Studies in Integrated Facades

Canvas Gallery - Karachi 2023

Our environment has become increasingly unpredictable in recent years, forcing people to take personal security into their own hands. While we have limited control on our environment, we still want our homes to be shielded from uncertainty and chaos of the outside world. To create a sense of protection, homeowners have chosen to install features such as grills, barriers, barbed wire, and even bastions. Today, the façade of an urban dwelling represents these calculated choices.

These security features were seen as intrusive and overwhelming at the beginning. However, over time they have become an essential part of the structures, blending into the design giving birth to a new language.

Seema Nusrat has been documenting the evolving trend of integrating security features into public and residential architecture. A study of integrated facades’ focuses on home facades, exploring it with a new palette.