50 years celebration of Islamabad Architecture
By Ar. Fawad Suhail Abbasi
Islamabad celebrated its 50 years in full swing as the Rawapindi-Islamabad Chapter of IAP organized this years first IAPEX in the twin cities from the 22nd to 24th April 2011.
The organizing committee comprised of the younger lot of architects under the leadership of the Chairman, Architect Jahangir Khan Sherpao put together various events in these three days.
It comprised of a building products and architectural graduates exhibition, building products seminar, Three different forums on “ 50 years of Islamabad Architecture, Post Floods & Earthquakes: Humanitarian Disaster Mitigation & IAP- Board of Architectural Education”, a pictorial exhibition on Islamabad, Cultural Performances by students of Architecture and the final night for the architects recognition awards.
The Golden Jubilee Celebration started with the most popular event, the Building Products and the recent architectural graduate’s exhibition. Ar. Muhammad Attique was the Convener Exhibition. It was inaugurated by former parliamentarian and Speaker National Assembly Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan. The exhibition of graduates from NCA, Rawalpindi, Comsats Islamabad and UET, Abbottabad was organized to welcome them to the fraternity of architects. Six architectural firms from the twin cities sponsored there work.
At the inauguration, Convener IAPEX 2011, Ar. Nayyar Samad welcomed the Chief Guest with the Chairman IAP-RIC, Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao & Convener Ceremonies Ar. Fauzia Asad Khan. The Executive Committee, senior and junior architects were also present on the occasion. He visited the exhibits and showed keen interest in the products and encouraged them to keep up the good work and show the positive side of Pakistan by participating in all such events.
He appreciated the efforts of the organizing committee and the architectural community for taking out time from their practice and giving back to the profession which is a great service to the Country. He emphasized the need for more such events to improve public awareness and showcase the creative efforts of the architects and the building industry.
He thanked the Chairman for inviting him and making him a part of the 50 years celebration of Islamabad because he has seen it from its inception to what it is now and therefore it will always have a special place in his heart.
The second day started with the building products seminar. Ar. A. Kabeer Malik was the moderator for the session. Architects and students were present in large numbers. The moderator summed up the session and thanked the participants for enlightening the audience with their product presentation.
Later Senior Architects of the region Suhail Abbasi, Naeem Pasha & Salman Mansoor gave away souvenirs to the participants.
The second session after lunch started with the first forum. Ar. Faisal Arshad Convener Forum gave an overview and invited the Chairman IAP-RIC, Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpaoon to say a few words on the topic “50 years of Islamabad Architecture”.
Islamabad is one of the largest planned capital city projects of 20th century yet a little known and understudied episode in the history of modern architecture and urbanism. In 1958, a commission was constituted and a Greek firm of architects, Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis, was awarded the master plan of the city which was based on a grid plan and triangular in shape, with its apex towards the Margalla Hills. This year we all can mark 50 years of Architecture in the city, a place that has substantial amount of buildings ranging from Administrative, Institutional, Religious, Commercial, and Residential along with a large canvas of Urban Landscape areas. From the mere look of it, Islamabad's architecture may easily be termed as a combination of modernity, old Islamic and regional traditions. We as practicing Architects and Academia can initiate a valuable dialogue through our relevant research as the Architecture of the city is in the making that has been embedded with decades of socio-economic/ political shifts & transformations; one can also value it as bodies of knowledge and experience. The first forum is an effort in part of IAP to review the diverse architecture of the city from several concerned perspectives that may be the following but not limited to: Architecture & Identity, Cultural Diversity through Architecture, and Contextual Regionalism in Architecture etc. Chairman IAP RIC Ar Jehangir Khan Sherpao in his opening remarks briefly stressed the need to revisit our efforts in making the history city architecture.
Ar. Faisal Arshad also being the moderator for the session invited the Chief Guest. Chairman CDA, Mr. Imtiaz Inayat Elahi to share his view points and key achievements the authority has made for decades. He also took advantage of this important forum to announce CDA’s upcoming developments to keep up with the pace of the market user. The two speakers Ar. Dr. Khalid Bajwa read the paper sent by Ar. Dr. Ahmed Zeb Khan Mahsud while Ar. Samra Mohsin Khan, Head Department of Architecture, Comsats spoke about the architecture of Islamabad that has emerged in the last four decades and the contribution of various architects in developing a design language for the Capital City. Dr. Bajwa spoke about Dr. Zeb’s research and his evaluations on the master planning of Doxiadas and how this development has made Islamabad stand out amongst the most well planned cities of the world, his analysis and the natural growth of the city visa a vis the random expansions and changes made by the authorities.
Mr. Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, Chairman CDA thanked the organizing committee for arranging such a forum and especially on the occasion of the 50 years of Islamabad. He also thanked the speakers for giving him an even better insight on the capital city and such authentic information on the history and the making of the city which is an example for all upcoming cities of the world. The Chief Guest gave away souvenirs to the building industry participants and received his souvenir from Chairman-RIC Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao.
He was then invited to inaugurate the pictorial exhibition on the Golden Jubilee of Islamabad curated by Ar. Ibtesam Peerzada. The panels extensively covered the 50 years of the birth of the capital, under construction and completed photographs of key buildings and personalities involved in developing and designing this masterpiece. The curator gave the Chief Guest a summary of the various stages of architecture and planning of the city.
Mr. Imtiaz Inayat Elahi thanked the IAP for documenting and presenting this wonderful exhibition and making it public so that people can learn from the rich heritage we are part of.
The same night student’s cultural performances and quiz was held at Islamabad Club. The Convener Performances, Ar. Musa Zia conducted and organized the participants from NCA Rawalpindi & Comsats Islamabad. The performances included mime, videos and musical performances.
The quiz was conducted by Ar. Fawad Suhail Abbasi supported by Ar. Furqan Habib, Ar. Ayesha Zafar and Ar. Ifrah Arshad. The quiz was divided into four rounds with questions based on Islamabad, national & international architecture. The audience comprised of practicing architects, their families, faculty and students from NCA Rawalpindi, Comsats Islamabad, UET Abbottabad and CECOS Peshawer. All four schools participated in the quiz. NCA Rawalpindi took the first two positions while CECOS Peshawer came third.
The students received their shields from Ar. Ejaz Ahed, Ar. Ahmed Pervez Mirza and Ar. Muhammad Irfan.
The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all and has become a popular event at IAPEX every year.
The last day started of with Forum 2 on” Post Floods & Earthquakes: Humanitarian Disaster Mitigation”. The forum being moderated by Ar Tahir Banuri gave an overview of the topic as “The recent floods that have devastated Pakistan have been on a scale that is unprecedented in the history of this region. Vast swathes of land were inundated, precious lives were lost, livestock, crops and people’s livelihoods destroyed, infrastructure damaged, schools, roads and bridges wiped out and around 20million people adversely affected with many thousands left homeless. Although several professionals have already initiated coordinated efforts individually and as part of the large teams consisting of engineers, social workers, anthropologists etc, there is still a need to research and implement with more sensibility considering all parameters such as: Extent of damage caused by rain/ floods in max flood levels, Documenting the typical influential indigenous house along with the prevailing livability, Availability of local materials, Adaptable Construction Techniques, Climatology & Geology of Regions etc. The academia in particular along with practitioners as possibly the lead members of rehabilitation teams can contribute immensely to the society and the forum invites all those to present their findings”.
The participating speakers included Ms. Carmen Van Heese from the Office of UN Secretary Generals Special Humanitarian Assistance to Pakistan and renowned architects Yasmin Lari, Akeel Bilgrami and Sikander Ajam Khan. All of them gave their views and case studies on post disaster management after the earthquakes and floods in Pakistan. They talked about the steps taken by both the government and private sector organizations and the feedback received from the users.
They felt that there was an effort but we are still not prepared to coupe with any such disasters in the future while the relief efforts have to be monitored and improved for quick recovery which can only happen through close coordination between the government and the NGO’s who are willing to provide every possible support. Architects also need to play their role in the redevelopment of towns and villages which in some cases have to be redesigned as the infrastructure is completely lost and once you do that you need to rethink the random planning that existed earlier and work out low cost methods to improve their standards of living which is a great challenge.
Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao summed up the debate and thanked the speakers for their valuable input.
They were then awarded souvenirs by President IAP, Ar. Shahab Ghani Khan and past president IAP, Ar. Ejaz Ahed.
The third and last forum” IAP- Board of Architectural Education” of the event was held right after lunch the same day. The topic covers a wide range of pedagogical issues. One can point at a shift in paradigm in architectural education specifically relating to our region. Several accomplished think tanks around the globe have spoken on the emergence of a Systematic and Ecological approach that centers the education in the construction of Relationships instead of concentration in separate objects. One can establish valuable comparisons of the courses being offered regionally and their relevance, distinct teaching methodologies, references of notable research publications by academia, the need as production of knowledge etc. This year during the event, IAP felt the need to bring several academic thoughts together on the platform moderated by BAE – Board of Architectural Education, initiating towards an accumulated synergies among the faculties.
The regions five schools, NCA Rawalpindi, Comsats Islamabad, NUST Islamabad, UET Abbottabad and CECOS Peshawer were invited to talk about their methods of teaching and conducting design studios. There was representation from all five Universities.
The Chairman, Board of Architectural Education IAP, Ar. Akeel Bilgrami was invited by the moderator of the session, Ar. Fawad Suhail Abbasi to share his views. He spoke about the efforts made my IAP in the last few years and the dialogues that have been initiated with all schools of architecture in the Country, to bring them on a platform where everyone has a say and to provide opportunities for liaison between each other which has improved student interaction and their understanding of architectural education.
The schools were represented by Ar. Muhammad Iqbal, UET Abbottabad, Ar. Kifayat Hussain, Comsats, Islamabad, Ar. Waheeda A. Bhatti/Ar. Hammad Husain, NCA Rawalpindi, Ar. Sikander Ajam Khan, NUST Islamabad and Ar. Nausheed Ullah Shah, CECOS Peshawer. They presented and spoke about their curriculums and how they have programmed their studios, their emphasis on external jury feedback and the courses they teach alongside studio to their students. They also showed student projects and the workshops they have conducted in various depending on how old the school is.
The moderator thanked everyone for their participation and sharing their ideas with the audience and IAP on bringing them together on the occasion of 50 years of Islamabad.
Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao closed the session and invited President IAP, Ar. Shahab Ghani Khan, Vice Presidents IAP, Ar. Suhail Abbasi & Ar. Ahmed Pervaiz Mirza to give away souvenirs to participants. It was a well attended with practicing architects, faculty and students from all participating schools.
The last and awaited event of IAPEX 2011 was the recognition awards and musical night which was held the same evening. It had a different flavor this year altogether with a red carpet entrance and a red backdrop marking the 50 Years of Islamabad and all the guests were asked to pose for a picture in front of it and then ushers would accompany them to their seats. Many renowned architects from across the Country were present and were recognized for their contribution to the profession.
Tauseeq Haider, well known television & radio anchor was the host for the evening. It was a magical night where so many big names of the profession were present.
Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao invited Architects Shahab Ghani Khan, Ms. Yasmin Lari, Ms. Shama Usman, Suhail Abbasi and Naeem Pasha to give away awards and souvenirs to participating architects after they had received their awards.
On the occasion of 50 years of Islamabad, 50 architects from Pakistan were recognized for their contribution to the profession. These include Ar. Shahab Ghani Khan, Ar. Ahmed Pervez Mirza, Ar. Suhail Abbasi, Ar. Syed Akeel Bilgrami, Ar. Nayar Ali Dada, Ar. Habib Fida Ali, Ar. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, Ar. Ejaz Ahed, Ar. Yasmin Lari, Ar. Naeem Pasha , Ar. Asad I. A. Khan, Ar. Abdul Muqtadir, Ar. Anwar Said, Ar. Raja Shaukat Nawaz, Ar. Wasif Ali, Ar. Shama Usman, Ar. Shahid Abdulla, Ar. Sikander Ajam Khan, Ar. Salman Mansoor, Ar. Murad Jamil, Ar. Naveed Aslam, Ar. Mujahid Sadiq, Ar. Wilayat Ali Khan, Ar. Sadia Fazli, Ar. M. Arif Changazi, Ar. Arif Belgaumi, Ar.Muhammad Arshad, Ar. Kaleem A. Siddiqui, Ar. Sadia Fazli, Ar. Anjum Adil, Ar. Syed Mohammad Irfan, Ar.Abdul Qayyum Khan, Ar. Azmat A. Zaidi, Ar. Arif Masoud, Ar. Raja Khalid Mumtaz, Ar. Fawad Suhail Abbasi, Ar. Naheed Mashooqullah, Usman Salim Khan, Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao, Ar. Abid Mehmood, Ar. Faisal Arshad, Ar. Nayyar Samad, Ar. Ibtesam A. Peerzada, Ar. Zainul Abedin, Ar. M. Tahir Banuri, Ar. Mubasher Ahmed Khan, Ar. Malik Muhammad Yunus, Ar. Ambreen Thebo, Ar. Khalid Ibrahim, Ar. Ain Ul Haq Rohilla and Ar. Samra Mohsin Khan.
Many of them recognized are also office bearers of IAP National Council, IAP Chapters, PCATP, PIID and head of department of various architectural schools of the region. Group photographs were taken after the ceremony.
Chairman IAP-RIC, Ar. Jahangir Khan Sherpao thanked everyone for taking out time and specially the architects who traveled from outside the city for the event which made the evening even more exciting.
There were many renowned names of the profession at IAPEX Islamabad and something to remember by for many years to come most importantly as the occasion marks the 50 years of the capital city, Islamabad.
After dinner there was a jazz band performance and the crowd got to enjoy blues and many old numbers played by them. The audience were captivated and most music lovers stayed back and requested for there favorite numbers that the band was kind enough to play for them.
It was a great experience to hear them.
It was a wonderful evening and an end to yet another exciting IAPEX in the twin cities where the organizing committee was able to bring many architects and students together.
Participation of the general public also improved this year and one got to see many new companies from the building Industry at the exhibition. They showed keen interest in coming back next year and were happy to be working with architects on the platform of IAP.
The younger community of architects has been pretty active since the last few years and seniors have been a source of inspiration and encouragement. They have always emphasized on the need to give back to the profession and devoting time to IAP is a major part of it.
Once again the organizing and executive committee needs to be congratulated on a job well done and for constantly making the effort of organizing these events for public awareness and the architectural community. We all look forward to the upcoming IAPEX at Karachi, Lahore & Peshawar.