Personal Profile About Yasmeen Lari
Yasmeen Lari is Pakistan’s first qualified female architect. She is also a humanitarian designer, heritage conservationist, philanthropist, author, academician, and chairperson of the Pakistan Chapter of INTBAU since 2018. She currently leads initiatives in sustainable architecture, women’s empowerment, and disaster relief. She has earned numerous awards, including the Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
Born around 1941 in Dera Ghazi Khan, she co-founded Lari Associates in Karachi. She designed buildings such as the Taj Mahal Hotel Karachi, the Finance & Trade Centre Karachi, the PSO House Karachi, and the ABN Amro Bank Karachi, and she retired from commercial practice in 2000.
Lari co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, invented the fuel-efficient stove, restored historic sites like Sethi House Peshawar and Khairpur Heritage Centre, and served on committees for Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens. She also served as Sir Arthur Marshall Professor of Sustainable Design at the University of Cambridge.