RETHINKING ECOCHARD’S MODERNIST MASTERPIECE IN KARACHI

The present Visual Arts Department at the Karachi University Campus designed in 1960 by French Planner Michel E’cochard, a student of Le Corbusier could not accommodate the number of students. The new design proposal by the firm included an extension of the departments of Architecture, Communication Design, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Industrial Design, Photography and Textile Design. The classical modernist thinking was centred around the idea of “splitting” functions and land uses, which was counterproductive of the visual arts department wherein interaction is a major source of learning and inspiration. The main idea was to develop the new building around a central “spine” which, besides being a circulation space, would perform the role of a space for interaction, not only between students of different departments but also become a space for informal interactions between students and teachers.