SELECTED ESSAYS
2020- Present (Continuation of MPhil)
Summary:
Heritage not Inherited is a design research project spanning over two years, looking at alternative low carbon futures for heritage architecture in Pakistan. The project looks at decaying architectural heritage as an opportunity for climate change mitigation and gathers the conditions of the past and present to interpret an alternative future fashioned out of new clay that repairs and assesses the value of the built environment in Karachi - through the use of bamboo and earth to catalyse a building culture of repair, maintenance and care.
More about the project:
The historic buildings of Karachi are in disrepair. Though they are listed, they are not protected effectively. Destined for one of two fates; they either suffer demolition or fall into ruin. The current situation presents an opportunity to catalyse a shift in building culture by promoting a sustainable use of heritage.
To unlock the embedded value, protection is reimagined through a user-centered lens. By examining indigenous low-carbon techniques as a means of promoting the use of these structures, the divide between sustainable reuse principles, and the protection of existing structures in the face of climate change can be bridged. Through site surveys, 5 months of fieldwork with architect Yasmeen Lari, and two years of design research, an alternative future for the adaption and reuse of 3 buildings in Karachi is proposed.
This project advocates for the utilisation of listed heritage buildings through material use of bamboo, earth and lime, and strives to contribute to the often-forgotten notion that architecture can be reformative and can help facilitate a positive shift in values.
Through an architecture of care and harmony with nature, we can reduce emissions by facilitating a culturally infused urbanism of constant process; whereby the buildings are always in flux, living, breathing and evolving, as we are too.
Summary:
Heritage not Inherited is a design research project spanning over two years, looking at alternative low carbon futures for heritage architecture in Pakistan. The project looks at decaying architectural heritage as an opportunity for climate change mitigation and gathers the conditions of the past and present to interpret an alternative future fashioned out of new clay that repairs and assesses the value of the built environment in Karachi - through the use of bamboo and earth to catalyse a building culture of repair, maintenance and care.
More about the project:
The historic buildings of Karachi are in disrepair. Though they are listed, they are not protected effectively. Destined for one of two fates; they either suffer demolition or fall into ruin. The current situation presents an opportunity to catalyse a shift in building culture by promoting a sustainable use of heritage.
To unlock the embedded value, protection is reimagined through a user-centered lens. By examining indigenous low-carbon techniques as a means of promoting the use of these structures, the divide between sustainable reuse principles, and the protection of existing structures in the face of climate change can be bridged. Through site surveys, 5 months of fieldwork with architect Yasmeen Lari, and two years of design research, an alternative future for the adaption and reuse of 3 buildings in Karachi is proposed.
This project advocates for the utilisation of listed heritage buildings through material use of bamboo, earth and lime, and strives to contribute to the often-forgotten notion that architecture can be reformative and can help facilitate a positive shift in values.
Through an architecture of care and harmony with nature, we can reduce emissions by facilitating a culturally infused urbanism of constant process; whereby the buildings are always in flux, living, breathing and evolving, as we are too.