Pakistani woman architect Yasmeen Lari wins prestigious Jane Drew Prize
Lari developed low cost, carbon-free structure to help earthquake victims
Islamabad: Pakistan’s first female architect, Yasmeen Lari has been awarded the prestigious Jane Drew Prize 2020.
The award recognises the contributions of women architects.
“I am honoured and grateful to have been chosen for this award,” Lari told Gulf News. “This award not only recognises my efforts but the contribution of Pakistan in the field of architecture,” she added. The prize would also be a source of inspiration for Pakistani women working in different fields, she said.
The award is named after Jane Drew, an advocate for women in a male-dominated profession.
Previous winners include Grafton Architects founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Kathryn Findlay of Ushida Findlay, Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete and Odile Decq.
Lari, 79, made her mark by designing some of the most iconic buildings in Karachi city, the country’s commercial hub.
Using simple indigenous materials such as earth, lime and bamboo, we built thousands of flood and earthquake resistant houses that are both cost-effective and eco-friendly.
In recent years, however, she combined her architectural knowledge with traditional skills to design zero-carbon structures for the underprivileged.
In Pakistan, she is considered as one of the most successful providers of disaster relief shelters in the world.
Low-cost, zero-carbon, zero-waste housing
The 2005 earthquake, which killed nearly 80,000 people and left 400,000 families displaced, changed Lari’s life forever. It was then that the architect behind some of the country’s landmark buildings devoted all her energies to providing homes to the marginalised.
She developed a low cost, carbon-free structure technique, using renewable materials and based on traditional heritage, to help rehabilitate the earthquake victims.
“Using simple indigenous materials such as earth, lime and bamboo, we built thousands of flood and earthquake resistant houses that are both cost-effective and eco-friendly” Lari said.
The shelters tested to resist movements higher than 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Since 2010, her strategies have helped develop over 50,000 bamboo, lime, and mud shelters in northern Pakistan and Sindh province, making Pakistan’s zero carbon conservation program as one of the largest in the world. With the low cost, zero carbon, zero waste housing technique, she aims to improve the lives of the poor while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts.
■ She is known for landmark buildings in Karachi including the Taj Mahal Hotel (1981), Finance and Trade Centre (1989) and the Pakistan State Oil House in (1991). Her other notable projects include the Anguri Bagh housing project in Lahore (1973) and, Lines Area Resettlement (1980). Lari has also conserved many historic monuments including Makli, Lahore Fort.
■ In 1980, she cofounded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan with her husband Suhail Zaheer Lari. Her foundation has built more than 50,000 houses for victims of floods and earthquakes in Pakistan since 2010, becoming one of the world’s most successful provider of sustainable and resilient disaster relief structures.
■ Although she formally retired in 2000, after the 2005 earthquake, Lari turned to humanitarian and rehabilitation work and self-financing models that helped survivors rebuild without government assistance. She also provided community kitchens to flood-affected refugees.
■ In recognition of her services towards humanity and the architectural profession, she has been awarded Pakistan’s two top awards Sitara-i-Imtiaz (The Star of Distinction) in 2006 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz (The Crescent of Distinction) in 2014. She has also received the highly acclaimed Fukuoka Prize for Asian Art and Culture of Japan in 2016. For Lari, however, the biggest reward is the opportunity to serve humanity and the planet at the same time.