Alvi hails efforts to conserve city’s heritage

F.P. Report

KARACHI: President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi Wednesday graced the inaugural ADA Awards 2018-19 as the Chief Guest held at the Sindh Governor House.

At the occasion he said, “I praise all the heritage conservers of the country and the effort that they put in to preserve a site, especially the Edulji Dinshaw building and the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture building, which stand tall as the image of Karachi today.” The awards ceremony set new precedents by focusing on excellence and innovation within the field of design, arts and architecture. The first Architecture Design Art (or ADA) Awards was hosted by renowned RJ Khalid Malik. The attendees enjoyed a special performance by the Shafaat Ali, which set the mood for the event. Other highlights for the evening included a mesmerizing performance by the charismatic Suhaee Abro as well as a power-packed performance by the music industry’s newest sensation, Khumariyaan.

The winners of the first ADA Awards 2019 were a host of prominent and upcoming architects, designers and artists from Pakistan. The awards are a recognition of excellence and innovation in their field.

The jury for these awards included experts from both Pakistan and across the world, representing countries such as UK, Turkey, Italy, Singapore, France, Lebanon and Iran. The jury members went through hundreds of submissions in 2 days to select the winners for each category.

Maria Aslam, founding editor of ADA magazine and Creator of the ADA Awards, highlighted, “I am delighted by the resounding success of our first ADA Awards and the effort made by all the participants to submit such excellent work. I am humbled by the international jury that have lent their support and time to support our cause. We are confident that this is just the beginning of a new journey to showcase the talent of Pakistan to the world.”

The ADA Awards 2018 – 19 were supported by The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, which is the most prestigious and coveted award in the field of architecture in the world. The Awards were brought to stage by sponsors including Getz Pharma, International Industries Limited and International Steel Limited. The ADA Awards 2018 – 19 were officially launched in August 2018 by ADA – Architecture Design Art, a magazine for professionals of these fields practicing in Pakistan. Launched in 2008, ADA is Pakistan’s only bi-monthly dedicated to architecture, design and art.