Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan’s first female architect, has been awarded the 2023 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in recognition of her significant contribution to the advancement of architecture, as well as her humanitarian work.
This is the first time that King Charles III has approved the medal which will be formally presented to her in June.
“I was so surprised to hear this news and of course totally delighted!” said Lari in the same release. “I never imagined that as I focus on my country’s most marginalized people—venturing down uncharted vagabond pathways—I could still be considered for the highest of honors in the architectural profession.”
Lari, who was born in 1941 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan, moved to London with her family at the age of 15. She studied art and finishing school before enrolling in the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, where she graduated in 1964. She returned to Pakistan with her husband and launched her own firm, Lari Associates, becoming the country’s first female architect.
Over the years, Lari Associates has completed projects for various institutional clients, including the Taj Mahal Hotel in Karachi and the Pakistan State Oil House headquarters. Lari also pioneered sustainable development, including the Angoori Bag housing in Lahore and her design for the self-build Chulah Cookstove, which offers a greener alternative to the traditional Pakistani stove.
Although Lari officially retired from practice in 2000, she and her husband co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, which received a United Nations Recognition Award in 2002. The foundation’s focus on encouraging sustainable construction has led to the creation of 50,000 shelters in areas prone to natural disasters and conflict zones.
According to RIBA, the work epitomizes Lari’s mantra: “low cost, zero carbon, zero waste.”
Throughout her career, Lari has received numerous accolades, including the Jane Drew Prize in 2020, the World Habitat Award in 2018, and the Islamic Development Bank Prize for Women’s Empowerment in 2013. In 2023, Lari became the first female winner of the Laurea Magistrale ad honorem in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 158 years.
