Manifestations of Urban Interiority in Delhi Gate Bazaar of Lahore

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Issue Vol. 6 No. 2 (2023)
Published Jul 25, 2023
Section Articles
Article downloads 291
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v6i2.318
Submitted : Mar 21, 2023 | Accepted : Jul 5, 2023
Sarah Javed Shah
University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Pakistan; Politecnico di Milano, Italy
sarah.javed@polimi.it
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1214-5015
Carles Muro
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
carles.muro@polimi.it
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6912-2653

Abstract

In the contemporary debate, the notion of interiority has expanded beyond the confines of the interior, in the urban realm, as a conjunction of urban and interior conditions. This article aims to contribute to the discourse, using the lens of urban interiority to explore the unique spatial character and distinct cultural practices in Lahore’s Delhi Gate Bazaar. The bazaar exists on a linear passageway, the Royal Trail, as a network of interior, exterior, and in-between spaces—establishing a spatial continuum by blurring the boundaries between the public and private and uninterrupted flow of spaces from outside to inside. This urban space has a strong sense of history, culture, and traditions; constructing personal and collective engagement through modes of space inhabitation and appropriation. These practices include temporal improvisation and modification of certain aspects for everyday use and environmental alteration for achieving thermal comfort, along with synchronised occurrences of cultural traditions and commercial activities. This article interprets observations through drawings to describe the experience of space through gradations of interiority and transition through thresholds, constructing visual narratives of diverse uses, activities, and the interaction between people, objects, and space.

Keywords: urban interiority, bazaar, spatial continuum, threshold, temporary appropriation

Article Details

How to Cite
Shah, S. J., & Muro, C. . (2023). Manifestations of Urban Interiority in Delhi Gate Bazaar of Lahore. Interiority, 6(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v6i2.318
Author Biographies

Sarah Javed Shah, University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Pakistan; Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Sarah Javed Shah is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore. Currently, she is on study leave to pursue her PhD in Architectural, Urban and Interior Design at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU), Politecnico di Milano. Her PhD research topic is an exploration of urban interiority as spatial continuum with a focus on retail spaces. She received her Bachelor’s (2003–2008) and Master’s (2009–2013) degrees in Architecture from UET Lahore. With over fifteen years of professional practice and teaching experience, she has designed architectural and interior projects, taught undergraduate and graduate courses and supervised thesis and design projects. She has been the executive member of the Institute of Architects, Pakistan (2018–2020) and convened international events for the IAPEX Student Jamboree. She has authored publications in peer-reviewed academic journals, co-authored chapters in books, and presented at international conferences. She also serves as a reviewer for the Elsevier Journal Sustainable Cities and Society and Pakistan Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her interests include public space, interior urbanism, urban interiority, temporary use, traditional architecture, deep beauty, sustainability, and sustainable architecture.

Carles Muro, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Carles Muro is an architect and educator. He studied architecture at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB), where he graduated in 1991. Worked with Elías Torres and José A. Martínez Lapeña in Barcelona (1987–1991) and with Álvaro Siza, in Porto (1992–1993), before setting up in private practice in 1993. He has served as a member of the editorial and advisory board of several architectural periodicals and was co-director of the Pre-Textos de Arquitectura book series. He has curated several architecture exhibitions and publications and he served as Curator of Architecture at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto (2017–2019). He taught at the ETSAB (1993–2015) and served as Director of the Master Programme Architecture: Criticism and Design at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC, Barcelona). He was also a Unit Master at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London (1996–1998) and Associate Professor of Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (2013–2018). He is currently an Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Politecnico di Milano.

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