Architect Overview

ORAD is an islamabad based multi-disciplinary firm. Affan Ahmed (Architect) graduated from COMSATS (Arch. Dept.) in 2011 with Distinction. He has worked with Islamabad based Architectural Firm before creating O.R.A.D. He has taken Part in National and International Level Architecture Competitions.Dawar Zia (Architect) graduated from COMSATS (Arh. Dept.) in 2012 with Hons. He was working with an established Architectural firm in Islamabad Prior Founding O.R.A.D. He is a teaching faculty member at Comstats (Arch. Dept.)Muhammad Ali (Architect ) graduated from Comsats (Arch. Dept.) in 2012. with Distinction. He was an adjunct at SADA - NUST Islamabad in 2013. Now he is a teaching faculty member at Comstats (Arch. Dept.)Hidaya Zia is an upcoming communication and graphic Designer. she has expertise in Product, Graphic and Communication Design.

Project Overview

Chikpat is a fast food outlet sitting in a heart of Islamabad. It reinvents south Asian cuisine with assembly line module. In this particular project, we came across a client Who was deeply connected to the roots of heartland. Initial conversations with him were mostly about old city culture of Karachi and Lahore and how he is passionate about bringing the food of street to masses and classes of Islamabad. While talking to him, we stumble upon this idea of recreating reminiscence. 15’ wide and 65’ deep site has a similar proportion to as of an old city street. Space is a nostalgic re-imagination of Post-colonial urban thoroughfares. Research became the prerequisite for design. Team did an in – depth research of old city in terms of surfaces, art and form.

Layer 1- Form: Forms of old city facades were selected and drafted as a streetscape. Segments of streets were extracted from different old city streets.

Layer 2 – Surface: Earthy tones and metal surfaces were composed in contrast to induce a similar feel. The pertinent surfaces of the forms were necessary to evoke the sensory nostalgia.

Layer 3-Art: Finally space was wrapped in art to mark it urban. Indigenous graffiti style was studied in depth to cover the surfaces holistically. It elevates the visual Texture and depth of surface.