room, a small area with, bamboo sofas and relaxed seating. The coffee room also sports a bar that serves a variety of seasonal fruit cocktails. It becomes an ideal location for an after hours rendezvous or a causal business meeting.

The other stair is a solid bulky masonry stair leading up to a loft type dinning area which caters to the increased lunch crowd during luncheon hours. The loft area of the coffee room and extended dinning are visually linked by windows that allow natural light from the coffee room to filter in, this helps to visually lighten the space. Design does not seem to end in this café, in the bathrooms mirrors are made of cast iron work jaali, the towel hangers are jute tied wood frames.

What enthralls me about this interior is that the every element seems to know its place in the holistic composition; it takes up the concept of synergy that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

By: Ar. Ramiz Baig
Photography & Images: Courtesy S Abdulla

In recent times we have seen in Pakistan an introduction to “all under one roof” solutions as far as retail and even household goods are concerned. So it comes as no surprise that an established name like S Abdulla and Co. offered such a solution for interiors.

S Abdulla and Co has been the leading name in Karachi for tiles and sanitary fittings for many a years. Clients from all over Pakistan flocked their outlet in the city of lights for most of their requirements. The company realizing this growing demand over the years from the north decided to expand in the heart of Pakistan, Lahore as Design Center, and chose architects Arshad Shahid Abdulla (ASA) to design the exterior and interior of the building.

The building Design Center is located in a then recently commercialized area and thus there was the allowance of having a building with around 50,000 sq.ft of usable space. The building exterior comes as a surprise in Lahore as one doesn’t expect to see a fair-faced building, the façade is laced with signature ASA gestures, juxtaposing plastered panels with use of glass to allow light to penetrate the interiors.

The Ground, mezzanine and first floor make up the tiles and the sanitary showroom whereas recently the 2nd and the 3rd are being used for the new UK based furniture franchise ‘Singways’, thus making Design Center a complete all under one roof solution for house and commercial interiors. The 4th floor is still vacant and provides ample spacing for future expansions. The new furniture showroom is disconnected from the main staircase and one takes the elevator to access the 2nd floor. This floor though has been connected via staircase to the 3rd which makes up the total area for their furniture display. In essence there are thus two distinct outlets, functionally, visually as well as in their architecture expression under one roof.

Sensitivity to the experience is shown right from the moment one enters the block with the entrance flanked by planters welcoming you inside. Sadly one mostly misses this entrance as most enter from the parking which lies in the basement. You know you are entering into an “architect thought out of a box” building’ where your approach and entry is not bang in the center. Even the structure is unconventional, with exposed beams running at 45 degrees interestingly demarking the voids. The site was much longer then its width thus circulation plays a crucial role in the success of the building which the architect has handled well and almost dictates our experience through the intricately designed circulation, channeling us from display to display with relief spaces of green as well as coffee stations and rest areas for comfort and brief meetings.

The materials compliment the interior well with easy to maintain and permanent finishes. The low height walls and partitions along with the exposed beams have been plastered grey whereas the ceilings have been left unfinished adding to the “warehouse” appeal. Though most of the materials are permanent one feels that does not hold true for the wooden planks used on the circulation space floor, with excessive use they require high maintenance even though it definitely adds to the richness of the interior. The monotony of the grey partitions is creatively broken by carved niches which are used for product display as well as decoration.

The interior palette is neutral and coexists well with the products, even though for designers and architects the building itself is as good if not better then the products on display. One thoroughly enjoys the plaster finish juxtaposed with the multi colour, multi faceted products, the wooden plank staircase with the metallic balustrade and connecting bridges acts as a datum to the building and the use of a single blue colour for accent coupled with the planters get highlighted in such a setting.

The lighting has played a major role in creating a successful ambience in the interior. It is used subtly in the relief spaces and circulation but focused in the displays. The showers and faucet section is designed in contrast to the very earthen interior otherwise. Here the architect has used the stainless steel finish of most of these products to stand out in a very industrial almost futuristic sort of display. The new Roca collection at S Abdulla draws on the latest creative trends from designs by leading international figures, Belen & Rafael Moneo, David Chipperfield, Ramon Benedito, Herzog and De Meuron who have lent their names to Roca and have come up with highly distinctive different concepts in creations designed for maximum personal well being.

Due to space constraints in their Karachi outlet the Lahore one also boasts many product lines which are exclusive to this particular outlet. It’s a very effective approach to business that the interior are to be designed as such that the client is as comfortable as possible and thus would /should purchase all that is required from a single stop. It suits the modern lifestyle where one wants quality and convenience.

The display of the new furniture line ‘Singways’ differs experientially from downstairs. Singways began its operation in 1989 and became one of the fastest growing modern furniture retailers with a presence in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Now that ‘Singways’ is available in the Design Center Lahore it has become an outlet of original, exclusive and modern furniture and accessories. Design Center of Lahore is the current lifestyle outlet with everything under one roof for the convenience of their clients. As the product franchise dictates on the setting and placement and even the colour and light schemes to be used. One just sees the 3d displays and the building interior completely taking a back seat to the product and negating the complimentary role it played successfully downstairs. With the passage of time this critique also seems applicable to the newer display setups for the exclusive sanitary ware product lines, as they also seem detached from the original concept.

Even though this fair-face building provides a welcome relief to the skyline of Lahore, one hoped to see that the architects being such supporters of indigenous materials would have designed the façade using the brick and used their design sensitivity to highlight that material in a new way which could have brought about a major positive change to Lahore’s architecture as they have made in Karachi. What has happened is that they have stuck to their strengths and delivered a building which could easily sit in Karachi just as successfully.

The architect job is never to just answer the functional question but to also create the best possible space experientially and spatially for the users. These are the kind of qualities which make any house into a home or any office space into a productive centre. Same rules apply for retail outlets and shopping warehouses. Choosing tiles and sanitary ware and even furniture for an interior is not an everyday job for the client and thus requires time and thought. The Architect here has successfully made a space which is user friendly providing an enjoyable experience of both the products as well as the architecture.

Text: Ar. Ahmed A Zuberi
Photography: Ar. Arif Haider

Sitting at the espresso café on a Thursday morning as I was waiting for a client to arrive, that it struck me: I was sitting primarily in an upscale Chai khana.

The chai khana has reinvented itself as the coffee serving café. These places are not unknown of for residents of Karachi for example ‘Café de Khan’ at Tariq road or for that matter the innumerous cafes in Saddar, but over time died out in popularity.

The café’s made their reappearance with realizing a desire of people to congregate, casually chat, eat, drink and be merry. The café becomes a place of intermediary level of formalness, not as casual as a fast food joint and neither as formal as a restaurant, just in the middle just right: A regular haunt, which is new, contemporary, and relaxed. That is the description of espresso.

The first outlet for espresso is at Zamzama tucked away, into one of its lanes not being flamboyant in anyway, unless looked for specifically one could miss it. It is almost secretive. The seating capacity is purposely limited to keep a comfortable atmosphere in a near claustrophobic space. A bar in the form of niches on one side and comfortable upholstered seats to the other The décor is inspired unsurprisingly by the coffee deep brown polishes, dark sofas and a few pendant lights creating a cozy ambience with, various displays of imported coffee beans.

If this was all that there was to it, would be no reason to write even a line about this design. The high point that lifts the coffee house to respectability, the element that gives it its own designed uniqueness is that the designer has used graphics as an integral design tool to communicate an intangible feeling. What I am pointing to is the backlit glowing feature wall with delicate waves, one would see rising from a hot cup of coffee. It is what creates the magic of the entire experience of this petite café. It is a visual that links the most prominent and yet intangible feature of the coffee house: the aroma of coffee.

Modern commercial design needs to take into account the variety of visual stimuli that can be used to make an effect on the consumer. Modern interiors are no longer just a functional and efficient space they are required to reflect the energy of the space.

With the computer aided design today the possibilities are endless; from the spatial arrangements in plan and section to the Typography of the title, to the print on the plates. Architecture is often a time termed as the mother of all arts, how many aspects of the space can be designed to convey a complete experience. This café shows strength of architecture design, wielding the power of brand definition.

Another aspect of design that is noteworthy is the evolution and reorganization of the initial design theme into two more very successful outlets: one at Khe-Shabaz and the other a smaller fixture in the Forum shopping center.

The Khe-Shabaz espresso is a much different animal then the small reclusive café at Zamzama. This restaurant is a larger, flamboyant even commercial. It is catering to the masses that have thrilled with the ambiance of the smaller haunt. Espresso on Shabaz takes advantage of better accessibility and better parking facilities than at Zamzama.

The café here is sizably larger than its predecessor. It is a two level outlet with better and multiple seating options catering to the multiple numbers and types of crowds. In the morning there are a few business types’ tryst, as myself, and more of ladies congregating before picking up their children from school. This ratio changes with the span of the day leading to professionals coming in for lunches, followed by the young and economically able arriving at night.

The café façade is a two storey entity that is defined by its long vertical wooden fins that have a multi-layered function. Firstly and most rightly they block out the harsh afternoon sun that wrecks havoc to the cooling bills secondly they being hinged are able to protect the restaurant from break-in without using those nasty looking grills and the occasional stone throwing mobs. Finally but in no means less important these fin gestures are a very sound design feature that allow the façade an element of surface variety, saving it from being just another flat wall surface with punctures for windows.

The most striking feature of the café is the dynamism that is creates with the sequence of spaces. The architect opted out of the more commercial habits of maximizing seating space with two full floors. The café is one and a half floors with the ground floor seating being a double height space.

The sequence of space is interesting as it helps keep visual connections with all parts of the café. One enters into a covered waiting area which opens up into the double height space. The stairs rather than being a single bulk are a slim pair of scissor stairs. The double height enables people to be in visual contact with each other giving a feeling of life and vibrancy to the café.

The design gesture that continues from the predecessor is the use of the wave graphic as an element linked to the coffee experience. In this café the graphic goes ahead and becomes more architectural in nature as a plane that sweeps up from the ground floor wraps itself across the ceiling and turns on the upper floor locking these spaces by a single design element.

The brand design evolved a step. It is a very commendable that all the elements that were working in the first outlet were not just aped in the second. The design was reassessed and remolded within the same theme.
The third and last outlet of espresso is at the Forum. This is an anti-thesis to first two setups. It is still efficient, it is still properly detailed but it lacks the zest and the life of the first two. The design is docile and does not cause a stir even with it being an open area in a mall. This last one is entirely dependant on the brand image that has already been created rather than helping to bolster it.

It seems the designer became bored of the same project; a lot of issues in the Form have not been dealt as intelligently as the previous designs. Firstly space definition: the thick stainless steel pipes is definitely taking away from the entire road side café look. They are too bulky, they are too high and do not assist in comfort of the consumer in anyway. The same boundary could be easily established with a lower bar, maybe a flat top becoming an arm rest for the consumers already shoved up against the boundaries. Next the ‘wave graphic’ is tossed in as a most utilitarian element of a roof of sorts for visual privacy from people climbing up the stairs. This element has been handled as an after thought. The thick bars, drooping roof in comparison to smart and taut usages in the older outlets, this mini outlet unfortunately does not hold its own.

The espresso coffee chain is a good example to any student of architecture as a design theme that has evolved and readapted to variations of site and yet holding a strong sense of its designed brand individuality; the haunt at Zamzama, the outlet at Shabaz and the roadside at the Forum.

Text: Ar Maria. A
Photography: Farzad Bagheri

Project: Copper and Steel
Architect: Arshad Faruqui
Client: Copper and Steel
Area: 410 sq yards, covered area 3700 sq ft
Contractor: Aqil Gazdar
Year of completion: October 2006

Noticing very small differences existing in ordinary life, and capturing them and visualizing them – this action may be the essence of the outlet Copper and Steel. The passing of time and the changing of light are two of these subtleties. Also emotion and logic: every design needs the balance between fascination and flavor. Both fun and beauty, which appeal to the emotional right side of the brain, and function and concept, which appeal to the logical left, are important elements in design reflected in the project.

While Copper and Steel, a relatively new outlet to join the ever growing mushrooming furniture/accessories outlets might read quintessentially like all others on paper its innovative blend of materials, open spaces and minimalist design with a strong theme creates a space so engaging and warm that it sure makes it stand out amongst its contemporaries.

Located in a rather secluded area of Clifton Karachi, surrounded by townhouses converted into commercial interests and away from the commercial hubhub of 26th street and Zamzama, the outside totally belies the interior until one walks in. Seasons come alive, walking through the falling leaves on a cement and pebbled floor with sounds of water from its various water bodies, one is transported to an entirely different place totally so un-kin to Karachi as soon as one enters through its hidden heavy wooden gate. The courtyard herald’s tranquility; all its landscape generously sprinkled with water bodies which in itself are a play of materials; stone, metal, water and air. When one enters though; the pieces of art are as appealing but what really stands out is the deafening silence, so very unlike any commercial outlet.

Material investigation is all around, from the exterior to the interior. Though the interiors; i.e. less sculptural might be the walls but the furniture and accessories are pieces of art. Metal as in copper and steel are found in abundance. Copper and steel; as the name suggests is an outlet apart from selling the accessories and furniture, is a place where the concept and desire is to have harmony and serenity.

The surroundings, the atmosphere, the spaces that enclose the products to be sold are displayed like they own the place and without them the space looses its mere existence. Designing this space and its relation to the surroundings has a concept behind it; wherein the materials, colors and texture all three combine to give a down to earth feeling, nothing too gaudy and flashy about the place, like most commercial outlets.

The narrow small entrance portico which has its own provoking effect, lifts your spirit and directs you to the open kind of a court yard where centralized water body, gray slate flooring and dark gray curved punch wall behind which small water bodies and different kinds of fountains are displayed. Once you enter the outlet, the interior is spacious and minimalist as the converted townhouse is functionally used as a showcase of furniture and accessories and as the owner’s office. Space is divided into zones where furniture and accessories are displayed according to the design scheme of the rooms/spaces. Lay out of furniture is such that an entire theme of rooms is visible as you meander through the different sections of display.

One of the interesting aspects is the old style mosaic pattern on the floor in white, black and gray colors, and how the furniture arrangement around it enhances the pattern. The double height space with the skylight not only illuminates the space but is a visual connection of all levels and the interiors with exterior quaintly focused by pebbles and a tree; placed at its center with an old piece of furniture. The entire interior has neutral color schemes and same dark gray punch wall, which was used, in the courtyard, to balance and create rhythm in design and especially to connect with the exterior. The balustrade of the staircase is a low wall with open niches where ceramics and pottery is displayed, leading to the upper level which is the continuation of the same design parameters infused with visual delight and calming of the senses.

“It is not easy to design for oneself especially when the space has a commercial angle to it. Although one sees echoes of Bawa’s inspiration but I believe a project like this can blend in anywhere. Though I started with ambitious forms but today my design focuses on simplified, uncomplicated and uncluttered forms and spaces with functionally strong aspects to them.” –Architect Arshad Faruqui

The outlet is a contemporary modern regional design which is so basic that it can blend in anywhere. The same can be said of the furniture that follows the similar design theme. In other words, someone has recognized that the architecture that is ready to be disclosed had an exceptional personality and deserves to return to spotlight, the restoration and re-usage procedure in this case, in addition to being an intellectual action of responsive architecture are also acts of creative nature that exploits the designer’s sensitivity.
A broadened existence of intimacy appears to re-emerge from the design of the outlet; it is frequently considered to be a reserved space and a protected area where the furnishing solutions attempt to repeat the convivial climate of family life, the affectionate relationship of the couple of groups, the elegance of the leisure facilities. It is almost as though there is a desire to create a private atmosphere in the workplace which is increasingly distanced from the unstable structure of the recently developed global society where the digital economy cuts across the spaces multiplying the wandering existence of humanity and promoting effects of creative hybridization among the masses in general.

In the haste of post independence development, accelerated by the 1960’s rise of nationalism where modern architecture became the byword for progress and change, the historic cities of Pakistan were often the victim of tabula rasa functionalist planning. This looking at hindsight has had catastrophically infrastructural implications such as the circular railways project in Karachi and the restoration of old town Lahore. Large scale monuments of the colonial era survived, but to a large degree entire residential and commercial districts vanished, when designations of historic and social significance pinned to a single building could not sustain the retention of general urban fabric. These were the precincts that suffered devastation and disappearance. Indeed today both the cities Lahore and Karachi are largely stories of condoned disappearance.

Inspite of this a wave of revival stuck strong with the heritage and conservation efforts realization and the retention of some of the areas of value. The intricacies of detail and scale required understanding, and a humble insertion or the grafting of the new onto old required skill equal to that of mammoth achievements. Cuco’s den is no such project studied or otherwise. It is a lone man story, his life and what he made of it, is now translated in his artwork and his domain which is called Cuco’s Den Lahore being a hub of cultural and historical capital of Pakistan has beautifully sustained balance of urban forms from earlier periods; from exquisite Lahore fort, Shalimar Gardens, Jehangir’s tomb, havelis to small scale traditional housing in walled city and gardens to public spaces. Walled city, from where the city grew, gives a significant picture of the social, historical and cultural values and its history can be traced back over a thousand years. The walled city is also thronged by a variety of eatery outlets big and small dishing out various delicacies of Mughal and Delhi cuisines being a significant act of this particular area in today’s time.

The walled city holds commercial, light industrial functions in relation to residential and religious quarters. Distinctive architectural style envelopes the private and public domains engulfing ones senses in the aura of earlier periods.

Access to walled city is still gained through thirteen gates, out of which only two are retained in its original form; few of them do not exist anymore. Walled city was founded by Mahmud of Ghazna in 1027-28. It is believed that the oldest settlement in walled city are the areas of Lahore Fort, Langa mandi (compounds of Tibbi Mohallah), Mohallah Maulian. Cuco’s Den is situated on the periphery of Tibbi Mohalla. Embracing the walls are courtyard houses ranging from monumental havelis to 3 marla houses, markets, food stalls, brothels and alleys. Buried within are shrines, mosques and dilapidated palaces. Only a few structures have been restored by enthusiasts, such as the exotic Cuco’s Den restaurant by the fort. Residential buildings have not undergone so drastic a change in terms of size, but vivid shifts in cultural values, functions and ways of living have changed their interior spaces.

Situated in the vicinity of old Lahore’s Heera Mandi, and lying opposite to the Badshahi Masjid is the famous Coco’s Den, an old structure, converted into a restaurant; a threshold between the scared and the profane. It was originally a brothel and family home of one of Lahore’s finest painters, Iqbal Hussain.

Iqbal Hussain is particularly renowned for painting courtesans of this area (Heera Mandi), dancers, musicians and the landscapes around River Ravi. The walls of Coco’s Den & Café are adorned with Hussain’s intense portraits of the district’s prostitutes —from teenage damsels to age old madams. The paintings depict the life of these women, their highs and low’s and their silent lives. Hussain, who himself is a son and grandson of sex workers, was born and raised in this house.

Cuco’s den is an amalgamation of various functions; residential, dining place and art gallery. Ground-floor and the rooftop have been converted into a seating area. One has to climb a narrow staircase, almost 3 stories up, till you reach the terrace, where food is served. The top terraces being used as dining areas looks onto the vast sandstone courtyard of the 17th century Badshahi mosque. Badshahi mosque and Lahore Fort together present an astounding view at night when both are lit up with lights taking the diners to another realm. From one side of the terrace, you can watch the lit up mosque’s which is indeed a breathtaking view under the tranquil sky and the other side, you can catch glimpses of the windows of the Heera Mandi, gleaming with lamplight as the women take up their positions in the district’s doorways. And in the midst of all this is Coco’s Den & Café, hovering between the desecrated and the divine. Coco’s Den is not just a restaurant with excellent food, but an experience of historic proportions.

In Coco’s Den, you can find a table in pretty much every setting. Indoors, patio, terrace, and rooftop; the menu starts from traditional appetizers to a variety of mouth watering Lahori delights, and topping it off is the great tasting delicacies of Mughal cuisine. The traditional way of using rope hung baskets are used from the rooftop to enable cooks at the street level to send food up without the staff having to physically carry it upstairs. This method is again an old time tradition, oft used by housewives to purchase groceries, vegetables, or just get some food hauled up to the top floors of the house

The Cuco’s façade is an amalgamation of various elements of Mughal, Hindu and colonial features. As one’s eye maneuvers on the longitudinal façade bi partite, a symmetrical elevation appears, seems as if two buildings have been joined together with the help of red lime plaster and walnut polish on wooden elements embracing the façade. Also visible is the non alignment of lintels marking floor levels. The main entrance adorned by a wooden door is marked with dehleez, (a marker defining entrance to a private quarter from a semi public one). The right side of the façade is adorned with bukharchis (long projected wooden balcony, often with a series of rooms from the same façade opening into it), it being a Mughal feature, yet it seems the golden painted wrought iron jailis has a dancing figure in it. This part of the façade seems to be from a later period as a protruded balcony reminiscent of a jharoka juts out of the façade on the third storey.

There is kitsch of different elements; the left section of the elevation has three different storeys marked with various features. A jharoka on first level (a projected oriel or other window, one with an enclosing structure supported by projected masonry work and often supporting such masonry above), basta windows(wooden collapsible or slotted shutters), pointed arched window openings marking the two end of the façade. It appears that the third level which a covered sitting had been added later.

The indoors are no less appealing than the astounding outdoors. The interior spaces of the building are also embellished with original marble tiles. Details have been looked upon; the staircase railing has wooden embracing. In the patio walls are adorned with tiles (a bad example of kashi-kari), the grills supporting the terraces are a colonial feature, where wrought iron pattern was made without the use of welding. Interesting furniture pieces most likely dating back to the early 1900s are stored away in nooks and corners giving it an age-old ambience.

A beautiful statue of Virgin Mary graces the main patio. The bell above it is not only a part of the sculpture but is also used to summon orders from the lower floors. Various sculptures, reliefs and elements have been implanted at various places, making it a busy façade. Because of the immense information given about the eras which crossed the walled city therefore the exact period of the house cannot be identified.

It seems the owner is more focused about using the place as an information giver rather then conserving the place, its period in true sense. This is another approach which conservation agencies might seem interested to study.

Visiting Cuco’s den gives only a glimpse of the lives that lived in this area, in this house, sometimes it’s eerie, feels like a ghost just slithered away or that one heard the excerpts of a conversation which took eons of years ago. It is a world, outside of this world if only one can let the imagination go wild.

Text: Ar. Maria. A
Photography credits: ASA

The influx of media, the ease of travel, the simplicity in transfer of information and technology, the abundance of software tools, the plethora of materials and modules and the list goes on for today’s computer and internet savvy world; the question is have these tools enhanced the creativity of a being in whatever field one is. To be more specific are architects and interior designers of today more creative then our past icons. Have we lost the race to vernacular, regional and contextual architecture? Are we now running for the globalization where anything and everything can happen anywhere?

In today’s time when working on any design and exploring hundreds of possibilities, it is indeed very easy to do a hi-fi design. One hardly ever knows where to stop, when there are no dictates of period or context and everything sells under the banner of globalization. When we have gone beyond modernism, post modernism, revivalism, contextualism and now go-green; all critique is stilled in the name of twenty first century, when the kitsch works. Hence a project which defies all of the above, sits quietly and sedately in its surroundings and yet makes a statement is indeed a refreshing respite and that is exactly what khaadi is “respite”.
Making room settings is a task that involves remarkable listening skills. It is a way of communicating worlds, cultures, symbols, something that requires wits and bravery in suggesting different expressive forms and ways. ASA, which is committed to providing unique design solutions and services in various projects, boasts remarkable creativity which makes it possible to achieve optimal results. Credit is due to a great team who takes an active part in popularizing a new approach to display space, surfaces, volumes, light effects and colours; change into an aesthetic experience resulting from a new creative concept, with a view to surprise and leave a mark. Advanced primarily by architect Shahid Abdulla and designers who were skilful in conjugating the definition of each single object to more ample ideas of living styles, the design of Khaadi, which I say is a revival of memory drew on different cultural traditions and various experimentations based on hybrids as a fundamental design approach. The result was a tradition founded on a process of over-laying history with the present; mixing popular traditions with refined materials and sophisticated finishes using the history of the cloth as an original model for an up-to-date simplification, refunctionalising the past for the present.

Traditionally an architect is a problem solver, a person who finds solutions to a problem which the site poses or is dished out by the client. But for an architect to actually “find a problem” seems like an inversion of that role. It presents a new paradigm, not just about the client understanding of what he/she requires but also about the architect who is wanting to uncover the latent potential of the context. Architect Shahid Abdulla is one such architect who delves into a project with precisely that in mind, who is seeking a different model of the architect as author-in denial of authoring.

The design always emerges from the problem otherwise its difficult to forge ahead. In the case of Khaadi, it was the revival of (memory) the hand loom material which was fast approaching extinction or was being taken for granted. The aim of client Shamoon Sultan was to make Khaadi not only fashionable but to revive a dying art of weaving cloth on handlooms. This since ancient times was always a big industry eaten up by the industrial revolution, and Shamoon was trying to recreate history with Khaadi. The outlets of Khaadi though located at extremely strategic points have a monochrome, mundane ordinariness to it compared to what one would expect of an apparel outfit. The interiors are quiet respite from their surroundings and hardly ever compete with their product. The products are displayed in a blaze of color on a neutral back drop. The plan and details are simplistic with a careful study of materials being used. The outlets are designed to look ordinary with simple ordinariness of material used in an extra-ordinary way, this is synonymous to what Khaadi is doing to ‘khaddar’, the material and this is the essence of Khaadi.
Basic materials, natural materials like cement flooring un-tinted with any color, lot of timber details and essence, a total absence of color with exposure of architectural elements such as girders, structures are key elements of any and every Khaadi outlet. But it goes without saying that with every new outlet to hit the town or anywhere in Pakistan there’s a subtle evolution; panache has been achieved from the prior one – the language and ethos of display remains consistent and does not boggle the shopper. The product reigns supreme in the execution of design. Over the years the outlets nonetheless have more elements, are more mature and resolved then the earlier ones. The subtle differences can be noticed by a keen observer since they are so unobtrusive and are actually features accentuated with more finesse.

But one aspect that cannot be ignored is the flamboyance of color. The usage of color in any project proclaims the dexterity of the designer in creating atmospheric spaces. Colour has a psychological role to play in any environment and is a science on its own; hence the use of color can actually make or break the space. The first outlet to have colour in its interiors was the Lahore one, which is a converted Fiat Showroom. In this particular outlet Imran Khan came up with a strong graphic image of Lahore that he painted and which is aptly complemented by a fiery orange a little bit though with the grey plaster. “I enjoyed doing the Lahore outlet since there was room to play with a lot of nature/green. Nature is an important element in my design, nature and all things close to it. I have green spaces, water bodies, sound of water and birds but in retail outlets its difficult to amalgamate this in design as every inch of the space is taken up for display purposes, but Lahore outlet gave us the opportunity which I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Shahid Abdulla never to shy in giving credit to his design team believes that Khaadi is all about team work, and in all the outlets the combining factor is him and the other is that all designers (team) of Khaadi have somehow been graduates of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. “I am clear in what am I designing for. It’s the product which has to sell and not my design, the only Khaadi where I have consciously been a little opulent is the ‘Khaadi Khaas’, it is a little lofty, little whimsical yet still monochromatic; and is supposed to sell the best of the best in Khaadi. While for me it’s the Hyderi outlet in Karachi, though the general consensus on favorites is the Clifton outlet.”

The emphasis of the outlets especially of an apparel outlet is always the display, which in Khaadi are further highlighted through dimly lit halogen forming a warm glow of light and shadow. All outlets have large show windows but still the element of surprise is ever present and can only be experienced the moment one steps in through the heavy raw timber doors. Shahid Abdulla elaborating on his design studio emphasizes on the fact that design should be simple. We should now learn to ‘un-design’. We Pakistanis have a tendency to show off more then what we have and this is prevalent in all that we do, in our gestures, in what we wear, in how we operate and socialize and of course in our built environment. We are not a simple society, we are highly consumeric. This is the main difference between us and the population in our neighboring country. Either they are not conscious enough or they are wise to know that they do not need all this unnecessary display. Similarly simplicity in spaces also can reflect the care and design modalities. “Hence I try to under design now, use more of natural materials and nature. I try to blend my interiors and exteriors, the materials lend to the life cycle of my project which renders the building into maturity instead of making it old.”

Khaadi now has a strong presence in Pakistan and is recognized as a leading brand. It connects with all the people who design, create, manufacture and use aesthetically appealing living products based on respect for the person as for the environment. There is a humane nature associated with Khaadi which can be enhanced even further. ASA is now more then ever conscious of environment which will travel with it wherever it goes/ grows, whether it’s Dubai or London. Of course cities have their significant input and flavor on any brand retail outlet but there are signature features of Khaadi that is its natural quiet which, the people are used to is its essence; hence will stay.

In the design of memory, the sense of ancestral things, conservation, reinterpretation by reason of which things that have already been done continue to live within us, determine a tradition. Khaadi must also be given credit for having cultivated a tradition which fostered material that exists beyond time, distinguished by a durable image and style.

By: Ar. Maria A
Photography by: Ar. Fawad Abbasi

Project Covered Swimming Pool and Fitness Facility
Building for Islamabad Club
Client Islamabad Club
Sponsor H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed
President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Architects Suhail & Fawad Architects
Project Team Ar. Suhail A. Abbasi, Ar. Fawad Suhail Abbasi,Ar. Ali Zahid, Ar. Maryam Iftikhar, Ar. Amna Naveed
Structural Consultants: SMK Associates, Karachi
Electrical Consultants: Bizlink, Islamabad
HVAC, Plumbing & Pool Consultants: Fahim Nanji & Desouza (FND), Karachi
General Consultants: PEPAC and Associates
Construction Managers: Design, Engineering and Management Consultants (DEMC)
Builders: Technical Associates
Location: Islamabad Club, Islamabad
Areas:
Basement: 9979 Sft.
Ground: 15250 Sft.
Total Built Area: 25229 Sft.
Commission January 2006
Construction: April 2006
Occupancy: November 2007

Growth has been a mantra in Islamabad since the last decade. More people, more sprawl, more buildings, more housing schemes and the list goes on and on. With an ever increasing population, and with politics as its hub, hotels, clubs, recreational spaces and boutique hotels are hot potentials for the ever visiting dignitaries from the globe. Islamabad has become a centre of attraction for a number of investors from both local and international markets and with this comes entertainment and recreational facilities that every city needs to provide to its citizens. One such place that has catered to the growing population and the old residents of the city in the last thirty years is Islamabad Club.

Suhail and Fawad Abbasi the father and son teamed up to approach both their recent project and the earlier one as steps in a process of organic growth and ways of advancing Islamabad cultural infrastructure to catch up with the rapid growth of the city. The Covered swimming pool and fitness facility building is part of the three projects that have been commissioned to the duo Suhail and Fawad architects. The complex comprises of a Covered Swimming Pool and Fitness Facility building which has been built. It is placed in the centre of the three buildings with the under-construction 50m open pool and Service building on one side while the under construction Covered Badminton hall & Basketball building will stand on the other side. The three buildings will complete the complex as part of the larger master plan.

The Islamabad club has been asking for renovation for some years now and this contemporary addition will definitely overpower the existing structure. This building in particular shows their design evolution with the forty years experience of the father and the modern contemporary ideas of the son. The entire team that worked on it needs to be praised for making a landmark project with clean simple lines and intimately scaled spaces and a play of volumes.

The scenic surroundings of nature which is an added bonus to the city of Islamabad is a definite advantage to any project in the city. This up and coming building with its other counterparts to the entire of the master plan is loosely clustered around a path and placed strategically with the pedestrian and ever increasing vehicular zone. The latest building of fitness center adjacent to the pool is contemporary modern architecture as opposed to the existing seventies structure which currently houses the facilities of Islamabad Club. Both are not in cognizance with each other, the clean crisp, grid like mass broken with the staircase rotunda is alien to its surroundings but with the other facilities coming up will surely blend. It is a refreshing play of lines, masses juxtaposed to a rotunda surrounded with the freewill of nature. The organic versus the grid and plutonic form definitely evokes of Gehry’s inspiration and a successful one at that.

The louvered metal structure is a pragmatic and aesthetic addition to the elevation. It clearly shades the vast expanse of glass from direct sun, at the same time adding another dimension to the wall feature. The plutonic geometrical forms are repeated in key elements such as the main entry boxed entrance clad in granite and the recurring oval shape which crops up in door details, floor patterns and reflected ceilings.

The covered pool building offers its members a 25 meter covered (centrally heated and air-conditioned) competition pool with a spectators seating for about two hundred and seventy five people, separate changing rooms, showers and restrooms for ladies and gents, two separate entrances one for the pool and the other for the two level gymnasium.

With its dark brown wooden floor and yellow feature walls, the gymnasium opens out to views of the green golf course. It offers state of the art machines for its daily users, aerobics area, a lounge, steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi facilities. This building has been designed keeping in mind its traffic flow which is in hundreds everyday.

As you arrive you are led from the parking area towards the façade carrying glass and metal louvers as a curtain wall while becoming a defensive screen by positioning itself into the mainframe of the building. This side will look onto the new 50m pool once it is completed. One enters into a well lit oval skylight foyer with a large reception desk and lockers behind it. The color scheme is beige with maroon granite and porcelain tiles to match the overall feel of the spaces. The attached corridors carry centrally positioned circular skylights and demarcate the divisions of various rooms. The highest block which is the roof of the pool becomes a blue translucent shield where light from the sides reflects the blue in the pool thus changing the interior within while the orange color of the spectator seats and dark blue of the air-conditioning ducts and sky blue feature walls in the toddlers pool area act in contrast to it.

The circular pattern of the flooring has been repeated through out the building from its doors to the ceiling pattern. Large scale glazing both in the interior and exterior help in breaking the monotony and improve the relationship of various spaces. The building has powder coated metal trellises as a major design element and has been repeated on both the curved and linear forms. Interior details incorporate interesting and colorful wall textures that highlight its usage and the furniture blends well with the color scheme as a minimalist approach has been the focus of the architects. It also highlights the importance of having the interior designed by the same team so that a cohesive look is achieved in both the inside and outside and also since they look at the project in totality and work around the client’s limitations while making sure that the exterior façade relates perfectly with the interior details.

Like the city around it the club continues its rapid growth. With the new addition to the club of Islamabad the design team wanted to be referential but not imitative, for inspirations the architects looked at the simple form of geometry. The result is a steel framed pavilion with granite walls that sits below a grid placed structure submerged to the ground. The other structures are following; the challenge is to unite the pieces with the whole. The complex a stones throw away from the Islamabad Serena stands in supremacy to its tangentially apposing concept heralding post modernism in the region.

Lall said, a motif is not centripetal, it is always centrifugal…it sticks out so as to connect to the ether of the space. His motifs connect much more- childhood, genealogy, traditions, philosophy, family, guests, and the makers of the house and its history. A quest for the joy in making. This house has many a tell-tale. Enter Lall’s House…

Text: Ar. Jinisha Jain
Photography: Courtesy Rohini Nair

As I sat in the naturally lit-up space in the centre of Lall’s office, I looked at the dancing dragon- a suspended exposed aluminium cooling duct coiled with red LEDs - swerving lithely across the length and the silver origami cranes, as they spangled in the luminous space underneath the accented clerestory on the western wall of the basement to his house. The elastic space fostered engaging discussions as I met Architect Ashok B. Lall, the first time. This was to seek some direction on my dissertation. A skewed subject that endeavored to establish the role of intuition in the processes that lead to architectural production. We discussed the ‘joy of beauty’ that comes by way of venerating the absences of people, places and events. In routine and in design, Memories, Tales and Motifs are easy examples. As a forerunner of sustainable, eco-friendly architecture, I expected a scientific and technical drone, but in my odd countable meetings conferred under this naturally charged space with artificial lights off most times, I have heard Lall often sing or dance in words, thoughts and reflections. Last time he was a quasi-poet and this time an amateur potter. Each time we sat under this receptacle of light and energy to his office, I wanted to go up and see it from the top, but I knew it was part of HIS HOUSE. This time when he showed me his house around, instantly a breezy, lively and earthy affair, I saw the galvanic element that bound it. There was a simplicity that enamored in the presence of nature, eminence of human skills, the clear definition of spaces, and the choice and economy of materials, as there were questions to the standards and merits of architecture paraded in the tableau of styles, brands and energy intensive merchandise which floor and clad most buildings now. But there was more to the house… wizardry of diminutive motifs and symbols - those which celebrated and at times even played pranks on the people, places and events- those present, and those not.

Text: Ar. Maria A.
Photography: Irfan Naqi

Any project by the architect Tariq Hasan is rooted in concept which is deciphered from the site and its surroundings. While a student of his in another life time, we had to deliver a concept even if the project was not there. I recall fondly how many a tales were built in a line drawing but though his attributes as a teacher cannot be doubted he made us think, write and conjure stories of and about the project which initiated a dialog of questions and answers about the project itself. And yet again I come across a project which responds to the site directly in response to the need and requirements of the inhabitants which inhabit the built space, the Aga Khan School in Gahkuch.

A school is an enclave of a society grooming its future generation and Gakuch is an educational facility that represents the fusion of a profoundly unique and experimental environment that binds the facility with the surroundings. The physical design provides open class rooms with a variety of adjacent multi use spaces shared by the school and community programs. Planning and design was a collaboration involving educators, parents, neighbors and community organizations. The consensus was to provide a stable, secure environment for young children—something often missing from their home lives. The school was designed to provide a ‘main street’, multipurpose room, and shared story telling areas within a cheerful multi usage structure.

Courtesy: The Aga Khan Development Network, www.akdn.org

The five projects selected for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced at a ceremony held at the Museum of Islamic Art. His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the Emir of Qatar and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser joined His Highness the Aga Khan in presiding over the ceremony.

The five projects selected by the 2010 Master Jury are:

Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Revitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis, Tunisia
Madinat Al-Zahra Museum, Cordoba, Spain
Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edime, Turkey
Bridge School, Xiashi, Fujian, China.

An extract from a very enlightening speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at the award ceremony:
“These, then, are four of the major concerns that I would submit for further discussion. What does architectural excellence mean in the context of Islamic traditions and aspirations? How do we reach a wider array of constituents? Can we expand our social and economic relevance? And how do we best employ innovative technologies?”

WADI HANIFA WETLANDS:
Photograph Courtesy: Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Arriyadh Development Authority
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Arabian Peninsula)
Client: Arriyadh Development Authority
Planner: Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited / Buro Happold in joint venture
Completed: 2004-2007 ongoing
Design: 2001-ongoing
Site size: 120 km stretch
REVITALISATION OF THE HYPERCENTRE OF TUNIS:
Photograph Courtesy: Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Salah Jabeur
Location: Tunis, Tunisia (North Africa)
Architect: Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina de Tunis (ASM)
Client: Municipality of Tunis
Completed: 1998-2007 ongoing
Design: 1998-ongoing
Site size: 60'000 m²
MADINAT AL ZAHRA MUSEUM:
Photograph Courtesy: Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Cemal Emden
Location: Cordoba, Spain (Europe)
Architect: Sobejano Architects S.L.P, Fuensanta Nieto & Enrique Sobejano
Client: Junta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Cultura
Completed: 2008
Design: 2001-2003
Site size: 9'125 m²

IPEKYOL TEXTILE FACTORY
Photograph Courtesy: Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Cemal Emden
Location: Edirne, Turkey (Asia)
Architect: Emre Arolat Architects
Client: Deyko, Twist Giyim
Completed: 2006
Design: 2004-2005
Site size: 20'000 m²

BRIDGE SCHOOL
Photograph Courtesy: Aga Khan Award for Architecture / Li Xiaodong

Location: Xiashi, Fujian Province, China (Asia)
Architect: Li Xiaodong (Atelier)
Client: Xiashi Village
Completed: 2008
Design: 2008
Site size: 240 m²

Text: Ar. Maria Aslam
Photography: Nadir Feroze Khan
Client: Standard Chartered Bank
Design Team: Misbah Najmi (late), Akeel Bilgrami, Ahsan Najmi, Zayd Bilgrami, Sarah Najmi Bilgrami
Consultants: Excellent Associates, Younus Sheikh, International Consultants
Contractors: Total Construction
Built-up Area: 10,000sft
Year of completion: 2008

Architecture and interior design is more than just a grand gesture. A well designed space can help company increase revenue, decrease operational costs and boost employer’s morale, among other benefits. The financial institutions world over; is aware of the magic of design and hence is always careful in the selection of architect and or interior designers for their corporate buildings. In this specific case of Standard Chartered Bank corporate interiors the dynamic duo; of Najmi Bilgrami come together. One of their foremost projects as a collaboration team, it would have been hard to go wrong with the two ace architects of Pakistan; Misbah Najmi (late) and Akeel Bilgrami but it goes without saying that the infusion of a breath of fresh air with the design minimalism philosophy, chic and understated look definitely goes to the off springs of both the architects who are an integral part of the collaboration. It is almost as if nothing could go wrong with this highly productive team of experience and youthful energy. Yet the design outcome of the space is no frivolous, hi-end adventure but is a very sophisticated, cultured and chic atmosphere created for the high profile financial institute.

Text: Zarminae Ansari
Photography: Zarminae Ansari & Shahid Khan Project: Roots School System, DHA Phase 1 campus, Islamabad
Architect: Mohammad Shahid Khan, Icon Architecture & Design, Islamabad
Contractor: Parthenon Construction
Site Area: 43 Kanals
Built Area: 90,000 sft.

Originally from Quetta, Mohammad Shahid Khan – is popularly known as “Shahidkhan” by friends from the National College of Arts, Lahore from where he graduated in 1990. Shahidkhan or MSK, received the first distinction at NCA then, and after decades seeing the number of distinctions handed out every year nowadays, one wonders if that is a function of talent or a lowering of standards. Whatever the case may be, everyone who saw this unassuming architect’s work lauded the decision unanimously. Still a very low-key person, for the last two decades he has been working steadily as partner and then principal architect in Islamabad, producing some of the most sculptural and sensitively designed buildings.

Although he is becoming known for the contemporary and clean lines of his buildings, he admits that he has designed some neo- classical buildings for clients who insisted on it. In his own defense he says that he tried to stay true to the proportions and rules governing classical architecture, and is at a point in his career where he does not take on projects that go against his more contemporary aesthetic.

The main criticism leveled against architecture that is “international” or “contemporary” is that it ignores the regional context, and that it is a pastiche picked up from foreign publications. In a sea of some very good copies of “magazine architecture”, MSK’s work stands out, not just because the proportions are testament to the architect’s artistic, even sculptural flourish, but because he is one of the few architects whose work is conscious of its context.

Text: Hasan-Uddin Khan

The mantle of the great architect, Geoffrey Bawa, is now draped over C. Anjalendran whose fine buildings continue Bawa’s approach to architecture, and extends it further. A new book by David Robson, chronicler of Sri Lankan architecture, celebrates Anjalendran’s work in a book titled Anjalendran: Architect of Sri Lanka (Tuttle Publishing, Singapore, 2009).

Anjalendran was born in 1951. He first studied dance but gave that up to study architecture in Sri Lanka. He went onto London for further studies and worked there for three years till 1977. His interest in architecture was piqued by his encounters with artists such as Barbara Sansoni and the architecture of Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrich Plesner (an associate of Bawa). He returned to work with Bawa between 1978 and 1980. For a while it seemed that Anjalendran was being viewed as Bawa’s successor but eventually it was felt that Anjalendran did not fit into the milieu of the office, and so he left and worked for another architect for a couple of years. Too much of an individualist, Anjalendran went on to form his own practice in 1982, working from the veranda of his mother’s house. He worked there until 1993 when he moved and practiced out of a house he had built for himself, where he continues to be based.

The story of the architect’s life experiences, education and work experience are well recounted in the first part of Robson’s monograph in the chapter “Anjalendran’s World”. It is written as a breezy set of tales that reflect well the architect’s eclectic existence. The photographs for the book were taken be Waruna Gomis and are sensitive manifestations of the architect’s intentions. (I suspect that Anjalendran had a significant input into the choice of illustrations.) It is also interesting to note the style of the architectural drawings used in the book – they utilize the same techniques of presentation as the ones employed by Bawa. The style of drawing was developed by the artist Laki Senanayake for Bawa and since then has been used by many architects in the country. It is very expressive and appropriate for buildings that refer to the vernacular and landscape. It is good to see drawings that reflect the character of place and building, away from the usual rendering techniques used for modern architecture or the more recent Sketch-up and Revit models.

Text: M. Sayem Ghayur and Mahrukh Sayem
Photography: Ar. Fahim Anwer Khatri & Ar. Sayem Ghayur

Construction of residences in affluent parts of Karachi has been held hostage by the contractor mafia of the city; contractors invest in a business of making typical and formulaic houses all around the city, irrespective of any tangible or intangible conditions. An architect designed house in between a plethora of these urban cacti proves to be a soothing sight for bruised eyes. Architect Fahim Khatri’s residence for Naved Khan, a pilot by profession, exclaims the fondness of a young contemporary architect which he loves to flaunt but doesn’t get much of a chance in this commercial age. The heavy presence of a fair-face textured volume against disengaging planes, stone cladding and a touch of stainless steel sets the mood of a house, living a life of modern age. The residence located in a remote Khayaban of Defence Phase 8 in Karachi, was totally conceived to be planned with an inwards orientation. According to the architect the absence of activity in the context provided enough incentive to keep the house totally introverted, although the chunky balcony on the front façade did hint a deviation in conventional understanding of design as generally practiced by most of the architects.

TEXT BY: AR. OMAR HASSAN
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF NAYYAR ALI DADA & ASSOCIATES

The prolific life and work of Architect Nayyar Ali Dada (NAD) needs no introduction. He is arguably the finest Architect this country has produced in its tumultuous history. The breadth and scale of his work is immense – the palette unfolding over three decades of practice and encompassing all scales of operation. From large public commissions to monuments, from intricately scaled private spaces to sensitive conservation projects, from urban analyses and studies to landscape interventions,
NAD continues to be a visionary.

NAD is amongst the few Architects in Pakistan who have managed to develop a unique, personal and coherent architectural vocabulary. This vocabulary resonates through the body of his built work and has been gradually fine tuned to respond to a multitude of local conditions over the last thirty years. Though admittedly wary of the Modernist movement, the work of NAD has an inextricable connection to contemporary life in
Pakistan. His skill in working with different materials, colours, form and proportion stem directly from his love of drawing, painting and music.

This “sensitivity” allows him to work with light as a tangible material, slicing through and defining space.
The MCB headquarter building in Lahore is a seminal work of architecture. The design of this building faithfully follows the simple design premise developed for the Project. The design concept deals with notions of implied imagery and iconography, transparency, the framing of views to and from the building, orientation with regard to the sun and aptly responding to the site context.

Profiling a collective showcase of young and emerging architects and artists that has resulted in a kaleidoscope of works; a booklet of words, of beliefs, inspirations, achievements, dreams and aspirations. The generation next is of diverse backgrounds and disciplines; fervent, passionate yet abiding to the call of the present times. Their works reflect the current turbulent, ever-changing and globalization trends yet central to all are unequivocal belief in good works, meritorious recognition and sense of responsibility of how their individual works leave a mark on the real world. Recognizing that these artists and architects face systemic homophobic and socio-economic challenges which can make it difficult to create yet still the confidence is euphoric, the power of artistic creation. The collective artists/architects talk and showcase posed to ‘generation next’ gave surprise responses and the biggest of all is the similarity of responses from varied individuals of diverse backgrounds, spread in different geographical zones excelling in their fields with only one common point and that is the time zone of their presence and their works.

Text: Ar. M. Sayem Ghayur
Photography: Ferzad Bagheri & M. Sayem Ghayur

The current state of Karachi’s Korangi Industrial Area doesn’t even whisper its past, when its roads were in shambles and the ever ballooning road density was often cluttered. Leaving one stranded in the middle of a stream of trucks, containers and trailers, quite habitually. The area has transformed now, roads are finally rolled in place and thus you see a lot more in the area than heavy vehicles. You actually see the panorama of an industrial show-case all along the pavement. The irony of an industrial zone with distinctly designed industries does hit you conspicuously but in a queer way. Industries in Korangi bear the same queer dichotomy that radiated from Andy Warhol’s Brillo boxes and Campbell cans, exhibited as pieces of art in an art gallery, only in reverse.

Getz Pharma is one of the many architect-designed factories dotted along the boulevard of smoking chimneys. Ejaz Ahed has done a few factories along the boulevard but this one stands out manifestly from the rest as this one doesn’t wear the aluminum cladding that others do. The building’s red pigmented concrete panels and the green glazing hold your gaze until the elevation’s flatness assures you that the factory is not that big a project. However, after just a few minutes into the factory the contradiction discloses in quite an unexpected way!

Not even a hint of the weave of spaces, volumes and voids shows on the outside of the building, and the interior also unfolds it very gradually. Functionally this is a huge project to be written about in detail, but architecturally it appears to be very focused, simple in idea and elegant. The main building of the factory which comprises of the central warehouse, and the manufacturing and packaging block, is set back from the East-side so that it almost jumps up on the West side, leaving no space to view it from inside the factory’s boundary wall. You have to go quite a few paces outside the factory to view the entire elevation. However, the intention of pulling it on the road-side is only understood if you go deeper into the building until you approach its east-side courtyard, the focal point of the project.

It was quite interesting to know that three architecture firms have actively worked on this project, Ahed Associates have done the architecture, Arif Belgaumi Associates did the interiors and Arshad Faruqui did the landscaping. It’s a pleasure to see no clash between the aesthetic differences, there are differences but very complimentary.

Architecturally, the building has been planned in such a way as to give the never ending workstations and corridor areas, pockets of natural light, either on the ceilings or the thick walls. The sturdy red walls of the exterior are balanced in the interior with these light wells in the ceilings and walls. The glossy floors multiply the voids on the ceilings to this effect that sometimes it feels as if there are light reservoirs on the floors too. In places where the ceilings cannot be opened up to sunlight, the thick walls are opened out to thick foliage or recess areas spread across the factory to render a relaxed environment for the employees.

The recess courts are very interestingly detailed with rough flooring, wood and metal furniture specifically designed for an open air smoking-zone, wooden screens, pergolas, water bodies, sculptures and sprouts. These recess zones along with light voids punctuate the walk towards the highlight of the project, the east-side court.

Interior of the building opens to the court with the help of a fully glazed stair tower overlooking the vast, exquisitely landscaped court. However, this is not the only staircase opening into this area. This glazed stair tower, overlooks an open-air blue steel stair case in the middle of the landscape. The court is accentuated characteristically with quite a few water bodies and sprouts, wooden portals, benches and tables. The activity in this area is always brimming with staff, and outsiders. All the ancillary activities like the canteen, prayer area, dining halls and kitchens are across this court, which makes this area all the more functionally important too.

Other areas worth a mention are the training area lounge, the terrace opening on the west-side elevation and the library. Overall, what’s good to see is that the works of three architects is honoured to the utmost by the factory’s maintenance and administration staff. All the while I was there I saw managers and the higher staff nagging the gardeners and sweepers to take care of the areas properly. There is construction work still going on, but in such an organized way that it doesn’t look messy or cluttered at all.

Pharmaceutical companies have had a major role in uplifting the urban appeal of Korangi industrial area of Karachi. In a country where even fashion designers and art gallery operators get their outlets and galleries designed and constructed by contractors, professionally designed industries seem to be a far fetched idea, but the truth is, it’s not an idea anymore. Getz Pharma, illustrates the job of architects, mastering different aspects and scales of the profession of architecture, quite visibly.

In the classical era of Italy many projects were worked upon by the best architects of that era, one of the examples is that of Saint Peter’s Basilica, on which Bramante’s design was built upon by Raphael, Michelangelo, Fra Giocondo, Giuliano da Sangallo and Bernini at different stages of the project. To this date, the public can see how all the architects complimented each other’s efforts through their own designs and ideas. Supremacy of the Project’s character always manipulated the moves of the architects, even though the architects of such stature worked on the same projects, their egos never took over the essence of the space they have left behind for the public to cherish forever.

We have factories and corporate high-rises being designed and constructed by the best of professionals our country has produced but nothing much has been happening in the public sector. Our public parks and other public amenity spaces are still constructed by developers and contractors who design the public places to earn money and promote their own materials for the sake of earning more capital. Hope people who run these pharmaceutical companies inspire some more people to change the outlook of our entire country and not just the industrial zone.

Text: Ar. Maria. A
Photography:
Project: safari roof house
Client: private
Architect/ Design Team: smallprojects
Contractors: enshinsaito builders
Completion: 2004
Area: 585m2 total, 480m2 enclosed
Typology: single detached residential

The private house today plays a large and visible role in the public consciousness, as the ultimate personal sanctuary and shelter as home has always been important in the collective imagination. As the most familiar and easily accessible building types, houses have drawn more interest in architecture more so in the last decade then museums and libraries. The fascination with all things domestic is not limited to mass media. In the exhibition of MOMA New York on “the un-.private house” in 1999, the show took on its premise the fact that the home is not the private hideaway any more that it once was. It is now a place of fluid interaction of relationships with the public realm caused by attitudinal shifts in family, domesticity, work habits and digital media.

The idea of a modern house that opens itself unto its surroundings is hardly new. Indeed twentieth century modernists like Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Richard Neutra and Rudolf Schindler made the extension of interior space to the exterior a central tenet of their design philosophy. Where climate permits, contemporary architects take a step forward and integrate the landscape with the interiors in a ceaseless flow of spaces. Architects interest in site goes beyond dissolving external barriers, it also includes strategies for using space efficiently, increasing land values, especially in the world’s most crowded cities have put a premium on square footage. Perhaps the most readily apparent advancements in modern houses are the physical ones, materials, building systems and construction techniques. Home technology has evolved significantly since the energy crisis of the 1970’s. Advanced building products have become affordable and available. More efficient heating and cooling systems, windows and glazing systems that reduce heat gain are all taken for granted. But one major advancement that architects have learned is; how to better turn state-of-the-art technology into appealing architecture. Material innovation is not always undertaken in the name of sustainability or philanthropy; sometimes it is pure poetry of form that drives an architect’s experimentation. It would also be impossible to survey contemporary modern houses without delving into one of the most talked about trends in residential architecture; i.e. prefabrication. There is a growing market to fill the significant gap between developer housing and specially commissioned homes and architects all over rush to fill this need, with houses that incorporate factory made or pre-assembled parts which offer lower costs and high construction precision then site built homes.

One of the modern movement’s most enduring legacies is the dissolution of the traditional boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. Nowhere is the disappearance of exterior walls more revolutionary then in the realm of the private houses. Clearly, architects are still fascinated with the possibility of confounding interior and exterior space to make richer experiences in the private home. Convention tells us that architecture concerns the design of buildings. That interior design is what goes inside architecture and the garden or landscape is what fits around that architecture. Architects today continue the modern tradition of non-tradition, of breaking down old fashioned barriers between inside and out. Kevin Low the architect of the house is known for elegantly restrained buildings that create powerful architecture from simple, often white washed volumes and light. His muscular minimalism has received notice in various publications. Low designs striking minimalist houses that makes a strong visual impression despite the fact that it seems to have barely intruded on the landscape. His approach to projects has earned him opportunities to experiment and innovate on shoe string budgets. Low’s works raises questions on definitions of regionalism currently polorised between globalization coupled with traditional and climatic responses. He produces a gritty yet sensitive vocabulary for a modernist vernacular.

The clean concrete lines devoid of any pastiche and overplay of materials is an oasis in the tropical city of Malaysia. The continuity of interior to exterior the ambiguous demarcation between the two creates an interesting expanse of never ending land though in a dense area of the city. The Safari roof house was begun with a garden room. The idea of the garden room begins with the substance of context before the design of organizational space and space for the sake of form making, a simple exchange of emphasis which prioritizes the enclosure of context over the design of a mere building.

“The garden was not something designed around the architecture of the safari roof house. The architecture began with the garden.” – Kevin Low

Not because it cared less about the importance of good spatial organization and flow, geometry or design theory in architecture. On the contrary; it merely established the garden at the beginning of its spatial theory. It is a vaguely organic house. Not so much in form as in the manner in which it has been detailed to take the beating of a tropical storm and the sort of weather which typifies the tropical monsoon; a potent concoction of sun, air and water which will have sputum sprouting greens after three days on a sidewalk.

The safari roof house uses, as its namesake, a roof originally found on the series land rovers in the seventies: a simple sun-break roof sheet held off the body of the vehicle by small feet. It makes use of cross ventilated wind for tropical heat insulation, a heat best known for its degree of humidity. It is a house that has been designed around the room of its garden, a plantation of thirty six trees and five different species filling a large long ashtray disguised as a gravel compound to accommodate frequent parties, cigarette butts and the act of camouflage. The house is entered through a perforated gate which folds away from an awaiting visitor at the doorbell, along a gravel washed driveway and up a short flight of stairs to a large pivoted middle earth door. This door for ceremony opens to a view of a cement rendered pool and the landscape beyond screened by the trees of the plantation and ashtray garden. The rooms of the house are arranged around and are themselves screened by the east facing plantation. The west sides of the house are shaded by large walls of precast cement vent block. The finishes within are all variations on the common material of cement, from polished floors and rendered walls to plywood formed concrete ceilings and black bathroom floors. The house was designed simply as a shell to age with time and to receive the colour and life of dwelling within; its architecture hidden, in most part, by the foliage of its very first room, the garden.

Low’s work can be interpreted as tectonic with a sensitive intervention into the urban fabric and in borrowing materials and textures from the surrounding architecture. His place making is not derived from archaic notions of culture or traditional forms but are rooted to the present and his sensitive approach to materials available in Malaysia building industry. Low’s designs are inspired from Modernism and Post Modernism and the naming of his projects expresses the deliberate instrumentality governing their design.

Low’s Safari House in the Sierramas estate demonstrates the kit of parts approach with its light repetitive structures married to the playful use of sections. In this particular project the precast cement vent blocks give the project not only an almost ruthless sparseness but an identity visible from far off distances. With the floating roof which is a means for cross ventilation, enabled by the separation of the roof from the walls is a strong gesture towards developing an environmentally sensitive response.

It is a house designed to age, to take a coat of lichen or moss, a cooling skin of ficus pumila or a slick brown stain of dripping water.

Text: Mariyam Nizam Photography: Courtesy Heritage Foundation

“375 million people will be affected by climate-related disasters every year, well above the 263 million believed to have been directly impacted by natural disasters in 2010.” – British Ministry for International Development Report, 2011

It is an impossible task to ignore that which is in front of our eyes, it is impossible for us, as a race, to go on living as we do. Global warming is no longer a phenomenon that will affect us in some remote way in the distant future. We have altered the earth, depleted its resources, fragmented its topography, ignored its plight, and now we must face its wrath. Architecture in this disaster stricken age must be designed as a realization of the global challenges that we face.

In the span of five years, Pakistan has witnessed two natural calamities; both destructive in their own manner, affecting the lives of millions. The aftermath of the earthquake saw national and international organizations developing emergency shelter units that were to be used as temporary or transient housing, which were later converted into permanent units. The standard symbol for development, the ‘Galvanized-Iron’ sheet was employed with concrete, fibre glass, sand bag walls, and a vague new building methodology was introduced into the mountains of Kashmir. In our urgency to build units, we did just that. But ‘experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again’ (Franklin P. Jones). The floods that swamped the country late last year, have required emergency, transient and permanent housing, and again without the research or development that is required, we are armed with high energy-consuming materials and urbane ideas, and headed for remote areas changing lives and lifestyles. It is important for the architectural community to create an understanding that traditional building skills and methods, when employed with new technology and crafted awareness, not only has a larger benefit, it is also more efficient and flexible.

In the aftermath of the Earthquake, 2005, Heritage Foundation (HF) began constructing a unit utilizing materials such as stone and wood from the debris of collapsed houses, along with the use of lime (instead of cement) in mortars, with provision for bond stones, G.I. sheets in corners and horizontal bracing in stone masonry walls. Galvanized sheet roofs were used due to scare of mud roofs that had collapsed during the earthquake. While studying earthquake resistant structures, it was noted that more efficient tying could be achieved through introduction of wooden posts which would tie the entire structure from roof to foundations to the original structure and an improved KaravanGhar was developed. The G.I. roof was maintained to provide lightweight roofing. Internally, use of mud plaster with lime was encouraged. Ar. Yasmeen Lari, with structural advice from Engr. Amin Tariq, headed a team of young architects and students who visited and spent time amongst the affected population, sharing stories of horror and reconstructing lives, but the project did not end when the targeted 1150 housing units in 75 hamlets in Hazara were complete. The Karavan Institute of Research and Training (KIRAT) was established in Battal, Hazara, which undertook experiments in creating a module that would be “green”.

In 2007, bathrooms for executive tents were constructed at KIRAT. These were inspired by the traditional indigenous building technique known as Dhijji, in the Hazara region, which had withstood the tremors. Dhijji employs wooden horizontal and cross bracing in walls that are tied independent of the infill. The infill can be of any material including stone and brick. However, the roofs were still made of G.I. sheets.

Later during the year, a rehabilitation project to empower women and encourage community participation was begun. Known as the Destiny Makai Ki Roti, it involved the establishment of community kitchens with hygiene campaigns for maize bread to be manufactured using traditional water mills and tandoori earth ovens. In order to provide low cost kitchens for the programme, a design was developed with wood horizontal and cross bracing (dhijji). As the mix was refined an improvement on the application of Mud/lime mortar and plaster was visible. The construction of the kitchens provided enough expertise to the team at the Heritage Foundation Base Camp in Dhijji infill walls, yet the use of G.I. sheets still posed a problem to Ar. Yasmeen Lari. The hesitance in constructing a mud roof was due to the fact that waterproofing techniques required experimentation. The construction of a couple of utility buildings provided the opportunity to test whether a water tight mud roof could be constructed. From that day on, Heritage Foundation discontinued the use of G.I. sheets for roofs.

Text by: KRT/AfH Volunteers (Karachi Chapter)
Photography by: KRT/AfH Volunteers (Karachi and San Francisco Chapters)
Project location: Southern flood affected areas of Pakistan.
Date: Summer 2010 onwards
Client: Architecture for Humanity, Karachi Chapter/Karachi Relief Trust
User client: Flood Affectees
Description and number of beneficiaries/users: 6/7 persons per household
Major funding: Karachi Relief Trust
Other funding sources: AfH
Concept/lead architects: Volunteers from AfH Karachi Chapter and Arcop Pvt Ltd
Structural Engineers: Mushtaq and Bilal
Electrical/Mechanical Engineers: YH Associates
Supervision: KRT staff and Volunteers, AfH Karachi Chapter Volunteers.
Contractor/Suppliers: Local and Houseowners

“The Children of Adam, created of the self-same clay, are members of one body. When one member suffers, all members suffer, likewise. O thou, who art indifferent to the suffering of the fellow, thou art unworthy to be called a man.”

(13th Century Persian Poet Saadi)

In the summer of 2010, Pakistan was ravaged by a natural disaster of astounding proportions: it was hammered by the most catastrophic floods it had seen in 80 years, which resulted in a fifth (nearly 62,000 square miles) of the country becoming submerged. According to government’s estimates, 20 million people across the country were displaced by the crisis, with a death toll exceeding 1700 people. The people who were most adversely affected were small farmers in villages and unskilled laborers who were living below or just above the national poverty line. The damage to housing was most pronounced in the districts of Muzaffaragarh and Rajanpur in Punjab, Nowshera and D.I Khan in KPK, Jaffarabad, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Thatta in Sindh. According to the WFP Initial Vulnerability Assessment, the Sindh province incurred the highest damages (63% completely destroyed, while 1% undamaged). As the waters finally receded, they left in their wake approximately 10.1 million people in dire need of shelter and humanitarian assistance.

To participate in the effort to rebuild, the Karachi Relief Trust (KRT), a Pakistan based NGO with prior experience in providing relief in earthquake and flood affected areas, partnered with the international organization Architecture for Humanity (AfH), Karachi Chapter. Karachi Relief Trust is a Disaster Management Voluntary Organization established in 2007, to provide short term and long term relief in disaster stricken areas across the country. Currently it is liaising with Architecture for Humanity Karachi Chapter to focus efforts on providing sustainable design solutions for the rehabilitation of flood affected areas in Pakistan. Architecture for Humanity was founded in 1999 in response to the need for immediate long-term shelter for returning refugees in Kosovo after the region's violent conflict, and today provides pro-bono design and construction management services and funding for projects around the world.

The rebuilding efforts begun with KRT/AfH conducting an extensive survey of Pakistan - from the first hit village near Munda Headworks to the evacuated villages of Sindh. A mission was chartered to assist 5,000 families rehabilitate and restore their lives by providing immediate relief, as well as long-term assistance with re-construction. A holistic rehabilitation program was devised, which incorporated the need to introduce an organic method by which Pakistanis can rebuild Pakistan themselves in the most cost efficient and timely manner through the reuse of local resources.

KRT/AfH’s long-term strategy aims to implement a comprehensive program of assisting communities in building houses, supporting infrastructure and water supply schemes. The site surveys of the villages have inspired the use of local motifs and use of local crafts and craftsmen in the rebuilding process. The focus is on building practical, low-cost, and environmentally sensitive housing units which will regenerate rural villages and alleviate the cycle of poverty.

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