Adil Najam
I know. I know. Enough of this already. Let’s move on now to something else. Things more important. That was exactly my thought too.
Until I saw this full page advert in today’s Dawn. Then, I could not resist. Look at the tag-line at the top:
“The Dilemma of Ustad Isa and Atkins.”
Ustad Isa, of course, was the architect who designed the Taj Mahal. And supposedly Atkins is the guy who did the Burj and is now trying to plagiarize his own design in Islamabad. The main text, in the middle of the advert, reads:
“One designed the Taj Mahal and the other, the Burj-Al-Arab. Both had the desire to improve upon or at least match the wonders they had conceived with their next project. We Don’t know about Ustad Isa and his team but Atkins had the wish fulfilled with The Centaurus, making it the first construction project in Pakistan to exceed global standards. To be above everything, The Centaurus was designed to be light years ahead.”
Till now I have found this whole thing intriguing and mildly amusing. A commentary on our aspirations as a society. A discourse on urban aesthetics. A debate about our role-models, about who (and what) we want to become, and who we wish to resemble. In that sense this project and its dreamt up graphics are no different from the dreamt up graphics of the 1960s PIA advert that we had written about early on and which continues to be amongst the most-visited ATP posts (here).
But this bit about comparing Ustad Isa and Atkins and my head spinning. Give me a break. Please! Comparing this to the Taj Mahal is a joke, and not a good one either. And if it has to be done, let someone else make the comparison rather than toot your own hand. Reminds me of a great Anwar Masood (here) humorous sheyr:
Ravi ka hai bayan, kay mairay saabqa pull par
choonTi koee kehti thi yeh sael-e-rawan sayfolaad ka pull daikho dehal jaata hai kaisay
hum tum jo guzartay hain ik saath yahan sayThe River Ravi tells the story of how on its old (metal) bridge
once a tiny any was heard saying to the gushing waters beneathlook, how this might steel bridge shakes and trembles with fear
when you and I move in unison near it!
Talk about being pretentious and taking undeserved credit!
By way of disclosure, I should say that although I admire the Taj Mahal as a building (and enjoyed visiting it); as a concept I remain rather underwhelmed by it. In this regards I am in the Sahir Ludhianvi camp (another great poet whose poetic inspirations matured in Lahore (see ATP post here):
Ik Shahenshah nay daulat ka sahara lay kar
humm ghareebouN ki mohabbat ka uRaya hai mazaaq
An Emperor has used
the crutches of his wealth
to mock at the love of the dispossessed
I guess this is because I have never been a fan of the Mughals (no offence meant, Owais!). I don’t particularly care for monarchy, and this set of monarchs had some rather nauseating habits; particularly the later ones. Of course, that does not keep me from admiring some of the works created by them – or rather in their name, by the sweat and blood of others (see ATP post on Anarkali here).
What ever one does or does not think of the Taj. The fact of the matter is that comparing this to the Taj Mahal, even by analogy, is insulting to the Taj. To paraphrase a famous American politician: “I have seen the Taj Mahal, and this is no Taj Mahal!”
Earlier ATP post on this hotel here and here. Earlier ATP post on advertising: good (here) and bad (here).
I discovered this website when a friend reccomended it a few days ago and have been enjoyin the posts and discussions. I am from Lahore but love Islamabad for its natural charms. It is obvious frm these different posts that different people have different views on the design. I am happy for that. Its everyone his own taste. I do not like this picture but usually like modern buildings. I think the ADBP building is very nice, the supreme court which tries to be Mughal I do not like that much. Its a matter of pesonal opinion. Buildings can become national symbols. The Habib Bank in Karachi still is. I hope this does not becasue when you see it you think of Dubai, not of Pakistan.
I think ALVIPERVAIZ has hit the real issue with highlighting the questions in the message. This is about identity and what we want to become and be like. Our cities and buildings are part of that. I like to see us as a modern people but also in touch with our history and culture. That is I like this site, it mixes those and is proud of both instead of trying to choose between them.
Even though I am not fond of this design, if they build it, I will be happy. I hope there are no underhand things as rumors suggest.
I don’t mind the building. It may turn out to be nice. I do not thin it will finally look like this; this is just a gaudy artist’s conception and I do not think the scale of the background is right either. So, I agree, it might eventually bcome a city’s symbol. That happens. But to proclaim now as this ad does that this is somehow the equal of the Mahal is just bad taste and loudness and arrogance. Keep quiet, and if it is ever built we will decide. This loudness of the ad does turn me off.
Also, this thing about only writing nice things keeps coming up. I just don’t understand why. So, please, just keep doing what you do so well. Write about what you believe. If you think something is good, say so. If you think it is bad then say so. And let other people make their own mind as you do. I don’t think this is negative at all. So someone does not like a design; they don’t. Not liking a design is not being negative, its a matter of choice.
Please don’t let anyone make this into a PR site. The day this website becomes a PR campaign, I will stop reading it.
I think for us old fashioned islamabadis, this development is not really something to cheer about. Its the only city in Pakistan which comes close to harmonious existence with nature, while providing all the modern facilities. Around 10 years ago, Islamabad was such a nice quiet town, with a small population. A ll this development and car leasing etc has done nothing but add noise and smoke to islamabad. islambad should stay a nice quiet town, especially keeping in view where so called ‘development’ has led the other cities of Pakistan.
Plus: all that air conditioning will make the city hotter!
You can see the full page add on epaper.dawn.com (you have to sign up). But here is the project website: http://thecentaurus.com/
Couple of things from my prespective:
1. That it acutally gets done as opposed to another project that is shelved
2. I think it will be a nice addition to Islamabad (I haven’t seen Islamabad in quite a while, but I don’t rememeber any modern arch buildings there)
Just my 0.02 cents
I have been following this posting over the past week or so and want to share some interesting contrast with India that I noticed when it comes to the nature of real estate investments going into Pakistan and where investments are coming from.
In Pakistan, most real estate investments from abroad are coming from Gulf Countries and money is flowing into Hotels and residential properties.
In the case of India, most real estate investment is coming from the U.S. and money is flowing into building special economic zones and business parks. Not to say that hotels and residential properties are not being developed in India, but those don’t attract FDI.
For example, Tishman Speyer which owns Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, has closed on its first deal in India, to develop $100 million in office space.
The buildings by Tishman Speyer — in partnership with ICICI Venture, a wholly owned subsidiary of India-based ICICI Bank Ltd. — will contain about 1.5 million square feet of space in the city of Hyderabad. By building in a special economic zone, the business partners hope to pass on to its tenants perks such as exemption from paying income tax.
The developers expect to break ground on the 12-acre site by 2007 and complete the first …
Same story in Reuters..
http://today.reuters.com/news/ articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN& storyID= 2006-09-06T152851Z _01_N06454838_RTRIDST _0_PROPERTY- TISHMANSPEYER. XML&rpc= 66&type= qcna
NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Tishman Speyer will build its first office project in India with local partner ICICI Venture Funds Management Co. in Hyderabad, India, and has hired the firm co-founded by famed architect I.M. Pei to design it, the U.S. real estate developer and investor said on Wednesday.
TSI Ventures Private Limited, the partnership between Tishman Speyer and the investment arm of India’s ICICI Bank Corp. (ICBK.BO: Quote, Profile, Research), said it would spend at least $100 million to build one or two towers on 12 acres they have acquired in Nanakramguda SEZ in Hyderabad.
The project will be the first for the venture, which raised roughly $1 billion earlier this year. It also is the first Asian venture for New York City-based Tishman Speyer, which also plans to expand into China.
TSI hired Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, formerly I.M. Pei & Partners, which designed such noted buildings as the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the glass pyramid and expansion of the Louvre in Paris.
Ground breaking on the project is expected within six to 12 months, with the first phase to be completed in 2009.
Hyderabad is one of several key cities in India where there is strong demand for new offices to meet the demand of multinational corporations, such as General Electric Co.(GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research), whose Hyderabad site hosts back-room operations such as call centers, transaction processing and managed information technology services.