Harsukh By Kamil Khan Mumtaz Architects

Project Brief

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.

As the building progressed, the designs and structure of the ribbed domes improved. KKM first tried his hand at the highly complex geometrical and structural challenges of muqarnas in a 2005 project and has been studying and analyzing this form, recently developing some original prototypes. He has also used the more traditional Iranian type Muqarnas at the Sally Town Mosque and at a Holiday Retreat named ‘Bagh-e-Arifn’ at Wah Village.

Schematics

Featured In

Undertaking

All the information of the project is curated through architectural studios. Banjaiga holds no responsibility for the content of the project.
Copyright of Banjaiga 2017-2025. Not to be reproduced without consent.