Thesis - Premise

Responsive GeometriesAdvisor. Robert Levit

Karachi in 1889

2012.04.23. Faisal Bashir

Responsive GeometriesThe aim of proposed thesis is to revisit advances in computation and fabrication as a cultural project within the context of Karachi, Pakistan; in

an effort to produce formal and tectonic design logic that instill ‘civic memory’, therefore enhancing urban citizenship.

The literature research is framed by the essay “Metropolis, Memory and Citizenship” in Democracy, Citizenship and the Global City by

Richard Dagger. He discusses the importance of architecture and symbolism in enhancing urban citizenship. Dagger discusses how loss

of the civic memory, among many other factors, has devastating effects on urban citizenship. Civic memory is described as “recollection of

events, characters and developments that make up the history of one’s city.” Historically architecture has played a key role in sustaining civic

memory as representations of social values and symbolism.

Karachi, under the pressure to accommodate massive population infl ux, political unrest and socio-cultural degradation, is at a loss of civic

identity. The severity of such condition is most evident in the city’s architecture that, despite having a rich architectural heritage, has turned the

city into a bare concrete jungle. It is the ‘architecture of utility’ in its crudest form that has rendered the citizens’ inability to identify themselves

with the city.

This raises the question of form and aesthetics gaining as much if not more criticality as utility and its’ importance in stitching social fabric.

The use of digital computation and advances in fabrication techniques could possibly bridge the gap between architecture of economy and

exploration in culturally responsive forms.

The lack of discourse within the architectural society of Karachi has created the need to compile a chronological catalog of distinctive

architectural periods within the boundaries of the city. I have cataloged few of the major architectural works that have been classifi ed national

heritage sites.

An analysis of socio-economic forces provides an overview of state of the city as well as the state of construction industry. A statistics

comparison of Karachi and Toronto provides a global perspective on growth of the city.

Furthermore, examples of parametric driven projects are presented as precedents for simple aggregation systems creating complex

geometries. Work of Marc Frones & Theverymany as well as a group project from Daniel Hambelton’s class is illustrates some of the

possibilities of the Danzer packing.

Construction climate of Karachi that consists of high material cost; predominantly concrete construction; extremely low labour cost; and huge

defi cit in skilled labour among all trades. These conditions create a need for repetitive and transformative elements that create complex

assemblies that produce formal and tectonic logic that instill ‘civic memory’, thus enhancing urban citizenship.

4 Distinct Eras Four distinct architectural style eras can be found within the boundaries of Karachi district. It is

important to understand the lineage of architectural style with in the city in order to comprehend

the its symbolism. Each era can be further divided into sub-categories, however the following

four categories are suffi cient for the purpose of this study.

1) Sindhi-Islamic 2) British Raj 3) Mughal Revival // Anglo-Mughal 4) Post-Independence Era

Sindhi-IslamicThe Sindhi Islamic Era can be described as the Samma and Mughal period between

the 14th and 19th Centuries. The Samma dynasty in particular created magnifi cent

structures throughout Sindh including the famous necropolis of Makli in Thatta city.

The architectural styles of Samma dynasty continued to prosper under the Mughal

rule. Although the Mughal style soon took over, it did not have too much infl uence

with in the city boundaries. Some of the distinct Sindhi-Islamic architectural features

contain the use of sandstone, geometric carvings and simple geometric forms.

Date. 15th - 18th Century

Chaukhandi Necropolis

Built between 15th and 18th centuries, Chaukhandi necropolis is located on the north east

periphery of Karachi and it is attributed to Jokhio tribe in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

This particular style of architecture - often described as Sindhi-Islamic - is unique to this

province, however Chaukhandi is the only remaining example within the limits of Karachi.

Image: 2A

Structures of similar styles including other necropoli - including the tombs at Makli - exist

across the province, as they symbolise the rule of Samma dynasty 1335-1520 AD.

Image: 2B

Oriented North-South the graves are made of sandstone that is carved with geometrical patterns,

religious scripts, and fi gures such as hunting horsemen, arms and jewelry. The graves are either single

or in groups of six made with a series of stacked slabs in both horizontal and vertical orientation.

Image: 2C

British RajThe era of British Raj - 1800 to 1947 - brought European architectural styles to the

subcontinent of India. Being a key port city, Karachi saw a surge in government,

public and residential buildings mainly designed in neo-gothic and neoclassic style.

Today most of the monumental buildings in Karachi are of the British era and its stylistic

infl uences can be seen in architecture across Karachi.

Date. 1865

Frere Hall

Designed by Lt. Col. St. Clair Wilson, Frere Hall was used as a Town Hall during the

British Raj. The Hall is located in the heart of the city and currently in use for public and

communal programs.

Image: 3A

Similar to the structures Samma dynasty, structures during the British

rule continued to be built from vernacular yellow limestone and were

infl uenced by Islamic architecture.

Image: 3B

Date. 1881

St. Patrick Cathedral

St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in 1881 by the architect Father Karl Wagner. Built in

Neo-Gothic style the cathedral is built with local limestone, while the marble monument in

the foreground was built in 1931. The cathedral is the second biggest in the country with

seating for two thousand people.

Image: 4A

vvvvvvvThe church is modestly done as it lacks excessive ornamentation.

Left: This image shows vaulted ceilings with ribs.

Top Right: Intricate stained glass

Bottom Right: Entrance to the cathedral

Image: 4B Image: 4D

Image: 4C

An aerial view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in today’s sprawling city

Image: 4E

Date. 1892

D.J. Science College

Fashioned in the neoclassical style, DJ Science College is yet another icon of the city.

Designed by the architect James Strachan, it is said to be one of his fi nest works. DJ

College has infl uenced a great deal of architectural works in Karachi.

Image: 5A

A view of DJ Science College among the sprawling city

Image: 5B

A consistent use of local materials can be seen throughout the history of Karachi. This

dramatically shifted in decades to come after the independence in 1947.

Image: 5C

Mughal Revival // Anglo-MughalIn response to the socio-political struggle for independence from the British rule, the

Mughal Revival movement took place towards the end of British Raj. Both British and

Indian architects were at its forefront. The fusion of European and Mughal architectural

style produced few but spectacular results.

Date. 1927

Mohatta Palace Museum

Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta built Mohatta Palace as his summer home. The

design was conceived by the architect Agha Ahmed Hussain.

Image: 6A

The Palace was built in tradition of stone palaces in Rajasthan.

Again the local yellow lime stone was used along with the pink

Jodhpur stone.

Museum gallery space

Roof top view inside the copula

Image: 6B

Image: 6C

Image: 6D

Date. 1929

Hindu Gymkhana

Similar to Mohatta Palace, the Hindu Gymkhana was

designed by Ahmed Hussain Agha as part of the mughal

revival movement. Unlike previous examples, the

Gymkhana used an array of imported stones from central

India as well as reinforced concrete for copulas.

Image: 7A

Left: Ornamental details of the copula.

Top Right: Intricate Jali (mesh work) from the inside of the

central Jharoka.

Bottom Right: Chattris as part of the parapet wall.

Image: 7B Image: 7D

Image: 7C

Date. 1930

Karachi Municipal Corporation

The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) building is perhaps the true defi nition of

Anglo-Mughal architectural style. Designed by James C. Wynne in 1930’s, the overall

building composition refl ects a mix between the neoclassical and mughal architectural

styles.

Image: 8A

KMC building surrounded with post-independence mid-rise

multiuse buildings.

Image: 8C

Post-Independence EraPost-Independence era - 1947 onwards - has seen a dramatic shift in architecture

compared to what was produced during the British Raj. Although the architectural

styles of the past still played a big role, the distinct architectural features were.

Infl uences of post-modernism is also evident in the buildings produced in 70’s, 80’s

and early 90’s.

The standards of architectural design and construction practices has continued to

decline over the past 70 years. In the recent decades Karachi has tried to adopt

contemporary western architecture, however it has failed to achieve signifi cance in

public realm, as the buildings produced are devoid of originality or culture.

Date. 1960

Jinnah Mausoleum

Located in the heart of Karachi, the Jinnah

Mausoleum or Mizar-e-Quaid is the most

iconic structure in Pakistan as its the tomb of

Mohammad Ali Jinnah - the founding father of

Pakistan.

The mausoleum is perhaps the fi rst structure in

Pakistan built after the independence that moves

the architectural discourse forward, embodying

symbolism of Sindh, the Mughals and the British

Raj, while creating a national landmark due to its

programmatic nature.

Image: 9A

The pure white marble structure was designed

by a Mumbai based architect Yahya Merchant.

The tapered cubic mass opens up to an

octagonal volume on the inside. The ceiling

opens up to a 43m high dome.

Geometric diagrid pattern on the wall is a subtle

reference to carved patterns in Sindhi-Islamic

architecture.

Image: 9B

The four oversized arches that contain three

smaller arches each for entrance are slightly

referenced towards the Moorish arches of the

Mughal architecture. However the radius at the

top of mausoleum arches makes it distinct.

The arched openings also contain ornamental

copper mesh - a reference to ‘Jaali’ in mughal

architecture.

Image: 9C

The exterior walls and the dome rests on a

tension ring. A chandelier hangs from the center

of the dome.

Image: 9D

Date. 1969

Tooba Mosque

Tooba mosque was designed and built in 1969

by the architect Babar Hamid Chauhan. It is

claimed to be the largest single dome mosque in

the world with 72m diameter. It has a capacity of

5000 people.

Image: 10A

View from the inside of dome.Image: 10B

Date. 1985

Aga Khan University Hospital

Designed by an American architectural fi rm Payette Associates, Aga Khan University

Hospital is one of the only campus style university/hospital complex in the city. Based

on 84 Acres, the architecture represents evolution of indigenous architectural style,

materials and tectonics

Image: 11A

Left: Entrance to the University building

Right: Courtyard with a garden pond

Image: 11CImage: 11B

Habib Bank Plaza

1963

Finance and Trade Center

1989

PIC Towers

1980sImage: 12A Image: 12B Image: 12C

PSO House

1991

Habib Bank Plaza

2005

Techno City Corp.

2005

Dolmen City Towers

2006Image: 12EImage: 12D Image: 12F Image: 12G

Image: 12H Image: 12 I Image: 12 J Image: 12 K

New Construction

Shopping Mall

Proposed

Trade Center

Condition of most Residential Blocks

in the City

New

Business Tower

Q1What went wrong?

Population Increase

Flight of Human Capital

Karachi has witnessed unprecedented increase in urban

population after the independence. In the past 70 years

the population of Karachi increased from 435,000 to almost

20 million. The massive increase has put socio-economic

pressures on the city which the administrative bodies has

unable to manage.

Some of the major causes of population increase include

massive rural-to-urban migration; migration of IDP’s (internally

displace people) due to decades of war on both north-western

and north-eastern front; and lastly the cultural norms of large

family size.

Over the past three decades Karachi has seen poor economic

development, scretarian violence and increase in crimes.

This has led to fl ight of human capital to Arab and European

countries. The shortage of skilled labour as well as trained

design professionals has partly resulted into stagnation of

architectural development.

Massive Rural to Urban Migration

Karachi

Arabian Sea

Kashmir

Pakistan

India

Afghanistan

Post 1947 Migration

Population in 1941

435,000

Average Household Size 6.9 People

Population

20 Million

Current Growth Rate 5% / Year

City Area

3,527 km2

Karachi Metropolitan Area 2012 UN-WUP Report

Population in 1941

950,000

Current Growth Rate 0.2% / Year

Average Household Size 2.8 People

City Area

7,125 km2

Metro Toronto 2006 Census

Population 5.6 Million

Karachi // Population Growth in Global Context

Q2What is the role of Aesthetics and Form - under the umbrella of economy - and its

importance in stitching social fabric?

Q3How does decline in skilled labour - due to lack of skill training and export of labour -

effects architectural design practices

Q4How can advancement in digital computation and fabrication help address issues of

architectural design, construction and urban citizenship?

The Parametric ApproachThe province of Sindh has a strong history of using blocks or stencils to produce

arts and crafts. Perhaps one way to move forward within the realm of architecture of

Karachi is to revisit the use of mathematical patterns and tiling used in pre-colonnial

architecture. Utilization of limited number of blocks that create complexity in form or

surface treatment would enable low skill workers to assemble complex geometries.

Use of periodic and aperiodic tiling has widely been used in Islamic architecture, often

only as an ornamental surface treatment. The use of periodic or aperiodic sets of tiles

for space packing can help create complex geometric forms and surface treatments.

Examples of Block // Stencil Work

Marc Frones & Theverymany

The work of Marc Frones is one of the prime examples of space packing or 3d

tiling. The complex geometry is achieved through danzer packing that only four

shapes.

Image: 13AB

The Bone YardBashir - Papantonis - Savone

A similar project to that of Marc Frones’ was produced in Architectural

Geometry course with Daniel Hambilton. Four simple shapes were aggregated

in a Danzer packing system to achieve a rather complex result.

Bashir - Papantonis - Savone

Vault AggregationFaisal Bashir

Another aggregation system creating interesting light and spatial experience

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