lmarah: A Permaculture Research and Vocational Centre for Rural Regeneration

Abstract

To regenerate the patterns of traditional rural practices through an architecture intervention, by adapting the Permaculture design model. Patterns are the tangible or intangible elements that make a building alive by generating a meaningful dialogue between spaces, through a sequence of activities. The aim of this thesis is to explore the order of these embedded patterns that weave together architecture, nature and community, in the context of Sahiwal, to cultivate a resilient community. Characterization of Rural architecture by the elements of simplicity, purity, and diversity is becoming a notion of the past. The unsustainable adoption of modern technology and materials is not only changing the local expression but also contributing to the destruction of natural environment, with no respect for the cultural identity of the place. In this regard, regenerating the knowledge of traditional patterns of rural dwellings is vital to restore the diversity of built environment, ecosystem and cultural landscapes, and to mitigate the effects of climate change. "Remain attached to the tree and keep spring's expectations." * - (Allama Iqbal, Bang-e-Dara 134) The rural area of Sahiwal, a tehsil of district Sargodha, possesses a distinct historical and cultural identity. However, the sustainable patterns of living, developed over a thousand years, are threatened by modern technology and climate change. The idea is to celebrate these traditional rural practices in a way that empowers the local people in reclaiming the environmental steward through architecture. To achieve this goal, the Permaculture design tool is adapted. It provides the basic principles and ethics that, if followed, can help in building a resilient rural community, which can cope with the present and future disasters. Therefore, this thesis is an attempt to analyze, observe and understand these intricate patterns and unfolding them to form a coherent language of an ecologically balanced and contextually alive space.