E7-2, Islamabad is located in a very posh area adjacent to the margalla hills, hence affording beautiful views from upper terraces. The house embodies traditional values of a typical Pakistani family in a bold new fashion , resulting in a very modern arrangement of spaces and forms......In Pakistani culture the disjunction between the public and private almost reaches absurd levels,.... considering that I chucked the public space i.e. drawing room, out of the house, throwing it away in the open, linking it only through a glass bridge.
The remaining house is like one solid shell where boundaries are minimal and where every space seamlessly flows. By creating a fourteen feet high ceiling for the living room, different levels are also made to flow into one another, thus creating a strong link between the living spaces and the bedrooms on the upper floors. But the link of this shell to the outside world is again through a bridge that passes over a water body. The water acts like a reflection pool at night.The entire basement is designed as an entertainment area and some utilities, but a sunken lawn and green spaces around the basement create lavish seating and dining spaces for guests that can be brought directly into the basement. All of the terraces can also be used for entertainment, from inside or directly from outside the house.
The house was constructed between 2005 and 2007. At that time we didnot have any of the know international brands available in Pakistan. This house is a DIY of sorts, where everything has been done using ordinary labour and materials but done with designers thorough inpu a every stage.
So
1. flooring is travertine marble
2. cladding is indian sandstone
3. wood is burma teak and Pakistani rose wood
4. paints are all ICI pakistan
5. bathroom fittings and fixtures are Vitra Turkey
