My name is Sehr Yaqoob and I am a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelors in Architecture (B.Arch) / Bachelors in Fine Arts (B.FA). I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. Karachi is a city with a very rich cultural heritage due to the fact that Pakistan was once part of the Indian Subcontinent as well as the British Empire. Therefore, allowing it to have a diverse architectural heritage. Having grown up in these diverse surroundings, I possess a distinct sense of space and structure.
I had my architectural breakthrough at the age of 14 during a field trip to Makli Necropolis situated in Sindh, Pakistan. Makli is one the largest heritage graveyards in the world and while all the other students were busy telling ghost stories and complaining about the heat, I found myself lost in the patterns and majesty of the beautiful graves. I felt deeply curious about who created these structures and what they were meant to represent. From that moment onwards, my interest and passion for architecture intensified and I found myself visiting various old buildings and monuments.
At RISD, I was awarded the opportunity to make my passion a lifelong vocation. During the architecture program, I was exposed to various insights over what an architect actually needs to do, especially when it comes to conceptualization. Personally, I believe that architecture for a place or site needs to be connected with a sense of context, be that religious or political. This is why most of my projects revolve around historical preservation. I study the site not just through an architectural lens but also a contextual one. This in turn allows me to ensure that my designed structure, embeds itself within the surroundings effortlessly. I believe that each building has a story of its own held within its architecture. I aim to add to these stories by preserving old structures and reusing them in innovative ways.
Furthermore, my deeply rooted interests in architectural heritage have taken me on numerous trips where I have experienced different cultures and learned about how their history has affected their architectural development. I was the vice president of the South Asian Student Association at RISD where I aimed to arrange and host events that helped people understand my cultural roots. Meeting people has always been a great source of learning and joy for me. This is why I find myself surrounded by people from various backgrounds. I believe everyone has a story and having the opportunity to share these experiences is how one grows as an individual.
