Episode 92: Yasmeen Lari, Part Two
The time was 2000, the place Pakistan, Yasmeen Lari retired from architecture practice. In her retirement, she has published a lot. Her passion for historic preservation keeps her serving as an advisor to UNESCO and as executive director of the Heritage Foundation Pakistan. In 2002, her foundation won the U.N. Recognition Award for promoting cultural and historical conservation. And if that's not enough she is also the chairperson of the Karavan Initiatives.
In 2005 northern Pakistan suffered an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale, killing 80,000 people and leaving 400,000 families displaced. “I felt I had to go and help… I had no idea what I could do as an architect. I’d never done any disaster work, or any projects in the mountains. I had no workforce, I’d given up my practice. But I found that, if you do something beyond your usual comfort zone, then help will always come.” Y. Lari. She focused on teaching volunteer locals to use local materials, like bamboo and mud-plaster, and traditional building methods and architecture. They built chauhras, which are one-room homes in Pakistani villages. This was the beginning of Yasmeen’s second career, a career as a humanitarian architect. Now she and the locals she helps train, and build houses for people in need, especially those affected by environmental disasters like floods and earthquakes. Since the first decade of the 21st century, her foundation has built over 50,000 Pakistani homes.
Caryatid: Yutaka Sho
Yutaka Sho is a Founder and Principal of the General Architecture Collaborative also known as GA Collaborative. This is a nonprofit design firm that focuses on creating inclusive projects that sustain communities and the environment. They work with individuals, organizations, and communities to create an equitable world through design, research, and advocacy. Yutaka is from Tokyo, Japan, she has a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Architecture from Harvard. And since 2008 she has been a studio professor at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on the roles of architecture and planning in development, humanitarian, in post-calamity contexts.
References
Block, India, and India Block. “Pakistani Architect Yasmeen Lari Wins the Jane Drew Prize 2020.” Dezeen, 9 Feb. 2022, www.dezeen.com/2020/01/30/yasmeen-lari-jane-drew-prize-2020.
De Internet, Hermes Soluciones. “Portal Patrimonio.” Portal Patrimonio, 18 Apr. 2013, www.patrimonio.go.cr/actualidad/actualidad_2013/2013-04-18_sra_ileana_vives.aspx.
Florian, Maria-Cristina. “Barefoot Social Architecture: 10 Projects by Yasmeen Lari, the 2023 RIBA Royal Gold Medal Winner.” ArchDaily, 20 Dec. 2023, www.archdaily.com/1000417/barefoot-social-architecture-10-projects-by-yasmeen-lari-the-2023-riba-royal-gold-medal-winner.
Hahn, Jennifer. “Using ‘Ancient Wisdoms and Techniques’ Can Lead to Carbon-neutral Buildings Says Yasmeen Lari.” Dezeen, 2 July 2021, www.dezeen.com/2021/07/01/carbon-neutral-architecture-yasmeen-lari-interview.
Lari, Suhail Zaheer. “Oxford.” Suhail Lari Pakistan, www.suhaillaripakistan.com/chapters/Oxford.
Levy, Natasha. “Earthen Stove by Yasmeen Lari Lets Women in Rural Pakistan Cook in an Eco-friendly Way.” Dezeen, 3 Feb. 2022, www.dezeen.com/2021/11/05/stove-design-eco-cooking-yasmeen-lari.
RIBA Architecture. “Yasmeen Lari Receives the 2023 Royal Gold Medal.” YouTube, 14 June 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=85nDCxBxJiw.
The Architectural League. “Yasmeen Lari: Barefoot Social Architecture Benefitting People and the Planet.” YouTube, 24 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOcguowq32I.
volquardsen@ou.edu. Taj Mahal Hotel, Karachi | Architecture for Non Majors. 25 Nov. 2020, fall2020.thedude.oucreate.com/uncategorized/taj-mahal-hotel-karachi.
Wikipedia contributors. “Yasmeen Lari.” Wikipedia, 7 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasmeen_Lari.
“Yasmeen Lari.” Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/495500.
“Yasmeen Lari - the Woman Who Taught Pakistan How to Build for the Poor.” The Express Tribune, 18 Feb. 2019, tribune.com.pk/story/1912748/yasmeen-lari-woman-taught-pakistan-build-poor.
“Yasmeen Lari Age, Husband, Family and Biography.” Hamariweb.com Profiles, hamariweb.com/profiles/yasmeen-lari_8054.
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