Understanding Karachi’s Architecture:
A Documentation of Public Buildings
By Dr Suneela Ahmed and Madiha Salam
Department of Architecture & Planning, NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
ISBN: 978-9698620219254pp.

In contemporary times, where cultural homogenisation is transforming the world into a global village, there is a rising concern to preserve local identity. The book Understanding Karachi’s Architecture: A Documentation of Public Buildings addresses the on-going debate about global and local identity and focuses on the role of public buildings in establishing a city’s visual identity and character, as well as the various forces, individuals and institutions that influence this process.

Understanding the factors that contribute to Karachi’s evolution is a challenging task in itself and one may struggle to define the architectural identity of Pakistan’s largest metropolis. Dr Suneela Ahmed and Madiha Salam — both from the Department of Architecture and Planning at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi — have, therefore, sought to counter the dearth of available literature on Pakistan’s built form in general, and Karachi in particular, by establishing a reference point with this book.

Organised into two sections consisting of theory and folios, the book looks at the background, evolution, language, influences and design paradigms of Karachi’s public architecture and includes a chronological portfolio of 80 notable public buildings in the city.

In a scholarly, pragmatic and rational tone, the book begins by offering a detailed description of the methodology used for the study. This is followed by a bittersweet account of the plural power systems, both institutional and political, that regulate, control and allow who selects what is built and how.

The narrative examines three important socio-political eras in Karachi’s history: the city’s past as Pakistan’s capital, the shifting of its capital-city status to Islamabad and Karachi’s present status as Pakistan’s prime economic hub.

A new book looks at the background, evolution, language, influences and design paradigms of Karachi’s public architecture and will undoubtedly serve as a useful resource for students and researchers

After looking at the factors behind the formation of the city’s image, design movements embraced as styles of expression, key landmarks and the social, political and economic decisions behind the processes, the authors discuss the Islamicisation of the city’s architectural imagery and shift in building typologies from public to cooperative and commercial. They conclude with a discussion of the creation of a new culture of capitalism, class and consumption, as well as its expression in the dominant global typology of construction clad in glass and steel.

Chapter three is a condensed literature review that establishes a theoretical framework for comprehending the built form. It helpfully shares some key terminology and concepts that influence a city’s aesthetics and values and lists noteworthy buildings constructed from 1928 onwards till on-going projects in 2023, such as the Capitol Cinema — a classical style commercial building designed by Mino Mistry in 1928 — to the under-construction Trauma Orthopaedic Institute and Rehabilitation Centre by Naqvi and Siddiquie Associates.

This list includes the building’s name, design paradigm, typology, date of construction and designer architect/ firm. A matrix showcasing the various architectural styles — classical art deco, Bombay, Mannerism, the many permutations of modernism, equally numerous variations of regional and Islamic — establishes a visual vocabulary for Karachi’s amenity, commercial, corporate, education, healthcare, hospitality, recreation and religious architecture.

A debate on the role of public buildings in developing a city’s identity goes into great detail on the causes and consequences of the shift in the government’s role from decision-maker to facilitator. As highly influential private developers persuade and dictate what will be built and how, regard for infrastructural and social realities often takes a backseat. The authors also emphasise the significance of localisation in the construction of identity through public buildings.

The penultimate chapter is a comprehensive account of all public buildings constructed in Karachi from 1947 onwards and includes analyses of the National Museum of Pakistan, Habib Bank Plaza, PSO House, Habib University and Liaquat National Mosque among others. This chapter is undoubtedly the most important addition to existing literature on the subject, as the authors analyse significant landmark public buildings erected during that time period, as well as the important architects, their design philosophy, major institutions overseeing public architecture, social and cultural paradigms and their reflection in the built landscape.

The book’s photographs include some rare images retrieved from the archives of the buildings’ architects. The architectural drawings featured within will undoubtedly serve as a useful resource to students of architecture as well as researchers in not only visually identifying famous buildings, but also comprehending each project through the enormously rich descriptions.

At the conclusion of their book, authors Ahmed and Salam identify major concerns about Karachi’s public architecture. Most buildings concentrated in the city centre are modernist in style, but display a mishmash of aesthetics.

Karachi’s newer public architecture is mostly not sustainable or energy efficient. It does not factor in local building practices suitable for its climate and leans heavily towards the ‘corporate’ identity currently taking over the built environment looking for global investment. The authors also highlight the importance of an urban design statutory body and bylaws for the design and development at urban scale.

As research material, this book is important in its extensive analysis of Karachi’s built form. However, it lacks a detailed glossary of terms and concepts; including this would help the authors reach a wider audience. Keeping in view the numerous pictures inside, something other than the hand-drawn collage of buildings on the cover could have been a better representation of Karachi’s rich diversity of architecture.

But these are relatively minor concerns that do not detract from the book’s larger contribution to architectural academia and research.

The reviewer is Assistant Professor at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. She tweets @sarahatherkhan

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, July 29th, 2023