From announced projects to the existing buildings, Pakistani architecture is full of copied designs and mundane works of concrete
WHILE addressing a large group of architects and related professionals, during a moot on December 10, last year, the President of the Institute of Architects, Pakistan, announced with satisfaction that Pakistani architecture has seasoned to a level of maturity! Amusingly, the gradient of maturity was based on the creation of large scale and hi-tech projects. Though independent critics may find this claim partially correct, it is the size and quantity that is the bone contention. The quality of design is unfortunately marred by many diseases. Unqualified borrowing of prepared designs from else where, without permission of any sort, is an expanding phenomenon.
Amongst the category of intellectual crimes, plagiarism is one of the most serious in nature due to its many folded impacts. It gives a false sense of achievement to a mortal of lesser standing. Consequently, it snatches away the due credit of producing a worthwhile original output that usually evolves from painful soul burning pursuits.
Arts, crafts, music, painting, photography, writing, designing and similar domains are acutely affected by this rising crime. While information revolution has scaled up the capacity of folks to visualize almost infinite horizons, it has also allowed the mediocre lot to steal conveniently and label it their own. One profession in Pakistan that is facing the awes of this deceitful phenomenon is architecture.
Prevailing trends in architecture display a rising number of projects developed on stolen designs, debunking the originators and deceiving the society at large. Further disappointing is the fact that many undertakings in this respect are large scale governmental building complexes. Large entities/bodies, corporations — public, private or autonomous — yearn to build high scale edifices to mark their strength, size and grandeur. In other words, a big time head office remains on the cards even when resources are scant and difficult to muster. Financial institutions, agencies, service organizations, government secretariats and even armed forces are infatuated with this impression — big building — big image! The desire to build a landmark type building is one end, while actually designing and building it out of paper is another. Few examples from the country will suffice the argument.
It is obvious that great ideas or visions are not bound by the boundaries; financial, social and other factors. Plenty of built units designed and developed during yesteryear remind us of the straight forward attempts by architects to create good quality buildings and spaces. Professional architects and common folk from other walks of life will agree upon the design and development of many buildings that depict good quality, original design as well as sound implementation. Pakistan Secretariat and State Bank Building in Islamabad; Punjab Assembly, Summit Minar and WAPDA House in Lahore and PNSC Building and the Habib Bank Plaza in Karachi and many other buildings are a few examples.
Most buildings were derivatives of ongoing stylistic movements, but could not be rated as copied designs for sure. This is not applicable to many recent building complexes, reputation of which are tarnished by valid objections for plagiarized designs.
Despite the fact that the design process, practice and institutional framework has improved — at least theoretically — impacts are yet to be seen.
As per norm, large scale projects are awarded after multi-staged design competitions. While the client continues to exercise firm control of the process, ample room remains for the architect to prove his acumen. Instead of investing time and input in sharpening and applying creativity, a sizable number of professionals resort to short-cuts. They pick up a trendy image from any where, dress it up with some local ornates and cobble together a proposal which, at best, can be termed a kitcsh!
Clients often play a part in influencing such mal practices by outlining wish lists of inappropriate desires, incongruent images and infinite gloss ‘n’ glamour. Thus architects, being professionals with an objective to earn a living from their work, often buckle down under the pressure of unreasonable demands. One such demand is to copy the design of another built structure in its entirety. Many prominent examples prove this serious intellectual and professional crime in the recent happenings.
The Federal Ministry of Culture, under the directives of the President, launched a design competition for an elaborate National Monument Complex in Islamabad. Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) was entrusted the task to manage the competition in 2002-2003. A high powered jury of eminent architects was created to judge and evaluate the entries. Many worthwhile entries were received. However, the entry which was accorded the first position is a ditto copy of the well-known Data Darbar Mosque. It is amusing to note that the architect who won the competition had worked as a staff in the firm that earlier designed the Data Darbar Mosque. The jury of senior architects who could not detect such a commonly visible similarity cannot be exonerated as a human error alone! Besides the building for a mosque can surely not be imitated as a national monument — both possess extremely different set of requirements and pre-requisites.
In the second week of October 2004, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) announced, with great pride, a very ambitious project, through the media. KPT announced the start of project that would lead to the construction of one of the ten tallest buildings in the world, again under the patronage of President, Prime Minister and the Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping with foreign collaboration from Qatar and Malaysia. The full page design image (which must have cost KPT and collaborators an enormous sum) contained the building design that was blatant copy of a landmark in Toronto. The rest of the complex buildings were done in the same theme. Who is to be blamed for such mediocrity? When the basic concept is a cheap copy, what to expect from the ultimate design? Obviously the architect is at fault, but the client and collaborators are equally responsible for such a shameful act!
This should serve as a caution for the President and the Prime Minister to be mindful of associating themselves with such slips in future.
The design of the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bari Sarkar was another case in point. It was designed by a team of very well known consultants who were assigned the task after a competition. The chosen design was a ditto copy of the Masjid-e-Nabavi in Medina. An architectural research pointed out this discrepancy in local architectural press. No heed was paid by the consultant to this valid criticism. The design was approved by a high powered committee headed by the Chairman of the Senate.
It should be noted with concern that the recent architectural trends in Pakistan possess extremely few examples of any outstanding design merit. Less than half-a-dozen buildings/building-complexes by Pakistani architects would be able to win any international recognition. The reason is quite obvious. Half-baked concepts, incomplete approach to design development, weak supervision and a growing lust to make quick money from design enterprises are a few reasons. To top it all, now the architects have found a convenient way out in the form of stealing designs. The difference between drawing an inspiration and copying a design are entirely misconstrued by such professionals. Creativity is compromised on the yearning to earn a quick buck.
Many architects have changed their normal approach to design in the follow-up with ongoing rat race. They are found to spend greater time and effort in preparation of design catalogues and magazine images to impress their clientele. It is a well-known fact that the public sector as well as corporate clients are instantly attracted towards gaudy and dense design solutions with colours and crates! Little emphasis is given to the contextual profile where the project is likely to be built. Ignorance about urban design in also a major issue. Very few architects are educated or specialize in this vital field of built environment studies. Copying from heritage buildings is also not considered as a vice. Countless ‘white house’ type villas and residences in Karachi and other large cities are examples. One group of architects went to the extent of dismantling the Nusserwanjee Building in Karachi — a heritage edifice — from its location to a newly identified premises. Whereas the said architects insisted to call the venture as ‘near conservation’ — it actually amounted to destruction of a fine historic building.
Time demands that professionals must be reminded of their vital professional responsibilities. Statutory bodies such as PCATP need to adopt a vigilant and enforceable code of conduct. Such architects must be suitably reprimanded who attempt to indulge in such low grade practices as plagiarism. Public agencies should also be sensitive towards their responsibilities of maintaining sound objectives and transparent procedures to appreciate only original and creative design solutions for their projects.
From announced projects to the existing buildings, Pakistani architecture is full of copied designs and mundane works of concrete 
