Abdur Rahman Hye ( ur, ; 17 December 1919 – 18 September 2008) was a Pakistani architect and a pioneer of institutional architectures in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
Early life and training
After graduating from
Sir J.J. College of Architecture,
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
before the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in 1947, A.R. Hye travelled aboard ocean liner
SS Ile de France
SS is an abbreviation for ''Schutzstaffel'', a paramilitary organisation in Nazi Germany.
SS, Ss, or similar may also refer to:
Places
*Guangdong Experimental High School (''Sheng Shi'' or ''Saang Sat''), China
*Province of Sassari, Italy (vehi ...
from Bombay to the United Kingdom on a trip which in those days took three weeks on the ship, and later took him seven years in United Kingdom to train as an architect. He received his architecture degree from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
in 1951 and was admitted to the membership of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA). He received some of his early education in
Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...
when his family moved there temporarily.
He arrived in Europe after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and witnessed first-hand the reconstruction of Europe. This experience influenced his architecture and his philosophy, and once he returned home he specialised in using indigenous resources to provide maximum comfort. He used natural ventilation, strategic placement of windows, courtyards and overhangs and used wind flow in some designs to provide natural protection against harsh exterior climate conditions. Those days he was one of the few qualified architects in his newly independent countr
In 1952, after his return from the UK, A.R. Hye married Qudsia. They have three children: Laique, Fatimah wife of
Syed Waliullah Husaini, and Ayesha wife of Kazi Zulkader Siddiqui.
A.R. Hye returned to the UK in the 1960s, to specialise in Tropical Architecture at the
Architectural Association School of Architecture
The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...
in London.
Career
While A.R. Hye was in the UK, when
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
gained
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
in 1947. Hye moved to
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
after his return, where his education and background gave him the opportunity to use his skills to influence the architectural landscape of his country at a very early stage. A.R. Hye is considered the father of Institutional Architecture in Pakista
His first major assignment in East Pakistan was to design and build the infrastructure of the new country. Thus in the 1950s, early in his career, Hye became the Chief
Town planner
An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning.
An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...
of the port city of
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
. In this capacity, he was responsible for working on the master plan of Chittagong Township and
Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the na ...
. He also worked as Architect Planner in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
.
In 1958 he moved to
West Pakistan
West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...
, and joined the Government in 1959 to become the first Chief Architect of the Government of West Pakistan. He was responsible for the architectural design of all government buildings in the cities and towns of West Pakistan, including
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
,
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
,
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
,
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
,
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
,
Jhelum
Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...
,
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city.
Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...
,
Sialkot
Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
,
Gujrat,
Mardan
Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...
,
Faisalabad
Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...
,
Sahiwal
Sahiwal (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
,
Mianwali
Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities.
History
Mianwali District was an agricu ...
, and
Kalabagh
Kalabagh ( ur, ) is a town and union council of Mianwali District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Isakhel Tehsil. It is located on the western bank of the Indus River. It was the seat of the ''nawab'' of Kalabagh, who lived in ...
. He remained in this position until West Pakistan was broken into four
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
, after the resignation of President
Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
. Thereafter, he was asked to become the Chief Architect of the Government of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, the largest of the four provinces.
In 1967 till 1971, Hye acted as the "chief architect" for the Generals Combatant Headquarter (GHQ), designing the entire GHQ buildings and associated areas for the military's staff services. Based in Lahore, he remained in that position until his retirement from government service in 1981. Many of his designs were built in the early 80's after his retirement.
As Chief Architect of West Pakistan and Punjab, his designs included colleges, schools, polytechnic institutions -
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute ( bn, ঢাকা পলিটেকনিক ইনস্টিটিউট, also known as DPI) is a government technical institute in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the largest and the oldest polytechnic academia in moder ...
, hospitals, housing schemes and townships. During this period, he designed more buildings than any other architect of his era in Pakista
The best known of his projects is the Bahawalpur Medical College, now renamed
Quaid-e-Azam Medical College
Quaid e Azam Medical College ( ur, , or QAMC) is a medical college in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
History
Quaid e Azam Medical College was founded on 2 December 1971 when its foundation stone was laid by the then Governor of Punjab, Lt Gen Attiqu ...
, in
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city.
Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...
. His projects also included many
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
Hospitals.
Upon his retirement from service in 1981, A.R. Hye spent a few years travelling and living in the USA. After 1995 he lived a retired life in
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
in a house designed by himself, dying on 18 September 2008.
Archived copy of obituary 'ARCHITECT on ARCHITECTURE', by Laique Rehman
/ref>
Selected projects
*Quaid-e-Azam Medical College
Quaid e Azam Medical College ( ur, , or QAMC) is a medical college in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
History
Quaid e Azam Medical College was founded on 2 December 1971 when its foundation stone was laid by the then Governor of Punjab, Lt Gen Attiqu ...
, Bahawalpur
*Khyber Medical College
Khyber Medical College ( ur, , abbreviated as KMC) was established in 1954, is a public sector medical college located in Peshawar. Khyber Medical College is the oldest medical college of the province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is considered as one o ...
, Peshawar
*Buildings at Mayo Hospital
Mayo Hospital is one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. King Edward Medical University, one of the oldest and most prestigious medical institutions in South Asia, is attached to Mayo Hospital. Mayo Hospital is locat ...
, Lahore (1960–80)
*Buildings at Nishtar Medical College
Nishtar Medical University () (formerly Nishtar Medical College) is a public sector health sciences university located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest medical institutions established after the creation of Pakistan. It offer ...
, Multan (1960–80)
*Auditorium, Lahore College for Women University
The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) ( ur, ) Is a public university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1922 with a capacity of 60 students, it now has a full-time enrollment of about 15,000 students and admits students at Intermed ...
*Mosque, Gazetted Officers Residences (GOR) I, Lahore
*Additions to ''APWA College for Women''
*Minister's Residences, Lahore
*Officers Housing, GOR III Shadman, Lahore
* Dhaka Polytechnic Institute
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute ( bn, ঢাকা পলিটেকনিক ইনস্টিটিউট, also known as DPI) is a government technical institute in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the largest and the oldest polytechnic academia in moder ...
, Dhaka
See also
*List of Pakistanis
Pakistan is the fifth most populous nation in the world. Below is a list of some notable people who relate to the country. See Pakistani people for a list of pages about notable Pakistanis by category.
Heads of state or government
Civil / dem ...
References
External links
ARCHI TIMES
CHRONICLE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hye, Abdur Rahman
Pakistani architects
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
1919 births
2008 deaths
Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent
Place of birth unknown
Architects from Lahore
People from Islamabad