Private Residence, DHA Phase VIII, Karachi
A 500-square-yard plot, a brief that asked for calm, and a program that asked for a lot: five bedrooms, a basement entertainment floor with a swimming pool and glass bridge, a home theatre, a gym, and an elevation in brass, timber, and fair-faced concrete.
- Plot
- 500 sq yds
- Covered area
- 8,200+ sq ft
- Floors
- Basement + Ground + First + Roof barsati
- Structure
- RCC raft foundation
- Status
- Structure underway, finishing packages awarded
The brief
The family wanted a house that feels quiet from the street and opens up inward — light wells, skylights, and a basement that works as the real living floor. Privacy in front; volume and daylight inside.
The engineering
A full basement on a tight urban plot means retaining walls, waterproofing that cannot be compromised, and a pool structure sunk twelve feet below road level. We built the structural program around a raft foundation and cast-in-situ retaining walls, with dewatering and pour sequencing planned before excavation began.
The craft
Twenty-one solid wood doors — mahogany and kale — are being made in a dedicated workshop, seasoned, sampled, and polished before they ever reach site. Finishing is contracted stage-wise with approved samples, so what was promised is what gets installed.