ALHAMRA ART CONCIL

http://archnet.org/library/sites/

Location Lahore, Pakistan

Architect/Planner Nayyar Ali Dada
Client Lahore Arts Council
Date 1985-1992
Century 20th
Decade 1990s
Building Types public/cultural, public/cultural
Building Usage auditorium, cultural center
Project ID 405
Keywords Aga Khan Award for Architecture Winner

The Alhamra Arts Council in the 1970s retained architect Nayyar Ali Dada to design a 1,000
seat multi-purpose auditorium that was built and completed in 1979. The council was later
placed under the auspices of a government agency, the Lahore Arts Council, which oversaw
the three subsequent phases of the project: four octagonal structures for administrative
offices and art exhibition galleries that opened in 1984; a 450-seat theatre attached to the
auditorium completed in 1985; and a 250-seat lecture and recital hall finished in 1992.
Throughout this 15-year process, architect Dada used various combinations of polygonal
shapes that meet the acoustic requirements of the performing arts. These forms are also
ingeniously placed on the site to semi-enclose courtyards and green spaces. Another basic
idea to which he adhered was the use of handmade red brick with traditional local mortar as
veneer for the cast-in-place concrete walls. Red brick is the main building material at the
Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, the two most important historic buildings in the city. It
was also the material most widely used by the British, and recalls the red sandstone
architecture of Mughal Lahore. The jury found the complex to be "a rare example of flexible
spaces that has enabled several additions to be made over time, each of which has in turn
enhanced, rather than detracted from, its overall architectural value. This is a very popular
and successful public building, projecting its complexities in a simple and powerful
manner."
Recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1998.

Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan

Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan
Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, Pakistan