FUTURARC INTERVIEW


The women taking up architecture these days are facing a lot of difficulties...because now there are more of them and they are seen as a threat to patriarchal structures.


BJ: Was it the first time that you were working for post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation? What kind of challenges did you face? YL: Yes, it was the first time and it was challenging because there was a severe dearth of construction materials and we had to rebuild hundreds of homes with a limited supply of money. Because the region was not easily accessible, we had to innovate with whatever materials we had on-site, which included debris, structural wooden members, stones and lime. I had just worked with lime while working on the renovation of Lahore fort and decided to use it in the reconstruction, because it was easily available and because it has very low carbon footprint as compared to cement. I can say I fell in love with lime and it has been almost 20 years since I used cement in any of my buildings.


BJ: How has political instability and turmoil impacted the growth of architecture in Pakistan? YL: I think architecture has always been a very guarded profession practised by the elites for the elites. And the elites always enjoyed the patronage for whoever was in power. We haven’t had what you can call any ‘rebel’ architects. So architecture has grown in a privileged cocoon, largely unaffected by the issues of the common people.


BJ: How has the current pandemic impacted your work and the architecture industry in general in your country? Do you see a shift in our perception of architecture in a post- COVID-19 world? YL: I think the effects of the current pandemic will be felt and understood for a long time to come. We are still in battle mode and a lot will emerge when the battle is won and we go back to what we knew as ‘normal’. However, I hope this pandemic brings an end of mega-structures and put a stop to exploiting resources to build these towers, which are lying empty now. The current crisis has revealed that the architecture that doesn’t serve humanity would be rendered useless in times like these. In Pakistan, I am also looking at this pandemic with hope as I feel more women will now be able to join the workforce as many industries are essentially running on work-from-home policies.


BJ: What are the projects you are currently working on? YL: My team and I are working on disseminating information about the basics of building safe and sustainable housing for the post-marginalised people in our country. There are limits to where we can physically reach and the pandemic has forced us to rethink how we can connect from the confines of our homes. With a little assistance, most people are perfectly capable of building their own homes, especially in the rural areas where the understanding of natural materials like mud and lime is far more profound when compared to urban folks. They just need guidance on how to make their homes disaster-safe, so that they don’t have to spend a huge portion of their already meagre income on rebuilding every year. We are creating short videos on safe building practices and techniques in Urdu, so that everyone can understand and learn from them. My dream is to see the day when every human being in my country can afford a decent, safe and warm house for themselves.


FUTURARC 27


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