Banjaiga Architectural Magazine

Banjaiga Private Limited came about after we noticed a huge disconnect between the various parts of the construction industry. The moving components were not in constant communication with each other, resulting in a waste of time and energies. Material information, specifications, trustworthy contractors, clients and architects; all the stakeholders were working together on the same goal but in individual pockets of isolation. A functioning ecosystem was missing. Something had to be built to solve this. So we decided to build this ecosystem from the ground up. Made by architects, for other architects.

Banjaiga Private Limited came about after we noticed a huge disconnect between the various parts of the construction industry. The moving components were not in constant communication with each other, resulting in a waste of time and energies. Material information, specifications, trustworthy contractors, clients and architects; all the stakeholders were working together on the same goal but in individual pockets of isolation. A functioning ecosystem was missing. Something had to be built to solve this. So we decided to build this ecosystem from the ground up. Made by architects, for other architects.

Two huge Open House Events have just concluded. Our teams have gone through the deepest, darkest depths of self-doubt, perseverance and eventual transcendence followed by triumph. Two open houses, two cities, and only two-day apart. On display were two very different architectural gems; introverted design versus an open, all-inclusive one. One that was trying to hide the interior from the exterior, the other one trying to blur the lines between its interior spaces from the exterior.

“Let a tree be a tree and a boulder be a boulder” The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff.
Truth to material as well as the built form and systems is the most central idea developed in the project. The Idea of the layers of development of a project are visible can give rise to a palimpsest, was explored. Space flows vertically and horizontally to create a looped narrative through and around the trees. Using aged and anti-aging materials. The house is seen as a drawing rather than a painting and hence the limits of a looser approach to design was tested. The unfinished and rough is the sublime and raw.

This 30×80 site located in the rather older sectors of Islamabad had a challenging setting. Its 16ft narrow street lies between attached houses on both sides. Because of the local building bylaws, there is absolutely no breathing space between these houses. In addition to that, the surrounding houses built on small lots are architecturally unpleasant, laid out and built by construction contractors hired directly to meet the accommodation needs of the owners, without any underlying design philosophy, professional architectural or community concerns.

The house stems from a cubist, modernist philosophy keeping a check on our strong history, traditions, culture and natural materials that define mostly all the work that comes out of Suhail & Fawad Architects.

The interweaving of this two family unit was achieved by layering the requirements of each side but making sure that it appears as one. The box was then broken, carved and subtracted to ensure that each space opens towards a view, a green patch, a patio, a water feature or a courtyard. The firm believes in celebrating each corner of the building, visualizing the interior and the exterior as one. They need to compliment each other.

Dr. Shahzads residence is sandwiched between house and adjacent public road. It is therefore built on an ordinary site with no extra, eye pleasing features. So basically the design revolves around the ideology of creating views within an enclosed space.

The focus is designing the house as an ensemble of internal and external spaces that are engaged in an intimate dialogue.

To enter the house from the car park/driveway, one has to cross the lush green lawn to step on a wooden deck that leads the main entrance door. The floating wooden deck enlarges the sense of open space as it pushed the eyes upward and outward.

The facade has a two tonal cemented face which is a balance between strong geometries of tapered volume overlooking the softness of green space with vine crawling over the boundary wall. The tapered volume also works as a P-Cap for the wooden deck. The vertical steel louvers installed on the exterior above the porch serve to block the line of sight from the outside while also ensuring the residents have unobstructed views from within.