FARRUKH JAMAL
PROJECTS MANAGER
Who We Are
Architecture, planning and development since 1975.
A Lahore-based practice working across buildings, settlements, infrastructure, conservation and implementation.
Background
A practice that grew beyond architectural design.
Unicon was founded in Lahore in 1975 by architect and planner Parvez Latif Qureshi. The practice was established at the beginning of a career that would increasingly move beyond architectural design into housing, urban planning, infrastructure and development.
This wider scope became part of Unicon's work over the years. Early assignments included housing and township planning, infrastructure and institutional projects, followed by work in regional and rural development, community-based programmes and the upgrading of settlements. The practice also developed experience in educational and healthcare facilities, industrial and public projects, post-earthquake reconstruction and the conservation of historic buildings and sites.
Many of these assignments involved more than design alone. Unicon has undertaken feasibility and planning studies, infrastructure design, architectural and engineering work, contract administration, construction supervision and implementation. This has allowed the practice to remain involved from the early planning of a project through to its development on the ground.
The nature of the work has also brought Unicon into collaboration with public-sector institutions, local communities and international development organisations, and into projects in different parts of Pakistan and abroad.
Founder & Chief Executive
Parvez Latif Qureshi
Parvez Latif Qureshi founded Unicon in Lahore in 1975. An architect and planner, his work over the past five decades has covered architecture, housing, urban and regional planning, infrastructure, community development and conservation.
Qureshi graduated in Architecture from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, in 1974, where he stood First Class First. He went on to complete a Master of Architecture in Advanced Studies in Urban Settlements at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979.
His work has extended well beyond the design of individual buildings. He has been involved in large-scale housing and infrastructure projects, the upgrading of low-income settlements, rural development and planning at urban and regional scales. This has included major housing developments in Lahore, planning work in northern Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and community-based projects undertaken with government and international development organisations.
Architecture has remained an important part of his work, particularly in education, healthcare and public and institutional projects. He has also worked extensively in areas requiring an understanding of local construction methods and seismic conditions. Following the 2005 earthquake, he led planning and design work for schools and Basic Health Units in AJK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Pakistan Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Program.
His work in conservation includes the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Services Club in Multan, conservation planning for Rohtas Fort, and the restoration of Gurdwara Janam Asthan Sri Guru Ram Das in Lahore.
Qureshi has also worked as a consultant on urban and rural development, housing and social-sector projects for international organisations including the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP and UNHCR. Alongside practice, he has remained involved in the architectural and planning profession through the Institute of Architects Pakistan and the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners, as well as research and international forums concerned with housing, urban development and human settlements.
Team
A multidisciplinary team.
RABIA QURESHI
ARCHITECT
AMNA SAEED
ARCHITECT
RANA HABIB AHMAD
STRUCTURE ENGINEER
MAQSOOD AHMAD
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
SYED SHAHZAD RAZA
HVAC & MECHANICAL ENGINEER
MUHAMMAD ATIF ABDUL JABBAR
MANAGER FINANCE/COMPANY SECRETARY
TAHIR AMIN
ASSISTANT ARCHITECT
BABAR ANJUM
ARCHITECT
Recognition
Awards and Recognition
Selected awards and nominations across conservation, reconstruction, planning and architecture.
1999–2000
ARCASIA Award for Architecture — Conservation
Services Club, Multan
2012
Honor Award — Design-Build Institute of America
Earthquake-resistant schools programme
2016
Asian Townscape Award
Peshawar beautification plan
Nomination
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
SOS Junior School, Lahore
Nomination
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Hussain Agahi Urban Renewal, Multan