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ideas, and work Moving Forward will inspire within our department. It is extremely commendable for a self-motivated student led team, with minimal guidance to initiate, compile, edit, design, and complete this issue 100 percent remotely. I am so proud and excited by the immense dedication, organization, and passion that has gone into this inaugural issue. And with that, we present to you Moving Forward 2020. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------Dear Readers,
Dear Readers, With a global pandemic on our hands, this year has presented us with a new reality; we have been forced to accept uncertainty as the norm. As avid problem solvers who traditionally seek concrete answers, this approach is challenging. It has become clear to me, that as architects, it is now far more crucial for us to contemplate and frame the right questions. Coincidentally, since its inception in Fall 2019, Moving Forward was identified as the theme of this journal, which resonates now more than ever before. As the first student-led journal in the Architecture department, the team decided on this theme with the hope of sensitively and critically assessing the direction of the department. While additionally, using it as a stage to discuss architectural education and practice within Pakistan. Moving Forward divides itself into two parts (just like the year 2020!)–encapsulating department events and the atmosphere before COVID-19, and re-imagining the meaning of the studio and architectural education in the absence of physical space. Documenting the transition of our world from one reality to another–this journal represents a period of flux. We welcome this platform for the student body and faculty to express themselves by documenting and reflecting on the shifting nature of architectural spaces, while witnessing the creative versatility and diversity that exists within the department of Architecture. I am thrilled to see the conversations, 6
Moving Forward is the first issue of the IVS Architecture department’s journal that began as a time capsule and quickly morphed into a recording device. It encapsulates the shift from a physical learning environment to a purely digital one. A shift from the planned and the precedented to the flexible and fluid. It does not prefer one mode to the other but simply records the dichotomy of the two which in some places intertwines and overlaps. It is perhaps this mode of hybrid learning that we will move towards in the semester to come. Whether you are holding a printed version of this journal or viewing it through a screen, we hope that this issue allows you to think forward hand in hand with the lessons of the past and the anticipation of the things and times yet to come.
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B A M B O O DESIGN BUILD S T U D I O
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n Fall 2019, second year architecture students began the semester with a bang with building bamboo installations in IVSAA adjacent community parks. Split into groups, the extensive design required students to explore the characteristics and nature of bamboo as a material. Bisma Fatima and Aziz Humayun, current third year architecture students, explained that initially, their class was divided into four groups, designing various prototypes making sure the installations also provided a function. Eventually, the four groups merged into two, spending over a month building their installations in Nusserwanjee Park and Lignum Park. With two assistants for each team, team members had rotating shifts building out their installation piece by piece! An experience that was excruciatingly painful, yet fun. Exhausting, yet fulfilling. Challenging, yet an immense learning opportunity. The Bamboo Project provides students the opportunity to understand the various challenges that arise while working so closely with team members, the difficulty in building something with your own hands, how important it is to build something to scale to learn about the material so closely.
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Most importantly, it was an experience that resulted in incredible bonding with the class. The Nusserwanjee team design was inspired by the notion that today, several folks are extremely absorbed in their smartphones to wake up and observe their surroundings. The team also wanted to explore the tactile nature of bamboo, apart from it solely as a material-such as its auditory qualities in the case of human interaction. Overall, the design derived from the idea that an individual will be forced to look away from their phones to be able to navigate through the installation. The bamboo was cut into modules and then joined then together to form a mesh which acted as a brace to hang the columns. According to Bisma, an an experimental project, no one could predict the actual construction time. Thus, time management proved to be a struggle, and required several takes on certain items to be successfully built. The team worked around the clock, especially in the last week! The Lignum Park took a different approach, and explored the installation as an activator for the dead park. Aziz described that his team’s main focus was the infamous reputation of the park, and believed it was vacant despite being located in a residential area. The park itself lacked a connection as well as visibility with the outside world. Naturally then, the installation objective was to complement the arch created by the park trees once they were fully grown.
The geometry of the design directly resembles the sun path. Physically, a singular point of the installation rose from the east and landed on the west, following the sun direction. The primary members created the foundation of the structure, cramming the foundationwith mud to keep it from falling over. The secondary members were small cut bamboo sections, the purlins, which covered the primary members and provided shade. The installation was inspired by the elaborate bamboo structures in Bali, which display a sense of simplicity in a rather complex structure. While trying to stay true to the original design, the experimental project resultedin an inward dipped center part, and makeshift changes while scrambling to finish in the end!
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An installation experienced by the whole school, the structure was so strong that they lasted a few months! The final jury brought out students and family members to attend, with a panel comprising of Shahid Khan, Moyena Niazi, and Sibte Sajjad. A material close to his heart, Shahid Abdullah offered the Lignum Team to make some revisions and build another installation at one of his project sites! The studio course led by Priya Pinjani, Hammad Anees, and Hussain Jesserwala – the Bamboo Project provided to be an exhilarating, experimental, innovative, and stimulating experience for the faculty and students.
CONTRIBUTORS
TEXT BY: ARSHMAH GAZDAR IMAGES BY: MISCELLANEOUS
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The following article is a dialog journal of sorts, it is back and forth conversation regarding architecture, society and forms of living, prompted by journal entries from 2016 penned by Zohaib Zuby
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TEXT BY: FATIMA AAMIR + RADHYA KAREEM JOURNAL TEXT/SKETCHES:: ZOHAIB ZUBY 12
FORWARD //ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT JOURNAL // AUG 2020 R.K: Is this a mere question of materiality? Should focus not be maintained on how materiality is pieced, moulded and articulated together to express identity?
IDENTITY DIALOGUE IDENTITY DIALOGUE IDENTITY
R.K: As students we must beware the romanticisation of ideas regarding community. Are we prepared to acknowledge/question/ challenge problems that we know Architecture alone cannot solve?
-R.K: Further questions: Is it okay to answer a question with another one? As we ponder over what Identity even constitutes of, must Identity be this great collective umbrella of agreement? Is it not possible to move towards a multiplicity of ways to define ‘ourselves’.* *ourselves is a broad term, are we talking about the city? the society, us as individuals?
R.K: Perhaps we are in agreement that architecture only narrates a small fraction of identity. Yet, how is it achieved?
R.K: From the environmentalist to the hawker, from the sociologist to the everyday commuter of Bus number W-22. The architect must either expand their role or build networks that matter.
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THIS CREATES A NEIGHBOURHOOD THAT DEPENDS ON EACH OTHER, BUILDS ONLY WHEN NEEDED AND HENCE, A ‘SLOW RISE’ 14
FORWARD //ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT JOURNAL // AUG 2020 F.A: Reminds me of the Mohalla culture that existed traditionally in our context and still remains in some parts of the city, albeit on a smaller scale. When there are no cars, the elders gather outside their houses and children are playing on the street and on the roof tops; creating a sense of community. Trust becomes another aspect to look at, security was never a concern within communities like these because it was a family.
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F.A: Time does play a very important role in architecture but I also think people’s memories attached to a place, the family history with a certain house also add to why people don’t prefer a change. To re-use older spaces is a concept that I believe us as architecture students can really learn from.
F.A: The term ‘Slow Rise’ is really interesting to understand and analyse especially when we look at a city like Karachi that continues to sprawl out every minute. Critically questioning the need for the ‘Bungalow’ raises the question of what people consider as comfortable living especially in our context. The idea that this difference in the standards of living creates alienation leading to these katchi-abadis and ghettos in the city is something that every architect needs to learn and question.
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“ Less than a year ago, we took up an elective called Built Heritage - Issues and Potentials, taught by renowned Heritage Consultant, Marvi Mazhar. The main objective of this course was to help students understand the processes of mapping areas in a city and creating archives or profiles that would be unique to the spatial morphology of an area.�
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otivated to introduce a unique method of mapping socio-cultural patterns, for the final assignment, our group decided to build our analysis around the theme of the patterns of sacred commercialism observed outside of shrines, imambargahs and mosques in the streets of Mithadar. Our trail was marked by historical Alams within various shrines dotting the region, which automatically became our main areas of focus. While mapping these activity pockets within Mithadar, we witnessed an explosion of visual culture that took the form of a sacred commercial trail ranging from both permanent markets and informal hawkers selling sacred objects such as tasbeeh, religious books, ittar, incense holders, including symbolic decorations featuring the Alam (Panjatan Paak) and Naal'ayn (the Prophet's shoe). Intrigued by the multiplicity of layers existing within this concept and driven to continue this as an ongoing research, Shahaan Reki, Radhya Kareem and I, decided to co-curate an Instagram page by the name of @saddarsacredtrails to display our findings on a public platform. We have since continued to interact with our followers through posts and questionnaires; in addition to submissions that we constantly receive from some dedicated individuals; all of which helps us learn more about our followers take on sacred commercialism and largely adds to the scope of our project. -Farishtay Zaidi
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ou know how some architects always talk about that one project or those few clients that are just so special to them,well in my case Farooq was the one for me. Farooq came to me with the idea that the house should revolve around him. Being wheelchair bound he had anxieties about not being there enough for his family. So the intervention called for a
communal program that connected the household. The sloping site in KDA allowed me to design a ramp which became more than a circulation space. A vegetable garden for Mrs.Farooq, a cycling ramp for Hamza, a meditative space for Amna and a track for their pet dog, Drogon. The entire house opens towards the ramp.The culmination of the ramp is a secluded study room for Farooq to do his writing in solitude. From the entrance journey to the study, Farooq would be able to interact with his family members at different points. -Anas Faisal
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nergy efficiency’ and ‘sustainability’, the keywords that defined the residence project opened up a new avenue for me to explore materiality, modules, conservation and intersection. And unlike any other studio project, it was interesting to work on this one with a pre-defined goal in collaboration with KE. So from the
start to the end, I translated simple ideas which were inspired by the lush green slope presenton the proposed site. It was important for me to identify clear levels and define them through external rammed earth walls in an effort to conserve the natural topography that consequently allowed the user to experience it both visually and spatially through all of the endo, meso and exo spaces. -Umme Aimun 19
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HISTORICAL SYNTAX AND A CULTURAL PALIMPSEST:AN A R C H T E C T S FIELD TRIP
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ver the years, the railway assumed a special place in our imagination for an adventure, even as we heard from friends and relatives about its many shortcomings. Thirty enthusiastic architecture students from 3rd year electrified with energy had now boarded Greenline. Three compartments with 6 berths of two levels, a centre aisle in were reserved for us. Bed sheets were hung, tying one end to post at the top of the beds and the other to the seat below for privacy, a woman’s foot in a bright red plastic sandal stuck out from the sheet, some struggled to stuff their suitcases under the berth while others al-
ready snacked on chips and soon the train set off for its 18 hour journey to Lahore via Karachi. Cloistered behind makeshift tents, some of the train adventures included ; being interrupted in our sleep by chai vendors scurrying back and forth through the aisle serving passengers in time before the train starts to pull out of the platform, accompanying each other to use the toilet,while one keeps watch outside the other goes in, sticking our heads out of the train windows to see the stars at midnight, some live sketching, antakshari while other passengers loitering the corridor looked at us suspiciously, getting off on platforms for a stretch and restocking our food supplies from the tuck shops.
‘In the middle of nowhere’- By Aziz Zaki. Sketch Duration: 30 mins 22
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Between the hawkers, the people on the floor and the bedsheet tents, the broken window and doors allowing wind and dust, the train is starting to feel like a refugee camp and a bazaar rolled into one. The economy class really is the heart of the train. And as we travel north, the air got cooler, soft afternoon sun, and the lights of Lahore appeared on the horizon.
CONTRIBUTORS
TEXT BY: MAHA SHEIKH IMAGES BY: MISCELLANEOUS 23
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e came to attend the four-day long IAPEX 2020 Jamboree- an architect’s international conference and building materials and products exhibition. Here, we experienced buildings in our context, met architectural practitioners, as well as students from other schools and engaged in an off campus regional activity. Not only did Aziz Zaki and Zainab Chakera represent the architecture department from IVS but a bunch of us got on stage and showed our talent with attempting to beat box at Atif Aslam’s song ‘Woh Lamhe’. Old Lahore, provided mesmerising, visual reminders of its parental heritage and their occupations through the cultural layering,
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an important analytical tangent in our history and analysis class and site visits. For this reason, the urge to visit the walled city of Lahore had been in our hearts ever since. Lahore exuded an air of mystery from its crumbling stones, be it the Shalimar Bagh, Badshashi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Sheesh Mahal, or the havelis. Each one was covered head to toe in stunning tile inlay or red brick- a work typical of the Mughal era. The scale of buildings like the Lahore Fort, Wazir Khan Mosque, and Minare Pakistan was monumental, intimidating and powerful. Almost like a city within a city where these structures became visual markers and reference points in the new city.
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oming to terms with the hospitality of our host city, we observed the people proceeding blithely both in work and everyday life. Conversations regarding what to eat were extremely animated. Spirits were high and stories were shared; punctuated with a hearty laugh. Although nothing like Karachi’s Biryani (dressed with potato cubes which are conspicuously missing from the Lahori version), we took a sacred food pilgrimage in the food streets near Androon Lahore. In addition to some of Lahore most favourite restaurants, including Cuckoo’s Den, Andaaz, Haveli and Riwaj. The street is lined with kiosks and ven-
FORWARD //ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT JOURNAL // AUG 2020 dors that spans both sides of the street, spicing up the air with the smell of nihari, tawa chicken, smoked lahori fish, payee. One can choose to sit indoors, on the patio, on the terrace or on the rooftop where we chose to sit overlooking the majestic presence of the Badshahi Mosque in chilly Lahore winter. Illuminated historic buildings, intricate Mughal era balconies, the city draped in red brick, added a touch of bygone romance to this technicoloured dream we were in. Lahore was a spaciously laid out city, open on three sidesset within sprawling gardens, with flower beds lining pathways leading up to many single storied structures. Lush green Sheesham and Gul-mohar trees lined the Canal Road; a frequented commute by many of us, on
our way to exploring new destinations. Deprived of experiencing the four seasons of the year, and being stuck in a long spell of hot weather, we finally got to wear our warm coats and sweaters on this class trip. Lahore’s chilly winter called for bonfires, long walks leading you up to ice-cream parlours’, creamy coffee shops, pink teas and hot soups topping the list. One night many of us leisurely walked the streets of Model Town, taking in the fresh air and cool breeze, feeling the dry autumn leaves crunch underneath our feet, and spotting a bushy tailed squirrel scurrying up and down to the trees. That night we walked from Defence Phase 4 to phase 6 with a Bluetooth speaker around us....
Blazing electro pop music from our speaker and singing our way along. At midnight we danced and sang in a huge garden that we had all to us, we found in the middle of a residential block. Except during our architectural all-nighters in studio, nowhere in Karachi could we have danced at midnight without a care in the world. On our way back from our dance party, we made some new friends who were our careem/ rickshaw drivers who each told us a story and suggested places for mithai naan khatais and other sugary treats. 25
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arachi in contrast, consists of an emerging geography whereby the city is fragmented into various enclaves of business, leisure and residence. Residential enclaves, for example are largely privately securitized spaces that attempt to restrict unwanted circulation, are mere inward-looking spaces and range in architectural binaries of inside, outside bounded and excluded. Such enclaves – whether gated communities, enclosed neighbourhoods or ethnic enclaves – exhibit a unique political space because they are exclusionary spatial communities that spatialize biopolitics, build a climate of fear and perpetuate social segregation based on socio-economic differences. So much so that ‘Lahore Music Meet’ (LLM) Pakistan’s premiere
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music festival hit a high note at the Al-Hamra Arts Council Lahore where entry was free of cost, encouraging people from all walks of life to come together for good music, food and culture. Domestic architecture and urban design of megacities like Karachi and Lahore, two geographically apart but similar in cultural settings can either dwindle or stoke public spirit. Anarkali Bazaar, Liberty market, Sarafa Bazar had their own tradition or mohlla cultute which allows people to come out, met and play. The deeper inner you you go within to the gallis mohallas, the richer the environment gets as a lot of old residents have still kept on with the indigenous aspects. This is evident because proper parking facilities for shop owners and customers exists, vehicular traffic is restricted to only motorbikes, and the galli is primarily for pedestrians, shoppers and vendors.
What makes Anarkali and Liberty Market special is its authentic look and atmosphere, that captures the indigenous bazaar life of Lahore where, small scale close-knit interactive public spaces where seating, public toilets, food vendors, spaciousness, natural light and ventilation, greater variety of shopping items all coexist.
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his makes the area a privatized space with an enclave-like quality, where public spirit is greatly stoked. While these sights maybe missing in Karachi, the soothing waves of the Arabian Sea are unmatched here at Lahore. The feel of grainy sand under your feet, the fear of getting stung by jellyfish, the childish thrill of making sand castles or simply writing a loved one’s name on the sand, the chilly breeze on the beach and above all, the sudden splash of salty water on your body, are experiences a Lahori can definitely not relate to.
For me, the short shift from the ‘City of Lights’, to the ‘City of Gardens’ has been a great in terms of making lifelong friendship bonds with my classmates, the fond memories in retrospect now – of toilet crisis, fun bus rides , and questioning the language of the urban fabric of Karachi now while rethinking traditional associations with the human and environment. Whereas Karachi was unapologetically commercial in character, and a city of concrete and steel. Lahore was a breath of fresh air, alive with cultural heritage and a healthier and a more equitable city to live in.
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THESIS HIGHLIGHT: Saif’s thesis is based on the observations of a building’s life cycle, Tracking its initial construction phases, followed by a period of high efficiency and then eventual obsoletion that leads to demolition.
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rchitecture Thesis Studio marks the last year of the student’s undergrad
and provides an opportunity to explore their ideas and commence with the identification of a personal area of interest. This may come in response to current architectural issues. They are equipped with the knowledge through collective learning from the past years of education. Questions arise on whether actual Architecture practice can utilize the research, analysis and solutions arrived at in thesis year in order to benefit society and build better futures for the surroundings Saif Zubair, is a recent architecture graduate from the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture. His thesis is based on the observations of a building’s life cycle; tracking its initial construction phases, followed by a period of high efficiency and then eventual obsoletion that leads to demolition.
ervation methods passively react to the natural process of decay, by either freezing the site without productivity or enforcing a program that is not related to the site. The Duarte Mansion becomes the site of exploration for Saif, located in Saddar lucky star, the mansion has been standing for about 90 years. The remnants of what used to operate as a living space is just a façade with an empty and hollow space behind serving no purpose. The thesis then tracks the factors leading to obsoletion that includes losses in different components: functional, structural, social, legal and economical. The solution advocates adaption. Every single component should be independent of the other allowing it to be replaced. For a building to be adaptable, the sovereignity of building components become very crucial in ensureing the building’s long life span. These elements must be designed individually to form the building as a whole. This opens up the possibility of responding to different requirements generating an experience with regards to modification and customization of layout and materiality over time. Designing the dismantle-able components systematically allows for reconfiguration without any wasteful demolition.
The series of layers that a building is composed of consists of the “5” S: shell, skin, space-plan, services and structure. Saif’s thesis mainly focuses on the “structural component” of the building as it has the longest life-span, ranging from 30 to 3000 years. To overcome the obsoletion of the structure, it is important to identify the various ways and “In a dynamic context like the city of Karachi, degrees of a structure becoming obsolete. obsolete structures, which for Saif’s thesis Most of them can be identified as old heriimplies Heritage sites; are under threat due tage sites whereas other buildings are those to lack of proper planning and mismanage- in dire need of change and in the process of ment. Rather than ensuring meticulous pres- going obsolete. ervation, there is a loss of their inherent value in the face of natural catastrophe and other While investigating the reasons of obsolesjudicial factors.” cence, it was identified that commercialisaA key idea explored in Saif’s thesis was to tion of Saddar with automotive shops and challenge the current attitude towards the heavy mechanics, led to the deterioration of definition of preservation. Conventional pres- infrastructure. The cultural vibrancy of the 28
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area was overshadowed by the inclusion of dhabas and their spillovers, various food vendors and newspaper stalls etc. The other reason that came into view was the strong nexus between the developers and preservationists. The approach Saif used attempted to utilize the existing geometry of the building footprint to generate a larger influx of users, hence reactivating it as a site. The building masses towards the northern side, overlooking the public core, created ample shade and facilitated the fluid pedestrian movement. In order to make the structure increasingly adaptive, he opted for the use of epoxy bolts that helps in deconstruction and expansion of the structure. This, in turn, maintains the integrity of the structure and preserves the cultural energy of the place.
It is a stage where the fear of experiment does not restrict them. Paired with added research and experience can lead to better rooted and contextual urban-spheres. The way we design and think must be as adaptable as Saif’s approach to the structure of the building in order to stay relevant and prolong what might otherwise be a swift death.
CONTRIBUTORS
TEXT BY: AREEBA RIZWAN DIAGRAM BY: SAIFZUBAIR
While demolishing a building to create new structures remains a monetarily less expensive approach, one must question the environmental hazards it brings with it. Nevertheless, reusing abandoned or pre-existing structures create complex design challenges for architects, allowing design to merge into the language of its surroundings whilst exploring something new. Thus, the existing infrastructure offers a range of beneficial possibilities for future development, including opportunities to develop hybrid programs that positively impact their communities. This approach towards our infrastructure would not only inspire community participation but also revitalize declining urban areas. This would honour the building’s past by giving it a future. Thesis projects like these make us realize that solutions posed by students can be utilized.
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ROAD MAP FOR SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC SPACES There are a number of challenges facing the viability of public spaces in Karachi. Existing public spaces such as parks, Public buildings, and the waterfront are faced with aspects of neglect, and in many cases existential threats as a consequence of land use conversions.
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hen there has been, sadly, a failure to consider and recognize spaces with high value public space potential such as the downtown, streets, squares and public markets within our policy and planning framework as formalized public spaces that than can be invested in within such a recognition. Globally, public spaces now are considered as key catalysts for rejuvenating cities, contributing to overall livability improvements that may include environmental uplift, facilitating economic prosperity and very importantly, for a city like Karachi, increasing social capital, and making for more inclusive cities. OUTLINING A STRATEGIC ROADMAP: If we are to revitalize our existing public spaces and experiment with new innovative space typologies then what is needed is a holistic approach covering as-
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pects of policy, planning, design, and implementation and continues monitoring. Following are discussed some specific actions that can contribute to providing a general enabling space for public space improvement in Karachi city. VENDORS LICENSING ACT AND DESIGNING VIABLE VENDOR SPACES It has been observed that when intervening to improve streets and public spaces in commercial districts, such as the downtown/ Saddar, one of the most complicated stumbling block becomes the management of street vendors – whether they need to be relocated and resettled, temporarily or permanently, and how to go about it and related with that come all the social and political sensitivities that turn this whole issue into a minefield. The recent ‘anti-encroachment drive’ and the resulting public sentiments and civil society protests indicate that this is an issue that will have
a strong disruptive influence in efforts to enhance urban spaces, particularly as they relate to the downtown and streets in general. One of the main reason for this is the lack of any legislative and institutional space where such disputes can be negotiated and resolved. There have been quite a few successful case studies where vendors have been filtered and then koshered through the implementation of say Vendor Licensing Acts and coupled with this legalization, vendor spaces have been designed and set up. 2. To be cited are examples of Thailand, Singapore and India. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, passed by the parliament in India can become a reference for enacting a similar kind of legislation, say by the Sindh Provincial Assembly, which needs to happen at the earliest. We also need design guidance on how relevant spaces, like vendor districts get designed with maybe doing a pilot of designing a vendor district in the Saddar Downtown area, and here the city architects, there representative bodies such the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) Karachi Chapter and leading academic institutions such as the IVSAA can play a leading role. AN URBAN STREET DESIGN MANUAL FOR KARACHI The guiding framework and relevant specifications that inform how to design streets for all – not just cars. Such a document can be prepared for Karachi by engaging relevant experts and
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PUBLIC-PRIVATE/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION MODELS In Karachi, even if public spaces do get developed there are serious issues in management and maintenance of such spaces. This is because mostly, if not always, planning is ‘top-down’ in Karachi and not in any meaningful way inclusive and participatory. As such, critical ‘stakes’ of relevant stakeholders are never built in the process. There is a need to identify a series of collaborative management options that dove tail with specific forms of public spaces and where the models can be flexible and be applicable also at decentralized levels of urban governance and spatial morphology. A window of opportunity that can be leveraged is the Adopt a Footpath scheme that the office of the Commissioner Karachi launched sometime back. Private and corporate sector needs to come forward to adopt pavements/streets having a high public space value in collaboration with city architects and planners. KARACHI DOWNTOWN URBAN RENEWAL STRATEGY Presently, there is a lot of focus, government and civil society both, on reviving the old downtown areas of the city. A major impetus has been provided by the judicial activism ongoing, where among other things, there is a call to ‘revive the old glory of Karawwwchi city’! As a consequence, some actions have been initiated. Special committees are being formed and roads being notified for urban renewal. Karachi Neigh-
borhood Improvement Project (KNIP) has made some interventions. Components of public space design have been incorporated in the Common Corridor of the Karachi BRT project. Civil society groups such the Pakistan Chowk Community Center (PCCC) and Heritage Foundation are also mobilized. However welcome all these interventions are, it is nevertheless felt that they lack coordination and unless merged into a larger, coordinated plan for urban renewal in the downtown, will have limited impact. There is a need for preparing a holistic planning and strategic blueprint for the entire downtown envelope working within multiple layers of the social, the environmental, the economic, the heritage and the governance architecture of the urban downtown. There is presently in process the work of establishing the Sindh Master Planning Authority, with its first task being indicated as the preparation of Karachi Master Plan 2047. This planning document can provide the space for placing the requirements of a holistic Karachi Downtown Urban Renewal Strategy and the city architects and planners need to be fully engaged in providing input in the process and acting as partners and watchdogs in the post planning implementation process.
CONTRIBUTOR
TEXT BY: FARHAN ANWAR Farhan Anwar charts a holistic roadmap for revitalizing public spaces in Karachi and highlights a key role for city architects and leading academic institutions such as the IVSAA in leading the process of change
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A A R R C C H H SS E ER R II E E SS
The The spring spring semester semester 2020 2020 kick kick started started with with aa 3-day 3-day workshop workshop series seriesallowing allowingstudents studentsto toease easeinto intothe thesemester. semester.AAvariety varietyof of discussions speakers allowed students to get workshops, workshops,discussions discussionsand and andguest guest guest speakers speakers allowed allowed students students to to their creative juices flowing and engage with get gettheir their creative creative juices juices flowing flowing and and engage engage with withtheir their theirpeers peers peersinin different greatopportunity opportunity for forstudents students to to engage different differentyears. years.ItItItwas wasaaagreat great opportunity students toengage engage architects through stimulating conversations getting with witharchitects architectsthrough throughstimulating stimulatingconversations conversationsand andgetting gettingto to know knowtheir their theirfaculty faculty facultybetter. better. better. The The workshops workshops I I participated participated inin started started off off with with SketchingSketchingWhat’s What’s the the point? point? with with faculty faculty member member Hammad Hammad Anees. Anees. An An eccentric eccentricapproach approachwas wastaken takento tointroduce introduceus usto tothis thisvital vitalskill skillby by designing designing human human colonies colonies for for three three different different planets planets with with completely completelydifferent differentenvironments. environments.
Strange Strangebeings beingspopulated populatedour oursheets sheetsof ofnewsprint newsprintpaired pairedwith with over over active active imaginations imaginations and and musings musings going going as as far far as as to to imagining imaginingthe theevolution evolutionof ofthese theseworlds worldsand andhow howhumans humanswould would adapt adapt to to them. them.The The next next session session was was Urban Urban Ethnography Ethnographywith with Sadia Sadia Amin Amin on on the the ethical ethical responsibilities responsibilities of of researchers. researchers. As As architecture architecture students, students, User User Studies Studies are are part part and and parcel parcel of of our our design research and it was intriguing to learn the proper design research and it was intriguing to learn the proper methodologies methodologies and and methods methods of of carrying carrying out out Ethnographic Ethnographic studies. studies. As As enlightening enlightening as as the the experience experience was, was, itit was was also also packed packed with with moments moments of of hilarity, hilarity, trying trying to to convince convince fellow fellow students students to to “behave “behave naturally”. naturally”. All All this this inin an an attempt attempt to to document their behaviour as a form of exercise, underlining the document their behaviour as a form of exercise, underlining the importance importanceof ofconsent consentininresearch. research. Fellow Fellow students students recount recount interesting interesting experiences experiences inin the the interactive interactive workshop workshop Invisible Invisible Visible Visible Space Space conducted conducted by by faculty members Asad Kamran and Rakhshaan Qazi. Following faculty members Asad Kamran and Rakhshaan Qazi. Followingaa reading readingof ofthe themuch-loved much-lovednovel novelInvisible InvisibleCities Citiesby byItalo ItaloCalvino, Calvino, students were asked to capture through installation and film students were asked to capture through installation and filmthe the essence essenceof ofthe thestrange strangecities citieswithin withinits itspages. pages. Day Daytwo twowas wasfocused focusedaround aroundthe theBee BeeBreeders’ Breeders’Legendary LegendaryBird Bird Home Home2020 2020Architecture ArchitectureCompetition. Competition.Teams Teamswere wereassigned assignedwith with second, third, and fourth years merged together with second, third, and fourth years merged together with an an assigned assigned mentor. mentor. Most Most of of the the day day was was caught caught up up inin trying trying to to work workwith withclay clayor orsticks sticksor orany anyother othermaterial materialwe wewere weregiven givenand and sketching sketchingout outconcepts conceptson onpaper. paper.For Forsecond secondyears, years,ititwas wasaagreat great opportunity opportunityto toget getaaglimpse glimpseof ofhow howstudio studiolife lifeworked workedand andhow how work was presented. work was presented.
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TEXT BY: ARSHMAH GAZDAR IMAGESBY: OMERSHEHZAD 32
On On the the final final day, day, different different sessions sessions on on design, design, research, research, technology, technology,etc. etc.with withvarious variousprofessors professorscreated createdan anenvironment environment where wherestudents studentsfrom fromall allyears yearsdiscussed discussedideas ideasfreely. freely.AAmultitude multitude of perspectives and discourses were shared regarding of perspectives and discourses were shared regardingdesign’s design’s relationship relationship with with technology, technology, education, education, planning planning and and sustainability. Later on, in Cinema 73, many people loosened sustainability. Later on, in Cinema 73, many people loosenedup up while whilespending spendingtime timewith withtheir theirseniors seniorsand/or and/orprofessors professorsininan an environment environment different different from from their their studio studio and and people people shared shared snacks and joked around and it was generally the perfect snacks and joked around and it was generally the perfect ice ice breaker breakerfor forstudents studentsbefore beforethe thestart startof ofclasses. classes. -Arshmah Gazdar
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TEXT BY: SANA NAEEM
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or any architecture student, the Studio is a big part of their degree and lives. We spend most of our day focused on studio work. We constantly complain about the intense workload but we’re also guilty of prioritizing studio work over other courses. The discussions and conversations that take place within the studio feed into the student’s creative energies enabling them to build on to their individual projects in more innovative and experimental ways. However, we students still have some dreams (demands?) regarding the future of architecture studio’s curriculum and learning. First and foremost, where are our 3D printers? We have long been envious of foreign-architecture students 3D printing their models while we lose our fingers to grey boards every day. We live in a technological world, and we would like our studios to catch up. However apart from technological development, we believe that our studio’s curriculum can also be developed to include a much more hands on approach. It would be exciting to work with and understand a variety of materials, and will also help us to design in more detail. This exploration with materials can also lead us to discover some truly sustainable materials for our context,
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apart from just bamboo. And lastly, we hope that our project sites will be more evenly distributed around the city, so that we truly get to explore and understand Karachi.
In a pre-COVID world, we wanted our studios to evolve technologically and be equipped with 3D printers. But now that that world has changed and virtual learning is the new normal, what is the future of our virtual studio? Our transition to online classes has been admirable, and we all should be proud to have completed the semester on time, but it wasn’t without some major emotional and technical hurdles. Ever since online the classes started most of the students have struggled with creative blocks and lack of motivation, something that we use to get from our peers during studio. So, the biggest question is whether we can achieve that same synergy between students and instructors online? Are zoom meetings
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CONTRIBUTORS
TEXT BY: BISMAH SIRAJ BACKGROUND IMAGE BY: SHIFARIZVI
sufficient enough to provide each student with the critical feedback they need? Furthermore, we need to consider that each student is working in a different environment, many of which might not be conducive to learning and are further worsened by the technical issues we face in terms of load shedding and internet connectivity. Additionally, students do not have access to facilities on campus, especially the computer lab and library, and since we currently do not have a proper digital database, many students are left struggling in the research phase of every project. Therefore, moving forward, we need to assess if we are sacrificing on the quality of learning in order to continue our education in these uncertain times. It’s important that we also discuss the good things that came about with the transition to online learning, which are the online lectures and seminars. Being able to attend seminars held by foreign architecture schools and architects has been a great opportunity, and has especially increased exposure towards architectural practices in South Asia.
Startingfrom August, our studio learning somehow needs to balance our ambitions from the pre-COVID world with the technical limitations (or freedom) of the post-COVID world. Nevertheless, whatever the future of architecture studio may be, it’s important that it is one filled with empathyand understanding towards each other.
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n a constantly transforming world, perhaps, as architects what we need is to finally omit words such as ‘clarity’ and ‘defined roles’ from our vocabulary. After all, a good amount of perplexitybefore any process allows us to explore and question things. We often view ourselves as creators and are quick to jump to conclusions when, in truth, it is actually open ended thought processes that allow us to build and expand. Concurrently, thought processes with contrived clarity often have a tunnel vision, leaving little width for those directly impacted by our ideologies to have a say in. When we think of the future we need to realize that rather than dictating something, we need to perhaps, analyze the existing spatial associations and their transformation over time, based on our experiences and the need to adapt to the fast-paced forever expanding city. The realisation that what we are most familiar with is the ability to ‘change’ and ‘adapt’, might be a revelation in itself. When I think about civic engagement in a city like Karachi I realize how its identity is intrinsi-
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cally shaped by the perseverance of the people to conform with the times whilst holding true to their values of socialisation. We talk about how we no longer have that engagement but while working on a project solely focused on the idea of how a mohalla (neighborhood) operated, I noticed the presence of civic engagement in small and seemingly mundane interactions such as talking to your neighbors or when the kids convert the street into a cricket stadium, I see it when the girls visit the old neighborhood aunty for sewing lessons and when there is Taraweeh on your friends’ roof every Ramadan. It is there when the women come down and sit in the evening on the thresholds of their houses to chat, it’s present when all the neighborhood boys get together to buy lights to decorate their street on Eid, it evident in how there is always one boy who arranges the daigh of biryani for every wedding, funeral, and ‘chaliswan’, and one girl who everyone turns to for free henna application before every event. When there is an event the street transforms into a hall and the seemingly annoyed neighbors gladly move their cars for an
invite, a designated car path is automatically carved out from another street for the day. It is there when all the boys from the street form a committee to take turns guarding the street at night. It is when people get together to clean up a patch on an extruded edge every eid for cows and goats to be tied on. It is when the light goes out and everyone collectively sighs, even though they knew it was going to happen. Someone’s generator turns on and half the street with none, come out to complain. It is in these little things we find familiarity in a seemingly chaotic city. It is vital to realize these spatial associations are not stagnant; they are forever transforming in cities like Karachi. Civic engagement can only happen when one facilitates this essence of ‘familiarity’ in civic interactions and power to the public to mould how they want to live and laugh. Civic Architecture is taking the aura of such places and translating it into the design so the user feels it is an extension of himself. I realized that in order to create such a spatial association it is important to provide users with a sense of familiarity. This can be applied through functions that transform and adapt for multiple purposes like the mohalla’s streets, extrusions, roofs, balconies,sehens, and sidewalks, providing people the ability to control their environment and take ownership. Architects can only provide a shell, people generate activity and life. That is how I saw my project and left a frame around it for people to appropriate its use. The frame
was an extension of the post office building which we were mainly designing, I recognized the need for the ancillary program to be defined by the current functioning of the existing space around. The frame was based on spatial features such as extrusions, height variations, informality, and porosity I observed in the streets and houses of the mohalla’s. The building was envisioned as a pass-through space that could be appropriated as per the user’s discretion, allowing it to serve as a physical manifestation and representation of the user’s need. Since the project was based in North Nazimabad where I have spent most of my childhood playing, it was easier to imagine what my user would want and why. In my perspective, the future is change, and humans are made to adapt and grow. I don’t see the future architects’ role as designers; I see them rather as facilitators, people who can help enhance the best elements of something existing in our urban fabric. To move forward, we perhaps need to put aside ideas of what something should be and indulge in ideas of what it can be? Debates on visual beauty and aesthetic need to end because at the end of the day it is simply a matter of perspective. The bigger question is, can it enable a change? Does it facilitate change? As Cedric Price once said, “...another rule for the whole nature of architecture: it must create new appetites, new hungers-not solve problems, architecture is too slow to solve problems.”
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TEXT BY: MEIRAJ NAJM KHAN IMAGES BY: AUTHOR
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ON SCHISMS AND ‘GENERALISM’, - SAROSH ANKLESARIA
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arosh Anklesaria, a practicing architect, critic and an educator, seems to have a refreshing take on how architects should operate. Refreshing in the very literal sense because what he refers to was once encoded in to the architect’s conduct, having being lost to the zeit- geist of the industrial age. He terms it as ‘generalism’ , the ability to reach out across wide variety of disciplines and work under them, not unlike the ‘Ideal Architect’ of Vitruvius. Unfortunately, reality is far grimmer. Rarely do we find architects who can think and act beyond just the building and rarely enough talking about food security and income parity, which Anklesaria does! We live in a world where the role of architect is becoming increasingly our are redundant; less than 3% of the cities are designed by architects, services limited to a niche mar- ket and with the rise of technology such as A.I. and 3D printers, a creative revolution is more likely. At  such a time, the need for architects to adapt, reinvent and broaden their horizons should be driven by �
� selfish needs if nothing else. Also, by limiting the architect to just the building itself and architecture just to the architect, as these purist architects do so often, seems to reflect what Anklesaria points out � is the idea of the neoliberal system i.e. of mono-use. He, to the horror of purist architects, shows us the of the potential of thinking otherwise. By referring to the inherent potentialities architecture, ‘schism’ , � he talks about tools that architects can deploy to respond to our contexts. Anklesaria rightly points how the duality of architecture, the interior and exterior, at a glance seem to  refer to different areas, the interior addresses syntax and the exterior talks about Environmentalism,  €‚ but this is precisely where the generalist tendencies come in to play. This schism, of architecture as an the varied object and a subject, is not a hinderance but instead provides platform to draw upon disci- plines to resolve the issues of our time. The ability of architecture to fluidly move across various scales  €ƒ and disciplines, from global levels where you can address He also raises a pertinent question about the agency of architecture, if architecture possesses the qual ity to affect the entire spectrum from the global to the individual then what are its effect, how does it manifest and most importantly where does this agency lie? And again, to the absolute horror of the purist architects, Anklesaria implicitly makes it quite clear that the agency of architecture lies with essentially everyone and not just the architect. His proposals for an incremental house in Ahmedabad manifest these tendencies quite visibly. His overall philosophy puts the human back in architecture on the human’s own terms instead of the architect’s. He also refers to ‘jugaad’ and ‘degrowth’ as viable tools for architect, thus allowing us to address the de-humanizing qualities so pervasive in our practice of architecture. To sum it up, Sarosh Anklesaria, offers us a glimpse in to a different species of architects, sadly alien to our country. What he talks about isn’t entirely new, it draws on centuries of wisdom of how architects operated, but he makes sure that they are relevant to our times. One can only hope that this vision for architecture is adopted before Pinterest is shut down and puts us all out of business. Issues of food-security, to the scale of city where you can develop urban systems and eventually to the individual where you respond to very peculiar needs is its most powerful feature. Fortunately for us, his work shows that ability and that the possibility exists is enough cause for students of architecture to think beyond just the building.
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TEXT BY: MOHSIN Y.K YOUSUFI
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IMAGES +TEXT: MEHAK SALEEM 46
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If there’s one thing I’ve made peace with is appreciating the space I have for myself. It’s finding these little corners inside my room that bring me some sanity each day...
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but more than that, it’s catching the sunrise everyday; only pondering over the thought of how it will feel when one day we’ll be out, and we’ll never take anything big or small for granted again//
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fish p ond hop
works s
noise light and s hadow
early mornings and resolve
nity
commu
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fo r an no un ce me nt s
many sunrises and sunsets watched while the sea reflected it all
s
on i t a r b cele
ed
it a w we e r e wh s i This ...as
conversations
discussions
colleagues
collaborations
d r a w i n g
decisions
the ni ght fe ll
but first coffee
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IMAGES+TEXT: SHIFA RIZVI 51
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REQUIEM
secret coffee
lost
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stash
chai chai aur chai
ers
amidst printshop dilemmas
ies
music booming on speakers
AMPUS
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sketch
This drawing depicts Karachi in the year 2100, a city
that once sat on a major fault line. A colossal shift in tectonic plates has now swallowed the city into the depths of the
earth. Unable to adapt, the formal development patterns that once housed about 40% of the city's massive popu-
lation have entirely disappeared. On the other hand, the
informal development patterns that housed the remaining 60% continue to survive, finding new ways of appropriating a new geography - just as they did in the past. In these
valleys down under, life carries on under a new parasitic relationship,demonstratingnewformsofnegotiationswith
a newly formed land. What has not changed is that they were invisible then - and they are invisible now.
Majority of the population of the major South Asian
cities works in the informal economy and resides in informal settlements. Despite facilitating the formal sector and making significant contributions to both local and national economies, it remains unrecognised, unrepresented and unprotected.
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SKETCH +TEXT: OZAIR BIN MANSOOR
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SKETCHES BY: FAWWAZ KAMRAN 56
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D E P A R T M E N T
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