Daily Times

Tell us about your foray into the field of architecture. How did it all begin for you?

Architects are born to be architects. As a child I had a compulsion to create and make. Also I remember a need to disassemble things to see how they were made. The toys I was given were tactile and constructible, Lego and Mechano. So I guess it began with my parents and the toys I was given. But the perhaps the most important aspect was the encouragement I received to develop curiosity and a need for inquiry.

Where does you expertise lie? Is it in interiors or building designing?

Expertise is a process of continual development and effort. In architecture, I have focused on schools and hospitals. There’s a substantial give back to society and community in these kinds of projects. This has been very satisfying. I work on residential design, building design and interior design with equal joy. Design is at the centre. I notice detail and beauty in great intensity and attempt to infuse that into my works. Sensitivity and sensuousness is paramount, a certain softness and attempted timelessness is so important. Self-improvement has to be continuous.

In 2016, you launched a coffee table book of photographs, which was very well received. Tell us a little about that.

I have written and published two books and am currently working on another set of three. The first is titled Baltistan — Apricot Bloom. This is a coffee table book with a short poem in Urdu and a few essays. Upon returning from Baltistan, I felt compelled to write the verses celebrating the dialectic that exists between the power of landscape and fragility of life in those valleys. The photographs I took support the verses. The emotive qualities embedded in all of nature reveals itself so very powerfully in this area. And to top it all, the apricot blossoms were in full bloom at that time! The second is titled Sumandar Par. This is also a poetry book supported by my photography and writing in English, Urdu and transliterations. The book illustrates a 90-line Urdu story poem about discovering ocean bioluminescence off the coast of Karachi. The winter sky was starlit and the Quadrantid meteoroid shower that night created a canopy that ensconced the vibrant light trails created by marine life. The clear offshore waters and the night sky become one, the infinite scale of the cosmos and the very finite scale of the micro-organism met that night. And I was somewhere in between. The third will be a three-volume book set, both print and digital, titled Karachi-Korangi Creeks — Edge of Delta. They will hopefully be completed by December 2020. These books will showcase the mangroves of the Korangi Creeks, in their marvellous manifestations. I’m previewing some of the videos and images on my Instagram page.

Pakistan is where I have roots and had opted to return after studies. This was one of the best decisions of my life

Tell us about your own abode. Have you designed it yourself?

Yes, I designed the house. It’s a place of rest, a sanctuary for my family and myself. Immediately upon completion, we planted large trees all around, installed small ponds and ground covers. The ‘E’ shaped house functions as a wind catcher and creates microclimates. Birds and other animals live all around us, enriching our lives.

What are you currently working on?

We are currently working on a spectrum of project types: from residences to coffee shops, from office buildings to apartment towers, hospitals to schools. One of the projects that I’m really looking forwards to is a theatre in Karachi for 650 people. The completion is within a couple of months.

What has been your dream project all along? Have you gotten it yet or still waiting? Which has been the closest you’ve done to label it as a dream project?

I’ve always wanted to design an arts complex. I would like to help create a community of buildings and spaces that celebrate all the arts; tactile, visual, auditory and performance. I’ve been given opportunities; the closest ones are the almost complete theatre for Beaconhouse School System and the Generation School, both in Karachi.

What according to you has been your biggest achievement so far?

I’m not sure. This is for others to judge.

What motivates you to excel no matter what?

The desire to learn and understand is my major motivation in a search for excellence. I’ve an inherent need to reach to the essence of what needs to be done, and gain knowledge, skills and craft required to express it.

What is your vision for Pakistan and what does it mean to be Pakistani for you?

I am desi. Pakistan is where I have roots and had opted to return after studies. This was one of the best decisions of my life. I would like to see a prosperous country that looks after this incredible piece of land that I’ve seen. I would like us to be and act as custodians over what we have. I would like to see corruption to be removed from our DNA. I would like our society to be pluralistic and welcoming to all.

We, at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours?

Abdul Sattar Edhi, Dr Adeeb Rizvi, Dr Abdul Bari and my late father Feroze Qaiser.

Achievements

MASTER OF ALL TRADES

Tariq Alexander Qaiser is a man of multiple talents and he has done justice to every single one of them. He is not just a renowned architect but is also the author of two books. His photography skills are known to many and puts them to good use from time to time.

AT THE HELM OF AFFAIRS

Tariq Alexander Qaiser is the chief executive officer of TAQ Associates Architecture & Interior Design Pvt (Ltd). He is a lifetime member of the Pakistan Council of Architects & Town Planners, a member of the Institute of Architects Pakistan and a founding member of the Pakistan Institute of Interior Design. He has been on the board of studies of the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture and a studio instructor for Architecture Studio. He’s also an external advisor for architecture students from various architectural schools in Pakistan. He holds the post of principal architect for the Indus Hospital Karachi. He is a board member of the Hunar Foundation.

RAKING IN THE AWARDS

Tariq is the proud recipient of the Excellence in Architecture Award 2009 for architectural interiors, awarded by the Institute of Architects Pakistan.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Tariq has presented the design of an MDR TB facility at a seminar in Istanbul, Turkey for the Civilian Research & Development Foundation, in 2009. He has also been a faculty member at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has been a lecturer/facilitator for the airborne infection control workshop at the Tropical Diseases Foundation, Manila, Philippines.

A DEPENDABLE SOCIAL WORKER

Tariq contributes architectural services to The Citizens Foundation, an organisation setting up primary schools in less privileged areas. He’s a founding member of People & Nature Initiative which is a non-government organisation, committed to cleaning water and setting up of water treatment plants in Pakistan.

CONTRIBUTING TO THEATRE

Tariq is almost done with the designing of a theatre for leading schools such as Beaconhouse and Generation School.

PROMOTING CULTURE

Smitten by the beauty of the north as well as his hometown, Tariq’s books have shed light on Baltistan, Karachi and Korangi.