Abstract:
The thesis is an investigation of architecture as a tool for developing a dialogue of diasporic
individuals with the city and inhabitants of Islamabad in the transitional, unused, shunned
away spaces of Islamabad. It shines light upon major aspects of diasporic people and their
difficulties in developing a sense of belonging with the home again. This thesis is a
commemoration as well as a reminder for diaspora and the inhabitants of city, that there are
bridges to be formed between two. The intent thus focuses on the various processes of how
diasporic individuals survive within the alien environments and identifies their struggle
through the concept of a storium; hybrid between story and a museum space, in order to help
them reestablish ties with the city as well as generate a narrative based association between
the city and the diasporic individuals. Thesis primarily questions this idea of belonging to
home, in very physical sense, for the diasporic individuals. It questions their association with
the home, and their association with the city. It intends to highlight various layers of processes
of an individual in the need for establishing ones' self in an alien environment. The thesis thus
tries to commemorate and develop a dialogue through this process of movement from home
to an alien environment and intends to provide opportunities of dialogue of the diasporic
selves with the collectives of the city.
