Climate Migrants: Self-reliant communities after natural disasters

Owen Hopkins

Director, Farrell Centre at Newcastle University

Owen Hopkins is a writer and curator. He is Director of the Farrell Centre at Newcastle University – a new public centre for architecture and cities which opened to the public in April 2023. Previously he was Senior Curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum and before that Architecture Programme Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts. He is curator of numerous exhibitions including the Farrell Centre’s inaugural show, More with Less: Reimagining Architecture for a Changing World. A frequent commentator on architecture in the press, on radio and TV, he writes regularly for a range of media and is author or editor of numerous books and journals. He lectures internationally and is a frequent guest critic at architecture schools, as well as a judge for a number of architecture awards.

Twitter.com/owen_hopkins

Instagram.com/owenhopkins

Yasmeen Lari

Co-Founder and CEO, Heritage Foundation of Pakistan

Yasmeen Lari, the first female architect in Pakistan, is one of the best-known architects in the country, as well as an architectural historian, heritage and environmental conservationist, humanitarian worker and philanthropist. She graduated from Oxford Brookes University and was elected to Royal Institute of British Architects in 1969. She served as president of Institute of Architects Pakistan (1980-1983), and as first chairperson of the regulatory Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (1983-1986).

After building several landmark buildings and social housing, and the largest urban redevelopment project in Asia at the time, she retired from architectural practice in 2000. As CEO and co-founder of Heritage Foundation of Pakistan since 1980, she has helped conserve several historic monuments in World Heritage Sites and landmark buildings in various cities. She has served as UNESCO National Advisor and was included among 60 Women who have contributed the most towards UNESCO’s objectives.

Since the 2005 earthquake, she has developed a number of methodologies for low-cost affordable housing which are climate resilient and provide social and ecological justice to those at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). By building over 40,000 one-room houses in disaster-affected areas, she has helped place Pakistan in the lead with the largest zero carbon shelter programme in the World. 

She is the recipient of many national and international awards including Sitara-i-Imtiaz (2006) and Hilal-e-Imtiaz (2014) conferred by the President of Pakistan; the Asia-focused Fukuoka Prize for Asian Arts and Culture (2016) in Japan; and the international Jane Drew Prize (2020) in London. She has also received the UNESCO Recognition Award (2002), Islamic Development Bank Prize for Women’s Empowerment (2013), and World Habitat Award (2018). Addressed as “Architect for the Poorest of the Poor”, when conferred an honorary degree Laurea Magistrale ad honorem (2021) by the prestigious Politecnico di Milano in Italy, becoming the first woman recipient in 158 years.

She has authored and co-authored several books and publications including The Dual City (1996), and Traditional Architecture of Thatta (1989), among others. She has lectured widely in universities and architectural institutions in Asia, Europe, Australia and US. Her architectural works have been exhibited in various countries around the world including the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Chicago (2015), the Vienna Biennale, Vienna (2019) and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2022).

Prof. Hanif Kara

Co-Founder and Design Director, AKT II

Professor Hanif Kara arrived in the UK as a refugee in the 1970s, and in 2022 was awarded the OBE for his services to architecture, engineering and education. He’s a co-founder and design director of the engineering practice AKT II, which today works throughout 50+ countries. He’s also a professor in practice with the Harvard GSD (having also taught with architecture schools throughout the UK and Europe), and an appointed Design Advocate for the Mayor of London. In 2022, he was furthermore awarded the CTBUH ‘Fazlur R Khan’ Lifetime Achievement Medal for his contributions to the global built environment. 

AKT II’s social media handles:

Twitter – @AKT_II

Linkedin –  AKT II 

Instagram – akt_ii

Hanif’s social media handles:

Linkedin – Hanif Kara

Instagram – Hanif.kara