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History of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture

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Submitted By ffaarraahh
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Syed Akeel Bilgrami
Quite often, those associated with the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture at Karachi have been asked:
- What was the need for the Indus Valley School to spend so much time and effort to re-locate an old building on its campus, and,
- Why the Nusserwanjee Building?
The answers to these questions can be linked to the day, May 1, 1991, when twelve prominent architects of the city brain-stormed at the Indus Valley School to evolve a design criteria for its new campus. The school had just acquired a plot and since it was the first time that a custom–designed campus for an Art and Architecture institution was being built in Pakistan, it was expected the brain-storming would generate some fresh, innovative, ideas. Interestingly however, the consensus at the end of the day, reached, perhaps half in jest, was that an ideal environment for a school of art is in and around an old building, and that the School should find such a building and move into it!

Hardly a week later, Shahid Abdulla, one of the founders of the Indus Valley School, excitedly called to say he had found a beautiful old building, right in the heart of Kharadar, which was for sale and about to be demolished. Before one could express one’s reservations about the location, he quickly added, “We will save it and move it to the campus in Clifton.”

What he had seen was the hundred-year-old Nusserwanjee Building, a stone structure in two blocks of three and four storeys with large halls and high ceilings, originally used as warehouse and offices – ideal spaces for art and design studios.

If this building was to be transplanted at the new campus, the school would be able to (i) save it from the inevitable demolition and destruction (ii) introduce a novel method, an alternative way, to save our architectural heritage (iii) provide a hands-on, once-in-a-lifetime experience

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