Department of Architecture
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Item JUSTICE AS SPECTACLE: Spatializing Power in the Post-Parliament Era(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) EISHA KHALID; FA21-BAR-045; LHR TP 10184; MOEEZ HASANThis thesis explores justice as a public performance rather than merely a legal function. It investigates how power is expressed through visibility, circulation, surveillance, and spatial hierarchy within judicial architecture. Instead of proposing a conventional courthouse, the project imagines a future judicial complex that intentionally exposes how justice is staged, controlled, interpreted, and concealed. Inspired by the novel Namal, the thesis uses metaphors of light and darkness to translate themes of truth, deception, morality, and hidden authority into architectural space. The design is organized into Light, Grey, and Dark zones, where programs are divided according to how justice is publicly performed, administratively processed, and privately enforced. Situated within Islamabad’s political and symbolic landscape, the project critiques institutional power while exploring architecture as a medium for revealing the visible and invisible structures behind justice.Item CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) Syed Arif; FA21-BAR-042; LHR TP 10183; Moeez HassanThis thesis has explored the link between music and architecture through a Conservatory of Music designed on Pine Avenue Road, Lahore. The main purpose is to create modern cultural institutions, where the sound is the main generator of spatial organization, material choice, and user experience, in opposition to the classic functional zoning conventions in the architectural practice. The main idea is the development of sound intensity that characterises the project in three overlapping zones: Education (low to medium), Production (high controlled), and Performance (dynamic high). The gradient provides an architectural progression from quiet, focused learning spaces, to precise, technical recording studios, to enveloping, reverberant concert halls. Each zone is architecturally tuned to its own acoustic needs, while keeping functionality and spatial continuity. This thesis is built upon the famous quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Architecture is frozen music.” It explores how fundamental structures of music, such as rhythm, melody, harmony and form, can be expressed in physical compositions of space. The rhythm is repeating modular classrooms and structural bays. Melody is the sensation of moving through the building one way. Harmony is the equilibrium between the solid and the void, between the light and the shadow. The overall master plan is organized in the logic of musical form. The spatial and conceptual strategies are developed from case studies of precedent projects such as Breathing Brick, Karachi, School of Music, Bucharest, House of Music, Aalborg and Stretto House, Texas. These precursors are examples of successful combinations of acoustic logic, material expression, and music-inspired design thinking. The transition spaces work as acoustic pauses, and the master plan develops a spatial crescendo from silence to sonic climax. The thesis concludes that architecture can be “frozen music” indeed, translating rhythm, silence, and intensity into a meaningful sequence of physical and experiential sequence, creating a new cultural landmark for Lahore.Item DESIGNING A CLIMATE PROSTHETIC(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) Haseeb Ahmed; FA21-BAR-041; LHR TP 10182; Zeeshan ZaheerLahore, ranked consistently among the world's most polluted cities, faces an accelerating environmental crisis driven by hazardous air quality, rising urban heat, declining green cover, and the near-total absence of ecologically active public infrastructure. PM2.5 concentrations regularly exceed WHO safe limits by twelve to twenty-five times, while the urban heat island effect raises local temperatures three to five degrees Celsius above surrounding areas. Despite the scale of this crisis, architecture in Lahore continues to function as a passive built object, consuming environmental resources rather than contributing to ecological repair. This thesis proposes an Environmental Regeneration Hub at Bab-e-Pakistan, Lahore — a site of immense historical significance that currently remains ecologically inactive and environmentally underperforming. Through an adaptive reuse strategy, the proposal transforms the existing octagonal structure into an integrated ecological infrastructure combining an EPA research laboratory, a seed bank, an experiential greenhouse, Miyawaki urban forestry, and a central Voronoi titanium dioxide tower.Item Embodied Earth: A Ceramics-Based Retreat Exploring Sensory Experience, Craft, and Human Growth(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) TEHREEM NASRULLAH; FA21-BAR-038; LHR TP 10181Contemporary urban environments are portrayed by high stress levels, sensory overload, social disconnection, and decreasing levels of mental health. As urban life becomes increasingly fast and technology driven, the individual is increasingly being removed from the tactile, lilting, and creative experiences associated with living. This condition calls for an intervention that addresses this situation and offers a form of healing. In this context, this thesis proposes a Ceramic Retreat in Bani Gala, Islamabad, as an architectural environment that will facilitate a therapeutic retreat through the use of ceramics, crafts, nature, and sensory immersion. This thesis attempts to understand the connection between ceramics and human health through the analysis of clay, which will be considered not just as an art and craft material but also as a substance that could contribute to emotional grounding, mindfulness practices, physical activity, and psychological recovery. The kneading, shaping, carving, drying, and firing process facilitates focus, relaxation, and sensory modulation. At the same time, the qualities associated with clay and earth allow for healthier physical spaces, due to their thermodynamic properties and acoustic softness. The location is set in the ecologically abundant setting of Bani Gala near Rawal Lake, providing access to expansive views of the lake, diffused light, and serenity. Spatially, this project employs courtyards, covered walkways, reflective gardens, partially enclosed workshops, meditative spaces, and integration of living spaces within the landscape in order to foster the gradual process of creation, contemplation, learning, and relaxation that underpin the retreat experience. Architecturally, this is informed by the physical properties and behaviors of clay itself, including layering, erosion, plasticity, texture, porosity, transformation. This study is based on phenomenological theory, therapeutic architecture, environmental psychology, material engagement, and vernacular sustainability, authors like Hassan Fathy, Juhani Pallasmaa, Peter Zumthor, and Anupama kundoo contribute to this thesis through their focus on sensory architecture, people first design, local materials and climatically responsive building techniques. This study will result in the proposal of an architectural typology that integrates aspects of craftsmanship, mental health, ecology, and cultural preservation, ultimately elevating clay from its material function into a healing medium in contemporary architecture.Item The Sports-Hospitality Anchor Resolving Urban Logistics and Security in Lahore’s International Cricket Circuit(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) Hamza Ali; FA21-BAR-037; LHR TP 10180; Maira KhanThis is an architectural thesis that aims to conceive an integrated 5-star hotel complex within the historic precinct of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Structural polarization is a problem in developing countries with large and important sporting facilities that become crowded, energized and highly secure during major sporting events and remain underused, silent and off-limits to the public on non-event days. In addition, the presence of foreign sports teams in Lahore is often accompanied by catastrophic traffic jams on the 7 km stretch of a Lahore transit road that connects the farthest hotels to the sports complex because of tight security blockades. This project aims to solve these spatial and urban conflicts by introducing a high-density luxury hotel complex which is in direct linkage with Nishtar park sports complex. This proposal takes advantage of the recent strategic acquisition by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of a multi-storied building along with an adjoining plot in the area of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for Rs 4.68 billion (acquired initially for Rs 4 billion) and follows up on the public-private partnership (P-P) plan to transform the adjacent LCCA ground into a high-rise hotel node. The research methodology is mixed methods, which includes site analysis of Nishtar Park, dynamic transport modelling of the congested corridors of Lahore and precedent study of stadium integrated hotels worldwide, including Hilton Garden Inn at Emirates Old Trafford, and Radisson RED at Twickenham Allianz Stadium. The final design incorporates a luxury hotel with 250 rooms, in compliance with the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Building and Zoning Regulations. It includes special highsecurity athletic floors, a high-performance training center modeled after the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, and multiple use public spaces that will be used to keep the street alive on days when it's not hosting events, in keeping with the Chief Minister's goal of fostering healthy youth activities. The project introduces a new paradigm in sports attached to the urban environment and successfully shows the integration of biophilic elements with public space using high-security architecture.Item ECHOES OF THE DUNE | REIMAGINING A LUXURY HOSPITALITY RETREAT THROUGH DUNE MORPHOLOGY, CULTURAL CONTINUITY AND CONTEMPORARY INFRASTRUCTURE IN DUBAI(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) UMAIR EHTSHAM; FA21-BAR-034; LHR TP 10179; Moeez HasanRegarding Echoes of the dune, the thesis explores what dune morphology, environmental perception and spatial sequencing can bring to hospitality architecture which while responding to the sensory qualities of the desert also remains contemporary in functionality and expression, so the guest experience is still top-notch. Rather than just replicating gulf and nomadic architecture and practices the thesis is extracting underlaying spatial principles such as privacy gradients, shaded transitions, layered circulation, and environmental buffering. The research involves theoretical studies, climatic analysis, and regional case studies which help determine the relationship between hospitality architecture, environmental sequencing, and spatial immersion. The project translates the layering, movement, and fluid geometries of dunes into a contemporary architectural language. Rather than taking old architecture and replicating to the research revolves around taking those elements breaking them to core principals and reinterpreting them, which is blended with a contemporary style of architecture. The final design is organized in such a way that accommodation and shared amenities are present within a central hospitality structure which is supported by surrounding public and semi-public recreational spaces and public amenities. The proposal ultimately presents a functional and atmospheric resort experience.Item TECHNO URBAN HABITAT LIVE | WORK | PLAY Zero Gravity Urbanism within NSIT Lahore(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) USMAN WAHEED; FA21-BAR-033; LHR TP 10178; Mekal ChugtaiLahore is experiencing one of the fastest urban transformations in Pakistan, yet its growth patterns continue to push the city toward an unsustainable trajectory. Rapid horizontal sprawl, severe air pollution, fragmented land use, and the absence of a consolidated technology district collectively diminish the quality of urban life and suppress the potential of Pakistan's growing IT economy. This thesis proposes Techno Urban Habitat — Live | Work | Play, a vertically integrated mixed-use ecosystem at Nawaz Sharif IT City (NSIT), Lahore. The project is grounded in the principles of Zero Gravity Urbanism — a design philosophy that redistributes urban activity across multiple vertical levels — and the Live–Work–Play model, which integrates residential, professional, and recreational life within a single interconnected district. The design organises 7.5 acres within the 853-acre NSIT site as a high-density vertical prototype, accommodating IT offices, innovation labs, co-living units, sky-level recreational facilities, and public social spaces. Radial masterplanning, experiential spatial sequencing, multiple social nodes, visual connectivity, and skybridge infrastructure form the architectural core of the proposal. The thesis draws on precedents including Arfa Karim Technology Park, Google Bay View Campus, Linked Hybrid, and The Interlace to extract strategies for vertical community-building, social condensation, and climate-responsive design. It positions NSIT not merely as a tech park but as a replicable prototype for sustainable, innovation-driven urban development in the Global South.Item An Experiential Urban Recreational Centre Using Architecture as a Tool Through Light, Materiality, Movement, and Landscape(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) Syeda Affaf Zahra Rizvi; FA21-BAR-003; Maira Khan; LHR TP 10175As cities continue to urbanize rapidly, commercialization becomes a priority, thus reducing the number of green spaces and neglecting human centered spaces. For instance, Ferozepur Road in Lahore has witnessed the extensive loss of open and green spaces due to its rapid growth of industries and commercial areas, putting further strain on the environment as well as depriving the communities of daily activities. Although the importance of public spaces for social integration, environmental harmony and help create comfortable and enjoyable experiences is highlighted in urban design discussions, a major deficiency exists in terms of developing such notions into transitional urban systems associated with infrastructure in pressure corridors. The current study aims to fill the gap by suggesting an Urban Recreational Centre concept for creating a holistic urban space through regeneration. Site analysis, spatial mapping, behavioural observation, questionnaire surveys, and comparative studies have been applied to understand the user behaviours, spatial organization, and requirements of the community in order to make design decisions. Through a carefully orchestrated progression of transition zones, the design idea weaves together aspects of commerce and community by playing with light, movement, and materials to create spatial montage. By employing a system of concealing and revealing landscapes, pauses, and opportunities for respite are provided to allow re-opening of space in the densifying urban context. Drawing on the cultural memory of the abandoned agricultural lands, nature is embedded into the urban life through the integration of seasonal rhythms into the urban fabric. Rather than one place of destination, the project provides a continuously growing set of places for fitness, relaxation, play and social interaction. These results indicate that the fragmented urban margins could be strategically activated through a designed layered spatial system that carefully integrates ecological, social, and commercial systems, not creating any conflicts. Thus, the recreation infrastructure serves not merely as amenity but as a mechanism of urban renewal. In conclusion, the project highlights recreation as an indispensable element of the urban structure, rather than a desirable accessory. It provides a viable example for replication in other rapidly urbanizing areas.Item BEYOND GLASS TOWERS: Towards a Biophilic Regenerative Mixed-Use High-Rise(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) AYESHAM SAJJAD; FA21-BAR-030; LHR TP 10176; TAIMUR SARWARGlobal South has witnessed significant environmental consequences due to rapid urbanization. Frequent agricultural land loss, increasing urban heat island effects, and the systematic erosion of ecological footprint within metropolitan centers. Lahore is a city where this pattern has reached alarming threshold. Decades of uncontrolled horizontal urban sprawl have consumed productive lands, highly stressed municipal systems, and generated climate stresses that continue to reshape the city's environmental baseline. Ironically, Lahore's most significant and advertised urban response is the development of a Central Business District. This proposal risks reinforcing the same architectural typology that contributes to this degradation i.e. the energy-intensive, ecologically indifferent commercial high-rise. The architecture within high-value urban districts has historically preferred economic gain over environmental accountability. This premium development has largely contributed to energy consumption, heat-island effect, and land displacement. This thesis operates on the premise that the capacity to build well carries with it the obligation to build responsibly. Therefore, the elite urban districts are not exempt from environmental ambition, but most obligated to it. This thesis proposes a regenerative mixed-use high-rise prototype for Lahore's CBD. The main idea behind this building is to present ecological systems as an environmental infrastructure and not merely an aesthetic gesture. The ecological layer is in addition to commercial, residential, and public programs. The research investigates the impact of façade-integrated productive landscapes. Suspended greenhouse structures, sky gardens, and bioclimatic design strategies can be used as an architectural language in the skyscraper. The research is based on the climatic realities of Lahore where temperature, intensifying urban heat island effects, deteriorating air quality, and near-total loss of productive agricultural land has led to serious climatic concerns. The design is based on ecological urbanism, compact city theory, and bioclimatic high-rise design. Precedent studies of the EDITT Tower, PARKROYAL Collection Pickering, Pasona Group Headquarters, and the Milan Expo 2015 pavilions show the practical feasibilty of the proposed approach. The thesis concludes that in most economically strong districts of Lahore, skyscrapers should be more than mere commercial performers. Ultimately, this thesis argues that in Lahore’s most economically powerful district, the skyscraper can do more than perform commercially. It can 6 respond to environmental responsibility and has the capacity to become a prototype for regenerative vertical urbanism. Thus, bringing commercial ambition and ecological intelligence in a single framework.Item OASIS (Orbital Architecture for Space Innovation & Sanctuary)(Library Information Services, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, 2026-06-30) HAMZA BASHARAT; FA21-BAR-029; LHR TP 10175; Shazia HanifThe evolution of humans is characterized by a constant struggle of survival, adaptation and exploration. Ever since the first shelters were created up to the emergence of the complicated cities, architecture has been the immediate manifestation of the relationship between man and his surroundings. Nowadays, when Earth experiences the growing threat of overpopulation, environmental devastation, and resource depletion, the current development of human evolution has gone beyond the limits of the Earth into space. This thesis examines the architectural and existential need to extend human presence into outer space, and architecture is the liminal point between human biological constraint and technological possibility. The study focuses on examining how environmental, psychological, and spatial requirements change during the presence of microgravity and vacuum environments, with a focus on the adaptability and sustainability of microgravity and vacuum environments and human wellbeing. Basing the thesis on the existing research on the history of the International Space Station, NASA habitat modules, and the upcoming commercial space programs, the author develops an architectural design of orbital habitation. The suggested design is a self-sustaining orbital habitat to serve space tourism and long-term habitation with the use of modularity, regenerative systems, and human centered spatial organization. Finally, this work claims that the development of architecture into alien spaces does not only represent the technological quest, but the human identity that continues the continuum of life, culture and imagination to other realms other than the Earth. This thesis shows the change of space architecture from only being about survival in engineering to the experience of humans, beauty and emotional comfort. The concept is based on a strict geometric discipline combined with a contemporary classical design approach that demonstrates that highly technical space habitats can provide inspiring space. In the end, this project is laying the groundwork for future space-based architecture, demonstrating that the principles of design which are timeless, even in the vacuum of space are essential to the human spirit