NOT QUITE THE SAME NOT QUITE THE OTHER: ARCHITECTURE FOR DIASPORA

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.