Building Bridges Between Lancashire and Lahore

This week heralds the beginning of a new relationship between Edge Hill University and the National College of Arts in Lahore. The partnership will see the two innovative institutions working together to design and develop a new Masters degree in Sustainable Architecture.

The Lahore delegation, including Muhammad Ali Tirmizi, Professor of Architecture and Syed Faisal Sajjad, College Co-coordinator, have travelled to Lancashire to proceed with the link by working with representatives from Edge Hill University, Dr Tasleem Shakur and Dr Linda Rush.

As one of the country's most prestigious universities, the National College of Arts only accepts 5% of its applicants, of which most will have undergone a year of expensive drawing classes to prepare for the entrance test. Women make up over 60% of the overall student population and study across all subjects including Architecture, Design, Musicology, Film and Fine Arts.

The course will be a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Design and will be taught in Lahore. Students will examine the impact of buildings on their environment and look at ways of using sustainable, green methods. They will also look at the effects of climate change and environmental influences on architecture in Pakistan.

As the partnership develops, further research is planned.