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CHAPTER 3:

SITE ANALYSIS

SITE LOCATION & DIMENSIONS

Figure 1: Location map; Source: Google maps

The Site is located on the very busy Dr. Daud Pota Road in Saddar. Saddar quarter is part
of the Old city district that lies along the M. A Jinnah Road, which was originally known
as Bunder Road. Saddar is the hub of business activities in Karachi and is one of the
oldest parts of the city. Many beautiful examples of British Colonial architecture can be
found here; like the main building of Karachi Grammar School, Frere Hall and the Sindh
Club. This was the centre of Karachi in the colonial era, and still is today.

Figure 2: Site dimensions; Source: Author

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LANDMARKS

Figure 3: Landmarks near the site; Source: www.google.com

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AREA OF STUDY

Figure 4: Area of study; Source: Google Earth

The area of study comprises of a 100 radius with the site at its center. All further analysis shall
be based on this area of study.

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SUN PATH & WIND DIRECTION

Figure 5: Sun- path analysis and Wind direction

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OPEN BUILT RATIO

Figure 6: Open- Built Ratio; Source: Author

The mapping shows the extremely dense built up

in the area around the site. Other than the road
network, one can hardly find any open plots or
breathing spaces that are found even in not very
ideal spaces. But this formulates as being a highly
densified area with the built up a lot more than
open.

Figure 7: Dense built up area; Source: Google Earth

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HERITAGE SITES

Figure 8: Heritage sites; Source: Documentation of NED Heritage cell

The mapping shows the listed

heritage sites of the area. A heritage
site is considered as the one which
predates to a specific date in time or
has a significant architectural value.
The site given to us is also a heritage
site. However, it was demolished
which is essentially against the law.

Figure 9: Images of Heritage in the Area; Source: Internet

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BUILDING HEIGHTS

Figure 10: Building heights in the Area

The mapping shows the diversity in

the building heights of the area
around the site. From Ground to G+
7, one can see a complete variation in
height. However it is important to
note that the building height
observed maximum in the area is of
G + 3.

Figure 11: Image showing the building height of G + 3; Source: Author

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LANDUSE

Figure 12: Land use in the area; Source: Author

The mapping shows the three basic types

of land use, Residential, Mixed use and
commercial. As one can clearly see from the
mapping, the highest percentage is of
commercial, which is closely followed by
mixed use. The labor and workers
employed in the area tend to find
accommodation in multi-story buildings
on shared accommodation basis.

Figure 13: Residential Buildings in the area; Source: Author

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FOLIAGE

Figure 14: Foliage in the area; Source: Google Earth

The mapping shows the scarce

greenery and foliage in the area. One
major source of this kind of
atmospheric relief could have been
the Jehangir Park. However, due to
lack of maintenance the park is in a
very poor state. Next to the site is
the Parsi Daar e Meher, which is
shrouded by vines and is a source of
relief from the intense, built up and
worse sensory conditions.
Figure 15: Neem trees are mostly found in the area

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NATURAL DRAINAGE

Figure 16: Natural Drainage Pattern; Source: Google Earth

The mapping shows clearly the drainage

pattern around the site. It can be clearly
seen that the water will drain through the
site. Therefore it is imperative to have a
conscious design that ensures to cater to the
possibility of drainage.

Figure 17: Drainage slopes

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PRIMARY- SECONDARY- TERTIARY ROADS

Figure 19: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary road mapping; Source: Author

The map shows the Primary,

secondary and tertiary roads around
the area. The primary Road is the
extension of the New MA Jinnah
that is signified by the presence of a
major landmark, the Empress
Market. The secondary roads are
Shahrae Iraq, Napier Road and Dr.
Daud Pota Road, on which the site is
located. The remaining roads are the
tertiary roads.
Figure 18: Photograph of the primary New MA Jinnah Road;
Source: Author

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ONE WAY- TWO WAY ROADS

Figure 20: One way- Two way Roads; Source: Author

The mapping shows the nature and

direction of the roads. This is divided
between one way and two way
roads.
Due to the nature of Saddar
formulating as a transit zone, the
government has taken multiple
measures to effectively manage the
traffic situation that is a constant of
the area. For this various proposals
have been put forward which has
resulted in the above shown scheme.
Figure 21: One way secondary Road; Source: www.google.com

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PARKING AREAS

Figure 22: Parking in the area; Source: Author

The mapping shows the various

locations where parking spaces are
formed, for both cars and
motorcycles. As one can see, it is
essentially in every possible place. In
narrow lanes it is observed that bikes
are mostly parked.
This map clearly illustrates the dire
state of parking in the area.

Figure 23: Newspaper clipping showing the motorcycle parking; Source: www.google.com

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NODES AND JUNCTIONS

Figure 24: Junctions-Major and minor nodes; Source: Author

This mapping shows the junctions

and major and minor nodes of the
area.
As it can be seen in the mapping, the
road in front of the empress market
is the major junction, while the
intersections at shahrae Iraq are the
major nodes.

Figure 25: Image showing major node of Shahrae Iraq; Source: www.google.com

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PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION

Figure 26: Pedestrian Circulation; Source: Author

The mapping shows the pedestrian

circulation of the area, with the
intensity of the color signifying the
intensity of the circulation.
The major junction is also the major
bus stop and most of the pedestrian
movement is around this area, which
then dilutes when moving towards
the inner lanes.
Figure 27: Image depicting pedestrian movement; Source: www.google.com

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VEHICULAR CIRCULATION

Figure 28: Vehicular Circulation; Source: Author

The mapping shows the vehicular

circulation, denoted by the intensity
of the color.
As one can observe the major
vehicular circulation takes place at
the major junction and the primary
road of New MA Jinnah.

Figure 29: Image showing the intense vehicular traffic; Source: www.google.com

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SENSORY ANALYSIS

Figure 30: Sensory analysis; Source: Author

The area around the site is high on sensory discomfort. One can see that the site is completely
surrounded by high noise levels created by the motor vehicles especially public transport.
Also, odor and air pollution also travels through the site due to the wind direction. Garbage
disposal system is not very well defined and there is no distinction between public-semipublic and private spaces. Therefore the people around the site tend to throw garbage
anywhere that is not in their limited spatial control.

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4.2:

DESIGN CONCEPT

Figure 31: Basis of concept; Source: Author

The design concept is based on the hidden structure next to the site. The creeping vines on the
structure are an extreme contrast with the nature of the area.
This element of surprise and the formation of a layer to create a barrier from the environment is
the basis of my design concept. The idea of creating a separation through layering will be
explored in the design.

Figure 32: Basis of concept; Source: Author

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4.3:

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The diagram depicts the foremost design

consideration that one must cater to on
this site. Due to the context conditions
with traffic and noise, one must create a
sensible design that ensures that the
outside environment does not spoil the
internal. For this a buffer must be created
through the creation of layers. One layer
which inherently comes up is the structure
of the building itself. The second layer is
then the cladding and as shown in the
sketch, another layer of vertical
landscaping can be added.

Figure 33: Design coonsideration 1: Creating buffers; Source:

Author

The sketch shows the various ways that a buffer can be achieved. This can be done by creating
setbacks within the building itself so that the front can be taken to create a false faade with
the parking behind it so that the most unused space gets the most impact of the outside
environment. As we move upwards the building experiences setbacks and hence the impact of
the outside reduces as we move upwards.

Figure 34: Creating buffers through setbacks

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4.4:

BYELAWS

Figure 35: bye-laws; Source: KBCA

The above figure shows the depiction of one of the many bye laws to be implemented in
the area. For a building higher than 35, the approach must be 13 wide and open to sky.

Figure 36: Bye-laws; Source: KBCA

The parking plaza must have a minimum clear height of 7-6 with ramp width of minimum
12-0.

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