KARSAZ: A learning and opportunity center for the Chashma Goth Village

Abstract

As Karachi, the vibrant city by the sea is being blatantly urbanized, ancient communities settled along the coast are falling under extreme neglect. These fishing villages (called 'Goths' in the local language) depend on the sea for their livelihood. Their lives, however, are as turbulent as the ocean's waves they combat with every day. Chashma Goth is a small fishing village located right beside the Korangi Fish Harbor. This 170 year-old community practices fishing but faces multiple problems of illiteracy, poverty, and lack of exposure and facilities to fully realize the potential of their craft. This thesis aims to explore how human societies develop under the influences of topography and climate, how they intertwine themselves with nature and how this little community of fishermen fulfills its inherent need for survival by reconciling the natural surroundings with its own acquired skills. They rely on the boats they fabricate, the nets they weave and the houses they construct by hand to survive. The people in this centuries-old settlement have adapted their entire lives to the ocean that gives them sustenance and livelihood. The ocean is central to their identity and their tools; the boat and the net, are like limbs that they cannot function without. This thesis seeks to propose a viable way of living for these communities by using a humanistic design to educate and facilitate their skill and by exploring the tangible and intangible aspects of their identity and craft to create places that seek to be the beacon of the community. The project aspires to become a 'Karsaz' for the local community which means 'facilitator', or 'coordinator' in the local Urdu language. It represents the coming together of children to learn and play, the meeting of elders to resolve conflicts and the engagement of men and women to support their means of livelihood. The 'Karsaz' will give to the community, and so the community will give back to it, forging a unified social and economic identity.