Fehmida S. Bercha

“It’s becoming a concrete jungle,” says Waseem Jamal, founder of ORA Studios. In Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, traditional homes are no longer being built. Architect Kamal Shah says that even when a new house goes up, “it doesn’t feel like a home.” The team looked to traditional settlements for inspiration, where homes were designed in response to the climate and the environment. On a residential project, they used local wood and stone, insulated with traditional Hali, stained timber with walnut leaves instead of synthetic paint, and planted a tree for every one they cut. A school they built in Chipursan using mud blocks withstood the recent earthquake. “It has shown that this approach can work for future projects,” Waseem says. Founded in 2024, ORA Studios was selected that year for the entrepreneurship programme of Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan, part of AKDN, receiving business training, advisory support and patient debt financing. Watch how ORA Studios is reviving traditional ways of building in Hunza. @ApProsperity #TraditionalArchitecture #SustainableBuilding #GilgitBaltistan #Pakistan