Yasmeen Lari to deliver UCLA Arts commencement address
The esteemed architect will address UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture graduates on Jun. 13
Esteemed architect and humanitarian Yasmeen Lari will deliver the keynote address for the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture’s 2020 commencement ceremony, which will be held online on June 13.
Yasmeen Lari is Pakistan’s first female architect. This past February, she was awarded the prestigious Jane Drew Prize for raising the profile of women in architecture. She has advised UNESCO on heritage conservation, and, since 2005, built homes for tens of thousands of people affected by floods and earthquakes in her home country.
“We are delighted that Yasmeen Lari will join us for this historic commencement ceremony,” said Brett Steele, dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. “Yasmeen Lari's extraordinary commitment and contributions to social and environmental justice resonate with an integrity and conviction so necessary for a world—and for a community of emerging artists and architects—facing an unprecedented moment of great tumult, and promise.”
Yasmeen Lari.
“It is an honor to be asked to speak to the graduating class of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture,” said Lari. “I look forward to speaking to the graduates of an institution that holds a profound belief in the tenets of social justice. I am confident that as sensitive creative thinkers they will utilize their ingenuity for social good and eco-sustainability to benefit vast majorities suffering from disparities and inequalities in a post-COVID-19 world.”
Born in 1940, Lari grew up in Lahore, Pakistan until she went to visit London on a family vacation at the age of 15. She and her siblings stayed and continue their schooling in England. When she tried to enroll in architecture school, she was told she’d first need to learn to draw. She had to study fine art and other subjects before she could again apply for architecture.
After graduation from Oxford Polytechnic (Oxford Brookes University) in 1963, she returned to Pakistan with her husband and a baby daughter Raeena at the age of 23 and opened her practice Lari Associates, becoming the country's first female architect. Lari helped communities struggling with economic and environmental inequities by building low-cost, zero carbon, zero-waste housing projects using local sustainable materials and traditional building techniques, employing a philosophy she dubbed "barefoot social architecture.” In 1973 she designed Pakistan's first public housing project in Lahore, which featured open-air terraces and private courtyards. She also designed landmark buildings in Pakistan, such as the Finance and Trade Centre and the Pakistan State Oil House in Karachi – all while battling gender discrimination in a male-dominated industry.
Yasmeen Lari designs houses using local sustainable materials and traditional building techniques. Images courtesy Heritage Foundation of Pakistan.
Together with her husband, alumnus of Oxford University and eminent historian Suhail Zaheer Lari, she founded her humanitarian and conservation CSO the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan in 1980. Since closing her practice in 2000, primarily to focus on writing books about Pakistan’s architectural history, she has also helped flood and earthquake survivors create flood-resistant structures using bamboo and mud building techniques, and built community kitchens in refugee camps.
Lari has been recognized throughout her career for her contributions to the field and to society. She was elected president of the Institute of Architects Pakistan in 1978 and was the first chairperson of Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners in 1983. In addition to this year’s Jane Drew Prize, in 2016 she received the highly acclaimed Fukuoka Prize for Asian Art and Culture. In 2002, Lari received a UN Recognition Award for the promotion of culture and peace, and was named one of 60 women from around the world who have contributed most towards the objectives of UNESCO. In 2006, in recognition of her services to the architectural profession, heritage conservation and humanitarian assistance, the government of Pakistan awarded her Sitara-e-Imtiaz (The Star of Excellence), and in 2014 Hilal-e-Imtiaz (The Crescent of Excellence), among the nation’s highest civil awards.
UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture 2020 Commencement
Saturday, Jun. 13 | 10 a.m. PDT
Watch on our commencement website
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