Local Research Collective (LRC)

Background

The Local Research Collective is an initiative that has emerged from discussions on research projects carried out at architecture department of NED often in collaboration with academics and practitioners. The group is formed to be a forum of interconnection between practitioners, researchers and academics including students. How can architectural solutions address the various problems of city/region? The most important part of initiating this process was outlined to be the creation of forums for discussions and collaborations among varied interest groups, stakeholders and academics belonging to different disciplines to inform and address specific issues. The approach is taken to be an essential step toward developing sustainable processes. The collective was decided to be an instrument that breaks compartmentalization observed in other units. Thus, the research unit was created to facilitate collaborations, networking and creating feasible solutions among varied stakeholders, as one of the key components for the formation of this unit.

Aims and Objectives

The Local Research Collective aims to work at the intersection of architecture and urban design, local culture and identity, projecting manifestation of the local as an opportunity, an advantage and an asset for the region and built environment. Preservation and Management of History along with local processes attached as indigenous assets. Crafts and communities, local and regional, resilience and strategies of management are projected as essential for local identity of place and supporting sustainable practice.  The aims of the Collective are as follows:
 

1. To conduct interactive explorations around questions of built environment, its use, management and representation, associated identities of ‘the local’.
2. To carry out exploratory research that is interactive, based on dialogue, interviews, focus groups and discussion with social groups of city. Interpretive and qualitative research, including mapping and photography will be key features of documentation alongside. 
3. To undertake design initiatives alongside in support of the above.
4. To create inter institutional collaboration between architecture departments for research, student involvement to probe, explore and question in research and design, outline competitions for such participation, local organizations working on important issues of the built environment. 
5. To create interdisciplinary interactions, dialogue and teams, open to working with sociologists and anthropologists, film makers, artists and engineers for collaborative ideas.
6. To disseminate research findings through publications and forums.

Structure of the Collective

Unit Manager: Dr. Masooma Shakir
The LRC Manager will be responsible for larger collective management, between teams, coordinating and creating discussions on potential projects and place management.

Collaborators:
Collaborators of the Collective will include various working professionals and academics that become part of it through their ideas, and direct involvement in research projects. The following are collaborators who have been engaged with ongoing or recently concluded projects, others will be added to acknowledge essentially individuals and groups who work with the collective and become part of it through this.

Advisors:
Prof. Dr. Noman Ahmed, Dean ASC
Architect and Planner, Arif Hasan


Forums and Project Collaborators:

	Roundtable Discussion on Manchar Lake and its Social and Environmental Challenges, 2022. Poster, Video https://youtu.be/CoxZu227Rrg  Project: Indus River, Worship, Heritage and Communities Project Pak-France Peridot Research Project (2019-2022) Pakistan Team: Dr. Suneela Ahmed, Fahmida Shaikh (Phd Scholar) and PI – Dr. Masooma Shakir France Team: Dr. Delphine Ortis, Saba Sindhri (Phd Scholar) and PI- Prof. Dr. Michel Boivin.
	Roundtable Discussion on Public Private Partnerships on Architecture of Public Infrastructure, 2023. As part of discussions with post graduate students, stakeholders in various projects, academics and professionals.
	Baithak – “Exploring Architectural Coalesce with Traditional building and Ornamentation practices”, a Roundtable Discussion organized by Dr. Masooma Shakir and Dr. Fahmida Shaikh, inviting people from the industry of traditional building crafts, along with their product samples. Funded by Terrazzo and Concrete Technologies (TACT). Held on 31st January 2025, as a pre-conference session to 2nd International Conference on Architecture at Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University of Engineering and Technologies.
	Seminar on High Density Housing in Low middle income Neighbourhoods in Karachi, held on August 6, 2025. Project: Increasing Population Densities, the pandemic and low-income settlements, Funded by: National Research Program for Universities, Higher Education Commission 2023-2026. Project Team: PI- Dr. Masooma Shakir, Co-PI – Dr. Saeeduddin Ahmed, Research Assistants - Samia Sarfaraz and Prinka Chawla. Collaboration with Urban Resource Center: Zahid Farooq, Humayan Waqas, Jalil Ahmed and Technical Training Resource Center: Sirajuddin. Project Advisors: Arif Hasan and Dr. Noman Ahmed. Introduction to Seminar by Dr. Masooma Shakir https://youtu.be/3xjErit1uMY Building Regulations, Policies and Housing Densification by Prof. Dr. Noman Ahmed. https://youtu.be/xlZwKPf5Bvk Varied Solutions to Issues of High Density Housing, by Dr. Masooma Shakir. https://youtu.be/t6vTlRfQnLA  Roundtable Discussion moderated by Dr. Saeed Uddin Ahmed. https://youtu.be/iKXXX7xy0Q8 Leveraging Density for Affordable Housing Development in Punjab, by Dr. Hamid Shah, Senior Specialist Housing, Punjab Affordable Housing Program https://youtu.be/NIXPI7D-UCk Sindh’s Pathway from Post Disaster housing Reconstruction to Building Climate Resilient Settlements adapting Rural Growth Center (RGC) strategy, by Minar Thapa Magar from Nepal, National Coordinator for Sindh Housing Recovery and Reconstruction Platform (SHRRP) and EAROPH International representative. https://youtu.be/ezx7xBDkuCo
	Safe Construction of Housing, Awareness Session at Dreamhouse, Lyari on 17th September 2025. Community residents, youth, developers and UC representatives of area joined in the session, sharing findings on issues of high density housing. A Documentary on Safe Construction of Housing was screened at the session, prepared through the funding of NRPU project, based on the research findings.