Unified Architectural Theory (Urdu)

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"This booklet contains parts, but not all, of my book Unified Architectural Theory (International English Edition published by Vajra Books, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2013). These readings together present an approach to architecture that is very different from the way it is currently taught, and suggest a new attitude towards the discipline itself. For this reason, I believe they can be quite useful to architecture students in the Urdu-speaking world. 

There is another reason for this translation. I wanted to reach out beyond academic architecture (where many people are schooled in English), to those who cannot read my original book. Widespread damage to culture occurs when common people are influenced by extractive globalism to build against human nature, and politicians approve monstrous buildings just because they see those images in the media. The Urdu speaking world has a beautiful tradition of architecture set in a characteristically complex urban fabric, and contemporary architects and urbanists should pay more attention to those. I hope that after reading this book, clients and local government officials can feel secure enough to respect their local architectural traditions. Backed by the arguments that I offer, intelligent people can insist that thousands of years of culture, including practical knowledge about low-cost sustainability, not be violated by flashy and unsustainable alien importations. 

I profoundly thank Zahra Hussain, through whose invaluable help this work can now reach a wider audience in the Urdu-speaking world. I am extremely happy to present this novel approach to building and design to a new generation of young architects."

Salingaros, Nikos. Unified Architectural Theory: Urdu Translation. Preface by Zahra Hussain. Rawalpindi, Pakistan: LAAJVERD, 2016.