Mr. Qayyum Khan was part of the first graduating batch of University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, where he secured a gold medal for academic excellence. After gaining some professional experience, he enrolled in the prestigious Architecture Association (AA) in London for a post graduate diploma. Impressed with his work and dedication, AA invited Mr. Qayyum Khan to teach in the same program after his studies were complete. A year later he returned to Pakistan for good with a sense of responsibility towards the nation.

The veteran architect has now amassed more than 50 years of experience on projects of multiple scales and scope and has based his practice on four basic premises:

• Energy, material and space efficiency in design
• User friendliness
• A distinct architectural vocabulary
• A fourth item
• Low maintenance and durability of structures

Mr. Qayyum Khan is greatly inspired by the skill and craftsmanship of the local artisan. Instead of mindlessly aping the west to produce buildings that are alien to our context and lifestyle, design should address the basic needs of the end user, in his opinion. Therefore, he stresses on the importance of the vernacular, both in terms of materials and design/building methodologies. Since energy is such a major crisis in the country, Mr. Qayyum Khan is very conscious of this while designing at any scale. Building orientation, use of local material and construction methods, like cavity walls, are ways in which he strives to conserve energy.

The designs he executes are the epitome of efficiency in all possible aspects. A brick module is used to define overall proportions, for example, so that material wastage is kept to a minimum. Utilizing space up to its maximum potential is also an essential tool in Ar. Qayyum Khan’s repertoire.