ISLAMABAD/LONDON – Professor Yasmeen Lari, founder of the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, has been awarded UK’s King Royal Gold Medal for Architecture for her work related to zero-carbon self-build concepts for displaced populations.
Royal Institute of British Architects announced the award which is the world’s highest accolade for architecture. King Charles III reportedly gave a nod to the medal that is awarded to a person who has had a noteworthy effect on the development of architecture. Royal Gold Medal will be officially presented to Prof Lari in June this year.
In a statement, RIBA said the 82-year-old was a “revolutionary force who has had an immeasurable influence on the trajectory of the architecture and humanitarian work”.
Lari, an Oxford graduate, said she never imagined that as she focus on the country’s most marginalised people, venturing down uncharted vagabond pathways, she could still be considered for the highest of honours in the architectural profession.
British High Commission in Pakistan leads the felicitation with a post on Twitter. “Congrats Yasmeen Lari on winning His Majesty the King’s Royal Gold Medal for Architecture,” the tweet said, and dropped pictures of students from South Asian nation and the UK who gathered at Granny Square in London to “live build 2 zero/low carbon structures designed by Lari”.
🎉 Congrats Yasmeen Lari @ylari 🇵🇰 on winning 🇬🇧 His Majesty the King's 👑 Royal Gold Medal 🥇 for Architecture! 🇬🇧🇵🇰 people-to-people ties #BestHai
📸: @pkBritish brought together 🇵🇰🇧🇩🇬🇧 students to live build 2 zero/low carbon structures designed by Lari at Granary Square. pic.twitter.com/81eAuxfQmM
— UK in Pakistan 🇬🇧🇵🇰 (@ukinpakistan) April 27, 2023
For the unversed, Lari, who left Pakistan at a tender age, played a key role in promoting sustainable architecture, disaster relief, and preservation of cultural heritage in the South Asian nation, and etched her name in history books for being the first female architect of Pakistan and first ever Muslim woman to have started her own architectural firm.
Besides raking accolades in world of architecture, Yasmin has done exceptional work in humanitarian work. Since stepping down in 2000, the noted academic transferred her attention to creating accessible, environmentally friendly construction systems.
