Safi Mansoor Khalil
Thesis Title:
Countering Ecological Stressors: Reimagining Hiking Interventions on the Margalla Hills
Project Title:
Hiking Facilities on Trail 5
Location:
Trail 5, Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), Islamabad
User Group:
Residents of Islamabad, Residents of Villages in the MHNP, Tourists
The hiking trails are an essential point of both human access to and thus understanding of the stress on the ecology. This thesis investigates developing an architecture that is sensitive to the ecology and biodiversity of the Margalla Hills that also accentuates the human experience of hiking. Recognizing the hiking experience as a promenade, the intervention sites are spread over the 4 km long trail, sited whilst considering the existing human appropriation of these sites and their ecological and phenomenological values. The design was anchored in these qualities, with an ethos of sustainability in both materiality and construction technology to remain sensitive to the ecological value of the sites.
Safi Mansoor Khalil
Architecture
Thesis Title:
Countering Ecological Stressors: Reimagining Hiking Interventions on the Margalla Hills
Project Title:
Hiking Facilities on Trail 5
Location:
Trail 5, Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), Islamabad
User Group:
Residents of Islamabad, Residents of Villages in the MHNP, Tourists
The hiking trails are an essential point of both human access to and thus understanding of the stress on the ecology. This thesis investigates developing an architecture that is sensitive to the ecology and biodiversity of the Margalla Hills that also accentuates the human experience of hiking. Recognizing the hiking experience as a promenade, the intervention sites are spread over the 4 km long trail, sited whilst considering the existing human appropriation of these sites and their ecological and phenomenological values. The design was anchored in these qualities, with an ethos of sustainability in both materiality and construction technology to remain sensitive to the ecological value of the sites.
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1. "The Summit": an observation tower for the public and a fire and logging lookout to keep the higher elevations of the trail safe. The design is inspired by the tall Chir pines that extend their branches out at the hiker and create a strong feeling of monumentality.
2. The "Start Point": A semi-enclosed courtyard encloses a gathering space for ecological and meditative activities. A cafe and a forestry office sit either side of the space; verandas punctuate both spaces creating a vista down to the nursery.
3. Composting Toilets sit within the dense forest 1.4 km into the hike. They sit seamlessly amongst the existing exposed stone strata and are nestled carefully into the trees, providing privacy and facility.
4. A thatched roof floats ephemerally above a natural stone shelf amphitheater 3.6 km into the hike; it provides shade for hikers to rest whilst gazing at the city and valley below.
5. The "Start Point": Forestry offices facilitate forest rangers to effectively interact with the public and conduct conservation activities. The form rests on stilts in the landscape and is punctuated from the middle, providing open access and a view into the nursery landscape.
6. A dangerous, winding sub-trail unveils the valley below it. At sunrise, rock faces glow and the valley's shrubs shine as hikers sit on platforms facing the valley.
