Banjaiga Architectural Magazine

A 40 plus-year-old house, an enthusiastic client, and a need for transformation and updating it to modern trends and finishes; this is where it all started.

The project underwent 2 phases of design and construction. 1st Phase was to renovate and alter the existing living areas and utility spaces which started in mid-2016 and was completed in the first half of 2017. The idea was to make the house working areas manageable and functional and at the same time improve on the living areas. There was no requirement for a complete architectural overhaul.

Har Sukh Mansion a project by Kamil Khan Mumtaz in Bedian (outside of Lahore), can be studied as the one which best illustrates the culmination of years of consistent experimentation with traditional building construction, exploration of styles and forms, and as a testament to his architectural philosophy.

The complex is the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jawad, their 4 children and their husbands and children. It includes artists’ studios and accommodation, a dance studio, an amphitheater, a music facility and an indoor swimming pool.

Structurally, it is the most successful contemporary example of the use of traditional fat and ribbed dome brick construction. The fat dome is a relatively fat spanning system, which allows another floor above it, doing away with the need for steel reinforcement and concrete.

These traditional building systems, including the art of “pukka kalli” or highly polished lime plaster, not only bring the carbon footprint of the building down, they bring the interior temperature down as well by a couple of degrees in the summer. In Lahore’s climate, and Pakistan’s general state of electricity shortage, this is, naturally, highly desirable.

On the outskirts of Lahore, in Bedian, the building rises up from the fields surrounding it as something that has always belonged to this land, to the earth of the Punjab.

The public buildings include the open-air amphitheater, immediately to the right of the entrance, and the artists’ and dance studios. These are connected linearly by a colonnaded verandah, which doubles as the potential backstage area, and can be separated by curtains during public performances.

Text description provided by the architects. Kapadia residence is situated in the KDA Officer’s society on 600 sqyds. This apartment like residence is the culmination of strong design tools used to sensationalize a visual experience through the provoking of different senses. Evocative of a beach house (as per the clients request), the abundance of natural light, the constant gush of wind, an external terrace, and the calming white exterior advocate calm and peace within a private neighborhood.

The objective of the Architect was to freeze his acquired perception of what architecture of the moment is, through the built form, open spaces, planning, and visual experience, all the way down to the finer details. This intention alone is what makes the house inspiring, to be able to depict the architect’s impression within a built space in order for all to comment or respond too.

This design proclaims a lateral gesture; it’s a two family house, so the consensus was to stack one residence on top of the other to create two apartments. One is approached directly from the street front, and the other from an axial staircase that is placed up against the main façade. The plan, designed on a 15’ by 15’ grid, includes two voids, one placed in the east and one towards the west.

These light wells alleviate the density of the model, which in section, also places emphasis in defragmenting the mass, creating drawings in which all lines match, or flow into one another, all while allowing for naturally lit spaces. This, according to the architect, ensures balance, continuity, and consistency. In section, the whole image should read as one; all lines, shapes and indents respond to one another compositionally.

Residing on a corner plot, there is an attempt to screen views towards neighboring homes and to focus towards the park. The wind oriented façade is composed of a weave of hollow concrete blocks. This screen, aside from breaking the stark monumentality of the outwardly solid façade, provides shade from the sun as well as conducive for wind permeability.

For the desire of creating a simplistic elevation, the screen places itself as a visually enhancing element. It also faces the wind direction thus it channels the influx of wind effectively; the sloped profile of the roof plays a role in this too, with wind ventilators inside to allow for the breeze to enter.

As design was laid to paper, the initial approach was to consider all the site attributes and constraints and derive the plan from the site itself. Facing a neighborhood park, it was pivotal that that direction of the house should be the least barred, whiles all other facades maintain distinct privacy facing inwards.

The inspiration for this internationally acclaimed and award winning (AD50 award) house was found in the old walled city of Lahore, where it looked as though a slice of history had been preserved for posterity.

The key feature element designed in the residence is the arch that accentuates the façade by balancing the stair tower’s verticality. The façade is treated with horizontal grooves and texture that gives depth to surface allowing for an accentuate light and shadow play as shown in the photograph.

Ageless designs that never get old. Our prime focus being the joining of breathing spaces and pockets, for ventilation and perspectives. Internal layouts have interconnected spaces, empowering the human collaboration yet our need being the protection, we keep up that well.

A challenging and very interesting brief, combining two adjacent plots and to design a low-rise apartment building, with 6 identical apartments. The site, in heart of Lahore, Gulberg 2, is surrounded by old Art Deco houses, majority of them almost half a century old. The challenge was to accommodate these single, double and triple bedroom apartments in a very limited space.Being a north facing façade, the site gave us the opportunity to play with big open windows in the front and since the amalgamation of two consecutive plots, a wide front, which in return helped us in spacing out the internal rooms and spaces around the edge of the plot.

This was a particularly challenging project because it was a bifurcated plot and the by laws left us with a very tight footprint.
However, the client was very supportive and appreciating. We were given a lot of freedom in the design and were therefore able to experiment with innovative ideas, in planning as well as in detailing.
The house has a very linear and open plan. It is also very transparent.