Dr. Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan’s first female architect and a pioneer of the philosophy of ‘Barefoot Social Architecture’, visited Dhaka between December 21 to 25, 2024. Celebrated for her colossal contributions to sustainable architecture and her transformative works in disaster relief and community development, Lari was invited to Bangladesh by the Department of Architecture, Brac University. She conducted the ‘OctaGreen: Zero-Carbon Bamboo Building’ workshop where she engaged with the students, demonstrating her proficiency in eco-friendly construction techniques.

During her visit, Lari spoke with the ContextBD team about her architectural journey, reflecting on her transition from the prevailing architectural doctrine to becoming a humanitarian architect. Since 2000, she has focused on humanitarian relief work and historical conservation endeavors associated with the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan. In her conversation, she accentuated the significance of “decarbonizing, decolonizing and democratizing architecture” promoting practices that serve marginalized communities and are critical to pressing global challenges such as poverty and climate change.

Lari’s phenomenal works have been recognized with several prestigious awards and accolades – the Fukuoka Prize in 2016, the Jane Drew Prize in 2020 and the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Royal Gold Medal in 2023, making her the first Pakistani to receive this honor for her design excellence.

ContextBD: Assalamualaikum, Madam. We are the team from ContextBD. How are you?

YL: I’m doing well. Thanks.

ContextBD: Our question concerns your practice, research and personal upbringing. You visited Bangladesh in 1969. How are you feeling about visiting here after almost 55 years?

YL: It’s wonderful. There is just so much warmth and goodwill, and it is just amazing how I’m being looked after. So I love it. I love being here, and I love the fact that, so many young people are working with the bamboo structure. There is so much enthusiasm and students are doing such a good job. And, yes, it has been just wonderful to be here.

ContextBD: That is great. You have spent your teenage years in the UK and studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University. What motivated you to study architecture?

YL: That is a very long story. My father had been in the Indian civil service. In 1947, at the time of partition of the Indian subcontinent, he was stationed in Lahore. He was in charge of developing large projects in the new country Pakistan for first two to three years. And I was very young. He had a lot of opportunities to lead an organization which was involved in the city planning of Lahore. Then he also became the chairman of the Thal Development Authority, which was a new wing with very few employees. He had assignments of planning five or six cities at a time. He would return home from the office and talk about how the new country needed a new vision. It needed people who would do something fantastic for the country, such as architects and urban planners. Somehow, that stuck with me.

I was only 16 years old when I went to the School of Architecture and said I wanted to get admission. They replied, ‘Well, young lady, you have to go back and complete your A-levels and O-levels.’ I did not have A-levels and O-levels, rather I had a metric degree and was in my first year of college. But I was not good enough, so then I first studied art at the Earning School of Art and completed my A-levels and O-levels with a sufficient number. Afterwards, I went back again and finally got my admission.

ContextBD: That is so inspiring. What has been your journey from being a mainstream architect to becoming a humanitarian architect and activist? What challenges have you faced during this time?

YL: When you come to think of that period, a lot of women, we all came from rather privileged backgrounds. We received a lot of support from our families, however, there were always issues. In countries like ours, young people are not taken very seriously in the beginning. And that was one of the big challenges you have to face. I am sure everybody faces that. I don’t think I had any particular problem with being a woman, except the contractors who wanted to check by daring me to climb up a very rickety ladder to see whether I would take the bait or not.

In the end, the only thing becomes very difficult if you are fighting for a cause. And if you are a woman, you become more vulnerable. But if you like the job you are doing and keep having faith, you’ve got to do it regardless of what it is. So there were challenges, of course, but, you know, it’s okay. Fight it out.

Contextbd: A follow-up question with this. As the first female architect of your country, you have a unique perspective of the challenges you have faced. What key lessons have you gained, and what kind of advice would you give to the new generations of female architects?

YL: Well, you know, in my time, it seemed a bit easier because there were fewer of us. Now there are more of you, so you have more issues. The young people have more problems. And society is still not ready in many countries. In Bangladesh, I find women are greatly emancipated. You are much stronger. In many countries such as Pakistan, we face a lot of difficulties if we want to step further in a profession. Sadly society is not supportive enough.

I always say, especially when I speak in my own country that our fathers, brothers and husbands have to be more supportive of women to be able to do their best. They have great potential, but it is very difficult if they do not get the support from their family members. I only and always desire that everybody in a family should support a woman who wants to work so that she can contribute effectively and understand her own capabilities. We should figure out a system in which women don’t feel that they have to really fight it out, but rather be able to do it right.

ContextBD: You have done extensive research on Pakistan’s architecture, especially on its history and heritage. You wrote The Dual City: Karachi During the Raj (1997) which offers a comprehensive examination of Karachi’s urban changes over 200 years. What inspired you to focus on heritage and later on the concept of duality you have worked on? Please share some insights.

YL: Sure. I’m very pleased to know that you’ve gone through the book that you know. It is very impressive I must say. My research was more about trying to learn about my own self. All my work with heritage and documentation I have done intending to find my own roots actually. I was brought up in a very isolated and secluded environment and then going to England did not help much. I returned with ideas of colonial rule in terms of the cultural superiority of the West. It took some time for me to get rid of that. That’s why I needed to understand more about my own culture and traditions especially heritage which leads us to witness the richness of our country. And, once you understand that, you understand the important part of being who you are – the ethos like who am I? Where do I come from? This understanding has finally made me who I am today.

And that is all to do with your own roots. Also in my work, I feel that I need to keep on learning so that I am able to do the right thing. Your work should always have some boundaries of values, ethics and moralities. So, if you want to operate in your surroundings, you need to know about the culture, traditions and people. For me, it was all a learning experience whether I wrote or studied or documented or to know who I was.

ContextBD: The cultural influences are evident in your work. The final question is for the architecture students and architects. What recommendation would you offer for improving architectural education and how it can engage and inspire future architects? And what would be your advice for the new generation of practicing architects?

YL: It is a very good question. Because the meaning of architecture has changed over the period. What we learned and even today at many institutions what is being taught is that you have to aim to become a real architect or starchitect. It was fine for earlier times, but it is no longer relevant because the problems are much bigger now. There is so much happening around the world and climate change did not affect anybody before. The kind of strife that is going on.

We are facing this huge problem. There is dislocation everywhere in the world and slums are increasing. Then I find that architects are not working in those areas. Because we have never been prepared to take up those kinds of challenges.

The whole system of education must change now. I really appreciate the Winter School event which is happening at BRAC University. The Department of Architecture is phenomenal because architecture is being taught from every aspect. And this is important for students.

I was never running for a medal at all. The fact that RIBA did, this was a great step because what I am doing is not the kind of architecture people feel should be architecture. It is very important to let the world know that an architect has diverse and different fields to practice now. You do not have to go in one direction. Architecture is multidirectional and there are challenges that I think only architects can resolve. Because we have the training to be able to relate to the context and site.

You can involve communities when you work. You can be a leader and design is your most important tool. No other profession has what you have. You are more conscious of the environment. You are more conscious of other challenges. So, your design will be far more valuable for people who do not have anything particularly. Now we need to focus on those who do not have it, not on those who have wealth. It does not matter. They will get it anyway. So why should we bother about them? Forget about them.

ContextBD: That is a wonderful concept, madam. Thank you so much for your time.

Dr. Lari’s involvement with students, academics and professionals during the visit underscores her unwavering dedication and commitment to education and knowledge sharing. Through advocating her philosophy of ‘Barefoot Social Architecture’ and eco-friendly construction techniques, she aims to inspire a new generation of architects to embrace sustainable and socially responsible design practices. During her visit, she also delivered lectures and participated in discussions advocating the critical roles of a new age architect towards mitigating environmental degradation and enhancing community resilience. With initiatives like the ‘OctaGreen: Zero-Carbon Bamboo Building’ workshop, Lari continues to impact and influence the global architectural realm, fostering a paradigm shift towards eco-friendly and inclusive design solutions, sensitized to people, and the planet.

We are thankful to Professor Zainab Faruqui Ali, Chairperson, Department of Architecture, BRAC University for her cooperation and guidance with the interview.

Team:

Mohona Reza, PhD is an architect and an architectural historian currently working as an assistant professor at BRAC University.

Sadequl Arefin Saif

Athena Rahman

Photographs by: Ramisa Anjum Khan