Government Secretariat Buildings

Islamabad, Pakistan

A complex of four and six-storey office blocks in the capital city of Islamabad designed to accommodate the government ministries of Pakistan. The master plan for Islamabad was developed by the Athens-based firm Doxiades and Associates. Commissions for individual structures were given to many international architects. The Government Secretariat Buildings were the first official structures to be constructed. These buildings were to house the offices of all government ministries and form the nucleous of the capital's Administrative Center.

The Secretariat Buildings are clustered into two groups; each group consisting of four L-shaped blocks connected by circulation bridges. Blocks are articulated by vertical elements that house staircases and elevators, and differentiated by the number of office floors per block (four or six) and the façade treatment (determined by solar orientation). The interrupted lines in the building's massing against the skyline of the mountains in the background tie the architecture to the landscape. The office floor plans are flexible, allowing for transformations in the Ministries themselves.


Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture