South Asia

Four South Asian women architects have been instrumental in reshaping their communities after their countries gained independence from colonial rule under Britain. Pakistan’s first woman architect, Yaseem Lari focused her architectural designs on postcolonialism, gender, climate change, and community participation as she had a role in the design for affordable housing following post-partition Pakistan. Marina Tabassum, a Bangladeshi woman also contributing to the design of low-income housing (post-partition) that considered river erosion, poverty, and preservation of local resources. In India, Pravina Mehta elevated egalitarian values, Indian culture, and social justice in her housing designs, after seeing the wealth disparities amongst her diverse community. Finally, Minette de Silva, from Sri Lanka introduced critical regionalism which sought to balance regional needs with the local ecosystem, resulting in modern buildings that used traditional building techniques and raw materials. Marina, Yaseem, Pravina, and Minette’s contributions have shaped South Asian society with architecture that brings forward the intersection of gender and the environment. Photo Credit: Copyright Randhir Singh