 This is the story of how a building took shape, how it evolved through the various design stages, how it incorporated carefully studied historical precedent, and how it was transformed twice, when the Client – Oxford University Press, Pakistan (OUP) – first fired Kamil Khan Mumtaz, the architect, took on another, and later went back to the original designer to see the building through to its completion.
Like any building project, this too started with a perceived need – storage space for printed books close to an expanded corporate office. Looking around the city, from the perspective of their earlier office housed in a residential building on Sharae Faisal, Karachi, the OUP selected a site in the Korangi industrial area that already had a structure which could immediately be converted into their warehouse. It would give them breathing time to think about and plan their new office building on the open space available.
Ameena Saiyid, the dynamic Managing Director of the OUP in Pakistan, on a visit to the Chandbagh School in Muridke, Punjab, had been impressed by it. On enquiring, she learnt that the architect who had designed it was Kamil Khan Mumtaz of Lahore. It did not take long to cement the relationship, and Mumtaz set about to design a “Karachi” building in November 1996.
Having the full support of the client, Mumtaz’s first instinct was to develop an open, breezy building, with open courts and generous balconies. However, it became obvious that this would not be practical for an office building, given the nature of the work in the publishing business, and the degree of air pollution at this industrial site. “ While we had the full support of the client in our preferences for the “Karachi” building, the original concepts had to be modified in response to the programme, building regulations, economy, etc,” says Mumtaz.
The brief was clear: open-plan offices grouped into major functional units, one or two at each level. The building that initially took shape was on a square grid, had a basement for parking, and three levels above with provision for another floor. It consisted of two open-plan halls, front and rear, with a lobby at the middle. This lobby had the main stairs and two lifts on one side, the fire-escape stairs and two toilets on the other side. A central void above the ground floor and at each of the upper levels was open to a north-facing roof-top skylight, thus illuminating this area at each floor.
After going through the usual series of modifications in response to changing client requirements, the design team was bewildered by the formalities of the KDA and the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) in obtaining ‘approval’ to build. A local architect was engaged to facilitate this procedure, but he did not succeed. At this point, according to Mumtaz, “my local associate Shahid Khan was replaced by (architect) Murlidhar Dawani, primarily to assist in obtaining the approval from the KBCA”.
In December 1999, before the building plans were approved, Mumtaz’s appointment was abruptly terminated. Dawani (known in Karachi circles as Murli) was assigned the task of taking the project through to completion. Construction started soon thereafter, albeit of a somewhat different building. According to Murli, extensive studies of the building exterior were carried out until an acceptable elevation was developed. The central lobby was revised extensively, and the central void at each level given up.
In July 2000 the OUP once again approached Mumtaz and requested him to ‘assist Murli with the exterior and interior design.’ With some trepidation Mumtaz agreed, as he still considered the building to be ‘his baby’. But on visiting the site he was amazed to find that the building, its structure by then nearly complete, had changed almost beyond recognition, externally and internally. Gone were the projected balconies all around which were to be shaded by wooden jafri screens. Gone also were the large open-plan halls. The interiors had been sub-divided with block walls to create a number of rooms.  Ameena Saiyid said she was equally dismayed to realize that Mumtaz’s original concept had been lost amidst the numerous changes. She, however, requested that he try and salvage whatever he could of that concept, even at this late stage.
Mumtaz was reappointed as the architect. Murli was bitterly disappointed, for losing the job and also for not getting a fair settlement of his fee for the work he had done. In OUP’s opinion, however, Murli’s claim was unjustified. Although it was not possible to return entirely to the original concept, Mumtaz set about to restore his design to the extent possible within the structure ‘as built’.
The building that was completed three years later is a five-level structure. The main entrance, through a monumental metal door, leads into a double-height, though somewhat narrow foyer having an antique Jharoka window on the opposite wall and glazing at either end, off the office areas at level -2. The high roof of the foyer serves as a roof garden at level -3, with the upper floors set back around it.
Mumtaz, when removed from the project earlier, had not made up his mind about the exterior wall finish. He was, however, striving to achieve a Colonial-era image reminiscent of various buildings in the Karachi area. Since the built structure no longer allowed the projected balconies he had wanted, he went back to study alternate historical typologies and admits to finding Yasmeen Lari’s book ‘Karachi – During the Raj’ both informative and useful for its valuable documentation. He decided to have a stone exterior, with deep-set windows and wood louvres. Turning the pages through Lari’s book, it does not take long to come upon pictures of the Bristol Hotel, Civil Lines, Karachi, 1910, (p 305). e fenestration and cornices of the OUP Building, one may say, bear more than an incidental similarity to the three-tier Italian Renaissance style of the Hotel, although developed by Mumtaz after extensive computer-modelling and sun-path animation studies in deference to the Karachi climate.
Having decided on using stone on the building exterior Mumtaz, who normally propagates a purely traditional architectural vocabulary, construction methods and materials, relied on his vast knowledge and experience to develop details for the cladding that are perhaps as close to real stone masonry in appearance as was possible. The flat and semi-circular arches, as also the cornices, the stone railings and corner details are very skilfully done, barely betraying the thin-slice stone facing in which they have been executed.
The completed building, fully clad in pale yellow Gadap sandstone, is very much a ‘Karachi’ building, although an unusual sight both in form and finish in the industrial area where it is located. Openings at the ground level are all rectangular, except the main entrance doorway. All openings at levels 2 and 3 above have semi-circular arches, stone railings and wooden louvers. Openings at the upper two levels are again rectangular. This simple, box-like mass, with openings placed in a disciplined order, portrays dignity and distinction.
According to Mumtaz, “The major change necessitated by the structure as built was from the ‘breezy, cantilevered balconies’ to a more solid masonry façade. This has been a sensible change because the building could not have been naturally ventilated, and the stone façade is as much characteristic of Karachi as the balconies would have been.”
The interior of this building is a different story, and must be experienced to be comprehended. Mumtaz reopened the interior halls. However, in his enthusiasm for traditional materials, finishes and craftsmanship, he has thrown architectural restraint to the winds: The entrance foyer, the central lift / stair lobby, the Managing Director’s office suite on the ground floor, the other open-plan office halls at each level, and the executive dining room on the top floor are each decorated in a coordinated and colourful graphic repertoire of tile-work in the walls, painted ceilings and patterned floors. The sheer exuberance of colour and pattern, distinctly derived from sources carefully researched and executed by master craftsmen brought to Karachi especially for the purpose, has created a unique corporate interior of a twenty-first century organisation steeped in the rich heritage of this country.
Whereas it is not easily discernible what features, if any, from his Chandbagh School project have found their way into the OUP Building, the interiors bear resemblance to those of Mumtaz’s Darul Hikmat complex, Lahore. There, as here, the craftmen were given ‘space’ to develop their own motifs and patterns within the overall discipline imposed by the architecture – but then the former is done in frescoes whereas the OUP interiors are in glazed tile-work and painted Naqqashi ceilings.
“While making every effort to ensure a functionally ‘efficient’ building in terms of air-conditioning, lighting, information technologies and other services,” explains Mumtaz, “we have tried to incorporate traditional materials and designs wherever appropriate. Thus in the external stone cladding and stone details, the brass and copper entrance door, the pressed cement floor tiles, the Kashi glazed wall tiles, naqqashi painted ceilings, sheesham wood stair treads, skirtings, railings and mouldings, and the use of “chiq” blinds and wooden louvers in the windows, these adaptations of traditional materials and designs to contemporary building requirements were not made to provide mere ethnic touches. They were functionally and economically the better option compared with available “modern alternatives”.
In this sense Mumtaz has succeeded – one may say brilliantly – in incorporating modernity with tradition, a favourite theme in many of his talks and writings. The questions that come to mind, however, are:
- What would this building have been like had it remained in Mumtaz’s hands throughout?
- Had it not changed hands, would it have been better?
- Does the responsibility for the finished building get shared between the two architects? Can the client be held responsible at all?
Probing the sequence of decisions and events that affected the evolution of the OUP Building is the investigative part of this article, and is meant to inform the reader factually. Answering the questions above is likely to be speculative, but the building cannot be evaluated fairly without attempting the answers.
It would not be incorrect to say that, whereas the balconies may have borne a closer resemblance to the flats in the old city, the stone façade is more appropriate to a corporate appearance. It is possible that Mumtaz himself may have reconsidered the balconies at some point. These were dropped by Murli and credit must go to him, but the final appearance of the building has also resulted from Mumtaz accepting the change and then re-working the windows, incorporating the louvres, and developing the cladding details with meticulous perfection.
Ameena Saiyid perhaps realised that, with Mumtaz’s departure, various other features she had admired in his work were being overlooked or set aside, and had the good sense to bring him back. It is quite possible that, with his return, Mumtaz had a freer hand, particularly with the interiors, which another client may have questioned or shied away from. Not only did Mumtaz then work hard with the craftspeople to develop the tile-work, the ceilings, the flooring, the brass door, etc, he even designed and developed the complete furniture system for the building, thus leaving his distinctive mark all the way.
Enclosures:
1. Selected Photos Exteriors Interiors
2. The original concept drawings GF Plan
(Scanned Images) Section A A
East Elevation
South Elevation
Rendering of the Façade
- The final concept as developed by Mumtaz after his re-instatement Ground Floor Plan
East Elevation
North Elevation
- Image of the newly completed building at the time of its official opening
- The Chandbagh School, Muridke, Punjab
This is the project that led OUP to architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz
- Inspirations
- Mumtaz’s original concept was based on these buildings on Napier Road, Karachi. Note the projecting timber balconies and ornate cast-iron railings. (1920’s)
6.2 The final elevation is perhaps derived from the Bristol Hotel, Civil Lines, Karachi (1910)
from ‘Karachi dining the Raj’, Lari, 1996
7. Project Data
- The Traditional Crafts used
Project Data
Project Title Oxford University Press Head Office
Plot Area: 8,000 sq.yds.
Built-up Area: 41,666 sq.ft.
Location: Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi
Architects: Kamil Khan Mumtaz
Murlidar Davani
Plumbing Consultant Y.H. Associates
Electrical Consultant A.S. Associates
Excellent Associates
Fahim Nanji & Desouza
Structural Consultant Mushtaq and Bilal Project Management Consultant
Con Track Building Superviser Ziauddin Khan
Project History Commencement:
Nov 1996
Murlidhar engaged to assist Dec 1998
Construction Started Jan 2000
KKM reinstated July 2000
Completion: March 2003
Civil works Rafiq Sons;
Stone cladding R.M. Traders
Kashi tiles Kashigars of Nassarpur
Flooring tiles Roshan Tiles
Main Entrance Door M. Hafeez
Naqqashi ceilings Ustad Saifur Rahman
The Traditional Crafts Used
Stone Cladding
The external cladding is in pale yellow “Gadap” sandstone from the foothills of the Kirthar Range in the vicinity of Karachi. The choice of the stone and the general character of the details reflect the British colonial buildings of the city. The work has been done by a family of stone carvers who migrated to Karachi from Rajasthan.
Main Entrance Door
The main entrance door was made in Lahore by Muhammad Hafeez, who belongs to a family of metal craftsmen who hail from Karnal. While this family's craft tradition is linked to Moradabad, Hafeez himself was trained by a master skilled in the Kashmiri school but well versed in all the major styles. Thus while the door is based on Kashmiri design, Hafeez has skillfully woven in forms such as the "suraj mukhi", or sunflower motif, from other Mughal schools, and has not hesitated to improvise wherever necessary, as in the fanlight.The embossed brass and copper work used in the door is called "chitrai".
Naqqashi ceilings
The painted ceilings in the central lobby, the managing director’s office, conference and meeting room was done by Hafeezur Rahman under the guidance of his father Ustad Saif-ur-Rahman. Ustad Saif began his apprenticeship in the traditional building arts in Lahore under Ustad Ghulam Muhiyuddin of Chiniot. He started to do decorative paintings on buildings at the age of 12. He extended his skills and knowledge of the building arts while working on numerous Archaeology and Auqaf Department projects under the guidance of Khan Waliullah Khan.
The traditional naqqashi on wood employs natural mineral pigments in a water medium with “saraish” adhesive. The ceilings are designed with “tilli murabba” patterned borders and geometric “girah” grid based on an eight-pointed star.
Jharoka
Opposite the main entrance door in the reception foyer is an antique “Jharoka” window. Wooden balconies such as this were a typical element of the street façade of the traditional Sindhi town houses.
Kashi tiles
Glazed tiles used in the dados in the central lobby were made in Nasarpur by the Kashigar family who have been practicing this art for centuries. It is said that these craftsmen were brought from Iraq and settled in Nasarpur to make the glazed tiles for the Shahjahan Mosque in Thatta. But the Kashigars themselves claim that the craft is much older, and was practiced in several towns along the river where the required fine clay was available, and may have come from Iran with the Aryans.
The designs used are based on those in the tombs of Pir Noor Mohammad Shah Gilani and Pir Mohammad Ashraf Qureshi at Kamaro near Nasarpur, and the Tomb of Pir Joriyal Shah Gilani in Nasarpur. The patterns include girah, badroom, turanj, raizah, and kamaan.
Floor tiles
Pressed cement floor tiles were much in vogue in Karachi in the ‘30s and ‘40s, but the quality has been deteriorating over recent decades. The architect has reintroduced this “colonial” flooring with designs based on the Sindhi “ajrak” and the use of natural mineral pigments. The tiles were produced by Roshan Tiles in Lahore.
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