A few weeks ago one of the villages we helped to rebuild after the 2010 flooding in Pakistan was hit by a monsoon. While it tore through nearby towns the resilient construction methods proved their worth and the village sustained little damage.

We supported The Heritage Foundation (founded and run by the first woman architect of Pakistan, Yasmeen Lari) and Architecture for Humanity Karachi, both of whom used local labor and natural building materials such as bamboo and earth block to build low-carbon footprint, sustainable, flood-resistant housing and infrastructure. In addition, Arup provided engineering support.

Pictured here is the Women's center built by The Heritage Foundation that serves as the heart of the village and as an emergency flood recovery center. As you see it is standing tall.

The recipients of the grants awarded toward the Pakistan Flood Rebuilding Program have completed their reconstruction efforts in three villages of the Sindh Province. Benefiting nearly 600 people deeply impacted by last year's devastating floods, the reconstruction efforts addressed housing, external development, community centers as well improvements in the sanitation and water infrastructure.

The Heritage Foundation, founded by the first woman architect in Pakistan Yasmeen Lari, focused on low cost, low carbon-foot print housing solutions that make use of indigenous materials. See the Heritage Foundation End of Project Report.

Pakistan program completes construction of 25 sustainable homes and community structures in two villages of the Sindh Province hit hardest by last year's floods.

This is how the Heritage Foundation summarized the impact of the work currently being completed in the Shipkarpur and Khairpur areas of the Sindh Province. Construction perfected in the Swat valley last year has been replicated to provide housing to 25 families affected by the devastating floods. Training workshops on building low carbon footprint structures were carried out by the Heritage Foundation team, including founder Yasmeen Lari. In attendance were students in architecture, conservation and archeology as well as representatives of local NGO's and the Khairpur Civil Society.

Learn more about this project and see the latest updates:

Rebuilding efforts in the Sindh Province are in full development for our Google grant recipients, both the Heritage Foundation and our Karachi Chapter in collaboration with the Karachi Relief Trust.

At the end of last year Architecture for Humanity began working alongside two Pakistani organizations to assist in post-flooding disaster construction. We are pleased to report that training and building workshops for these recipients have already begun. This initiative was made possible through generous funding from individuals and companies and a partnership with the Heritage Foundation, our Karachi Chapter and the Karachi Relief Trust.

Program One

Via Mahboob Khan, Architecture for Humanity Karachi

"We are fast gearing up for the reconstruction work. On the ground the following is underway:

- Work has started on the first village at Munda headworks. 30 brick homes and a school are planned. Layouts, excavation and foundations for 12 homes has started.

- Swat, Fizagut Bridge fund raising is underway. Site survey work has been awarded, the team starts today. Hydrological and River morphology work will also start this weekend. Design concepts are being discussed. We have bridge designers from Halcrow and Mushtaq and Bilal Engineers assisting us.

On September 4th and 5th the Karachi chapter of Architecture for Humanity continued post-flood assessments in partnership with the Karachi Relief Fund. On Sunday the team was surveying a potential site at Fizagat, which is approximately 3-5km from Saidu Shaif. They were stunned by what they found. A village that has designed their way out of the floods and into economic recovery.


Chapter leader Mahboob Khan explained, "The Swat riverbed extends over 300m at this point, with both sides of the river supporting large populations. During our trip we stumbled across an ingenious series of handmade rafts that were made from tire tubes and bamboo by local villagers. At least 50 of these rafts were seen crossing the water with a number under construction."

Over a span of 3 days, September 3rd to the 5th, a number of areas in Northern Pakistan were visited by the Architecture for Humanity Karachi and Karachi Relief Trust volunteers. These include Nowshera, Kurvi, Banda, Muhib, Munda Headworks and Fizagut in Swat. Here is a synopsis of the observations and future interventions proposed by our team.

It has been devastating to watch the waters rise and sweep away whole villages in Pakistan. With millions of lives affected the question is not should we respond but how? While we have been heavily involved in the rebuilding in Haiti, thanks to our local Karachi chapter, we have the capacity to respond in a small but impactful to the post-flood regions of Pakistan. Architecture for Humanity Karachi will be our lead team for the work ahead.

It is our mission not just building back but do so in an economically and sustainable manner. We are adopting a strategy of supporting locally built incremental housing and here is our three point plan with funds we have available.

IN THE US? TEXT TO BUILD: AFHBUILD to 85944

It has been devastating to watch the waters rise and sweep away whole villages in Pakistan. With over 20 Million people affected the question is not should we respond but how? While we have been heavily involved in the rebuilding in Haiti, thanks to our local Karachi chapter, we have the capacity to respond to the post-flood regions of Pakistan. They will be our lead team for the reconstruction work ahead.

It is our mission to make sure that we are building back better but also in a sustainable manner, not just environmentally but economically too. Below is our three point plan that will evolve as funding becomes available.

Currently, the country is reeling from a natural disaster of astounding proportions: it is being hammered by the worst floods in the last 80 years, due to which over 2000 people have already died and over 20 million have been rendered homeless. Alarmingly, up to 3.5 million children who have survived are now at high risk of contracting deadly water-borne diseases. By partnering with the Karachi Relief Trust (KRT), we are aiming to provide immediate help to flood affectees as well as long-term assistance with re-construction.

The Karachi Relief Trust is an NGO experienced in providing relief in earthquake and flood affected areas. They have conducted an extensive survey of Pakistan - from the first hit village near Munda Head Works to the evacuated villages of Sindh. Our joint mission is to assist 5000 families rehabilitate and restore their lives by providing them with basic household and food items, and the necessary tools with which they can reconstruct their homes.