Pakistan’s first female architect, Yasmeen Lari, wins 2023 Royal Gold Medal

Pakistan's first female architect, Prof Yasmeen Lari, has won the 2023 Royal Gold Medal, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced last week.

One of the world's highest accolades for architecture, the honour acknowledges Prof Lari’s work championing zero-carbon self-build concepts for displaced populations, a statement said.

According to RIBA, Prof Lari has been a revolutionary force in Pakistan. Since officially retiring in 2000, she transferred her attention to creating accessible, environmentally friendly construction techniques to help people below the poverty line and communities displaced by natural disasters and the impact of climate change.

In 1980 she co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan with her husband, Suhail Zaheer Lari, pioneering the design of self-build sustainable shelters and housing, creating 50,000 dwellings.

The woman champion is also known for the design of the Chulah Cookstove, of which there are now over 80,000. An eco-alternative to a traditional stove, it significantly reduces emissions, tackling unfavourable environmental and health issues associated with cooking on an open fire.

“I was so surprised to hear this news and of course totally delighted! I never imagined that as I focus on my country's most marginalised people — venturing down uncharted vagabond pathways - I could still be considered for the highest of honours in the architectural profession," she said.

Born in 1941 in Pakistan, Lari moved to London with her family aged 15. After finishing school, she studied art for two years before being accepted into the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, then Oxford Polytechnic.

After graduating in 1964, she returned to Pakistan at age 23 with her husband to establish her own architecture firm Lari Associates, going on to work for major government, business, and financial institutions.

In the last 23 years, Prof Lari and The Heritage Foundation of Pakistan reacted imaginatively and creatively to the physical and psychological damage that a number of major natural disasters; earthquakes, floods and conflicts have inflicted on the people of Pakistan.

Her work is distinguished by the fact that it has focused on developing robust, intelligent yet simple, architectural designs that allow those who are in distress to build for their own needs using the available debris of disaster, the RIBA statement added.

“It was an honour to chair the committee that selected Yasmeen Lari. An inspirational figure, she moved from a large practice centred on the needs of international clients to focussing solely on humanitarian causes," said Simon Allford, president, RIBA.

"Lari’s mission during her ‘second’ career has empowered the people of Pakistan through architecture, engaging users in design and production. She has shown us how architecture changes lives for the better."

The Medal will be officially presented to her next month.

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