Pakistan Monument: National Resilience Park

Abstract

Monuments and memorials are commonplace in the world; commemorating things of significance, documented using iconic form, scale, or a particular location of import. This thesis is concerned with the role and social repercussions of monuments and memorials in the contemporary era. While they are built upon substantial, rational causation and have a greater story behind them, unfortunately, local monuments and commemorative structures have been reduced to only visual entities and artifacts. My thesis wi investigate how a national monumental structure is working in the capital territory of Pakistan. While the narrative of the Pakistan monument elaborates upon national strength and cultural cohesion, the people of Pakistan merely have a visual connection with it. I believe that Pakistan Monument can do much more than just look into the past; it should be multifaceted and more socially relatable. The project is to be designed such that the monument stands in the foreground with its symbolic presence and the introduced spaces act to bolster the narrative behind its conception, creating ripple effects for a social revival for the people of Pakistan. Architectural space will become the medium where social dialogue and discourse can be triggered. The idea is that the monument shouldn't only reminisce the past, but critique the present and discuss the future. The chosen site is a national resilience park. Celebrating the resilience of the nation and providing platform for discussion and debate over the current affairs, ultimately allowing the people of Pakistan to shape and formulate their future.