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Q&A with Pakistan's First Female ArchitectView 3 Photos

Q&A with Pakistan's First Female Architect

As profiled in our "Women of Influence" roundup in our July/August 2012 issue, Yasmeen Lari is the closest thing Pakistan has to a design superhero. After years working as an architect, designing buildings for a wide range of clients, from corporate campuses to low-income housing, she left private practice in order to focus on issues close to her heart, including developing sustainable and vernacular disaster relief housing and dedicating herself to writing, research, and her work with the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, the ambitious nonprofit she developed with her husband. Here, we ask her questions about her architectural work, her philanthropical passions, and the unique challenges of working in her homeland.
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Were you really "the first female architect in Pakistan"? What does this mean, and can you give us some context?
Q&A with Pakistan's First Female Architect - Photo 1 of 3 -

Yasmeen Lari discovered she was Pakistan’s first architect almost by accident when she returned to England. Read about her exciting career, and her choice to focus on humanitarian issues like developing sustainable and vernacular disaster relief housing.





In the aftermath of a 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, Lari develeoped a bamboo shelter system called KaravanRoof, built with adobe-and-mud walls and strong bamboo cross-bracing.

In the aftermath of a 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, Lari develeoped a bamboo shelter system called KaravanRoof, built with adobe-and-mud walls and strong bamboo cross-bracing.













Lari's latest work focuses on zero-carbon footprint construction (using lime, bamboo and adobe/mud) that is also Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) compliant. "By mobilizing student volunteers and artisans through training we are in the process of helping communities to become strong and resilient to withstand the next floods themselves," she says.

Lari's latest work focuses on zero-carbon footprint construction (using lime, bamboo and adobe/mud) that is also Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) compliant. "By mobilizing student volunteers and artisans through training we are in the process of helping communities to become strong and resilient to withstand the next floods themselves," she says.













Jaime Gillin
When not writing, editing, or combing design magazines and blogs for inspiration, Jaime Gillin is experimenting with new recipes, traveling as much as possible, and tackling minor home-improvement projects that inevitably turn...

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