Adaptive Reuse entails restoring a structure instead of tearing it down and building a new one. It is cost effective and breathes fresh life into abandoned buildings.

Most old structures are sturdy; their exteriors can easily be given a contemporary look to accommodate their new function.

Examples include the Mohatta Palace Museum and the Nusserwanjee Building (which was transposed stone by stone from Saddar to Clifton to serve as the main façade of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture) in Karachi and Food Street and Haveli Restaurant in Lahore.

Modular Construction is a trend that is slowly gaining ground due to the fact that it entails creating large scale residential and commercial buildings in a short span of time, saving time, energy and other costs.

Prefabricated units are made off-site and assembled on-site. Companies recycle unused materials at the site, hence cutting back on wastage.

Modular construction is a rising trend due to these advantages and is sure to gain even more popularity in the coming years and is now increasingly used to assemble low-income housing units in Punjab.

Recycling is not a new concept; however, due to a dwindling economy, people are turning to it because it is more economical.

To this end, designers are creating unique, bespoke items from antiques. This process leads to less waste and reduces the demand for new items that have to be produced from scratch.

Sustainable materials are becoming more popular, such as cane, rattan, wood and woven textiles, and reflected by the increasing popularity of stores where such items are available.

(Excerpted from the September-October 2020 edition of Aurora.)

Farah Rizwan is Partner, Orphic, and lectures at The Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. farah-k76@hotmail.com