Empowerment of Girls in Baltistan

The site of the school is in Baltistan, which is flanked by Afghanistan to the west, Kashmir to the east, China’s Xingang Province to the North and Pakistan to the south. Baltistan incorporates Gilgit and the Hunza Valley which are in the Karakoram Mountain range. The Karakoram mountains are the home of K-2, the second tallest mountain in the world. Baltistan has been the cause of war over the last 74 years, between Pakistan and India and more recently China and India. The terrain is rugged and unforgiving, but with its own distinct beauty.

Our studio will explore complex issues of the region, its society, and its history with a particular focus on the topic of girls’ empowerment in Baltistan. The studio will develop three primary ways of designing the dormitory: through cultural practices of art and architecture of the region, girls’ education, or both cultural practices and education simultaneously. Cultural in this sense is open to interpretation.