The second episode of Al Jazeera’s new series “Rebel Architecture” features Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari, who has built over 36,000 houses since 2010 for those affected by Pakistan’s floods and earthquakes. Rather than using the mass-produced housing designs offered by international organizations, Lari implements traditional building techniques and local materials. In this 25-minute episode she returns to the Sindha Valley region to see how her homes survived floods in 2013 and helps villagers in Awaran district who were hit by the 2013 Balochistan earthquake.
Watch the full episode above and read on after the break for a full episode synopsis and a preview of upcoming episodes…
From Al Jazeera: "A Traditional Future," Directed by Faiza Ahmad Khan
Yasmeen Lari is one of the most successful providers of disaster relief shelters in the world, having built over 36,000 houses for those hit by floods and earthquakes in Pakistan since 2010.
Shunning the weak, mass-produced houses offered by international organisations, she uses vernacular techniques and local materials like lime and bamboo, with a tiny carbon footprint and simple enough for people to build themselves.
With this she hopes to demonstrate the role that architecture can play in humanitarian aid. “I often tell my colleagues, let us not treat disaster-affected households as destitute, needing handouts, but with dignity.” Pakistan’s first female architect, Lari once built giant concrete and steel buildings for clients like the Pakistani State Oil company. “The work I am involved in now is very different” she says, standing in a vast and magnificent foyer of her earlier work.
In this film she returns to the Sindh region to see how her homes survived the 2013 floods, and helps villagers in Arawan after the 2013 Balochistan earthquake.
Rebel Architecture is a new series featuring architects who use design as a form of resistance and activism. By designing for the majority rather than the elite, the architects in “Rebel Architecture” are tackling the world’s urban, environmental and social problems. Through six, half-hour documentaries the series will highlight architects working in Vietnam, Nigeria, Spain, Pakistan, the Occupied West Bank and Brazil. Stay tuned for next week’s episode featuring London-based, Israeli architect Eyal Weizman as he explains architecture’s key role in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. And in case you missed it, check out the first episode, here.
