14
Renowned Pakistani architect Habib Fida Ali passed away on Saturday.
According to a message sent to alumni by Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, his funeral prayers will be offered at 12 noon at the Bohra Qabristan.
Fida Ali was one of Pakistan’s most distinguished architects. He served on the Master Jury for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and received many awards for his work, including the design and construction of important corporate buildings and the conservation and renovation of Mohatta Palace. He is also a recipient of the lifetime achievement award by the Institute of Architects Pakistan.
The enormous range and extent of his work from private houses to public buildings has been admirably captured in Hasan-ud-Din Khan’s sumptuous book The Architecture of Habib Fida.
In 1956 he joined The Architectural Association, the prestigious and exclusive college in London which drew the best professors and the brightest students. The 1950s and 1960s were particularly stimulating years for literature, architecture and the performing arts.
Fida Ali was profoundly influenced by the writings and vision of architect Robert Venturi ‘who opposed established opinions and pointed out an alternative way forward.’
Fida Ali duly qualified as an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA), travelled extensively and returned to Pakistan in 1964. His earliest projects included the Kohsaar Restaurant in Hill Park which no longer exists but is illustrated in Khan's book by spectacular photographs of its imaginative canopy that he created for outdoor dining.
One of Fida Ali’s most celebrated projects has been the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) described by architect Murlidhar Dawani as ‘a blend of western technology and local materials and traditions…it is part of a broader movement towards cultural awareness.’
The diversity of Fida Ali’s work which includes collaborative projects such as the Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai. He also served as the president of the Institute of Architects of Pakistan’s Karachi chapter and as council member of the Union of International Architects (Region IV).
