What’s in a name? What is a place/person without a name?

The City of Lahore has a vicissitudinous history of resistance and liminal space. Dating back to 2000 BC, it has witnessed the rule of many different empires and ultimately colonized, leading to intricate cultural and social traditions. These experienced conflicts create 3rd spaces- between the conqueror and conquered, from which emerges the long history of activism and resistance that has been observed in the subcontinent. This project examines these spaces of rebellion and provides a safe space to the outcasts of the Lahori social and urban fabric. Very often, the built environment frames the quality of life of such minorities and has the capacity to either empower them, or to ensure their oppression. The aim is to provide a haven for various Diasporas emerging from the temporality of a city’s history and questions what a post-colonial identity means. It establishes a dialogue through the liminal space between two parties of tension-space for the benaam ajnabi (unnamed strangers) of Lahore, for whom simply existing is often protesting. What’s in a name? Only everything.

Author: Shajiya Naveed
Studio: Arch 402 Spring 2022
Instructor(s): Ezgi Isbilen, Yigit Acar