'Don’t go anywhere alone. You will kill yourself!'
Throughout the time I have spent working in Pakistan security has been a prominent consideration and, with recent bomb attacks in Lahore and Islamabad, there have been renewed warnings from the US and UK embassies for foreign nationals in the country. Of course there are places where the risk is greater than others and so far – no tempting of fate intended – my experience of Azad Kashmir, where I returned this week, is of an environment less tense than that in Pakistan. 'We are tired of war' advised a Kashmiri colleague and I am told that the suicide bombers have never made this region their target. As their guest and a foreigner these same colleagues have my safety uppermost in their minds although, with the odd, slightly hysterical statement such as, 'Don’t go anywhere alone. You will kill yourself!', I could suggest a little more 'above the line' thinking on their part!
'Sam is married?'
By now I know it well. A look of curious expectation that accompanies the question followed by a quizzical, slightly suspicious air of disappointment when I answer in the negative. I thought I’d got this one explained last time around! Went through the whole concept of ‘girlfriend’ and ‘boyfriend’ ('Here the concept of girlfriend doesn’t exist’ came the reply!) and how, no, its not a ‘problem’ in the UK to be in your late twenties and unmarried without so much as an exact date for the big day laid out two years hence to give your current situation some legitimacy! Still, maybe there’s a compliment hidden in the expectation that during the interim three months since I was last here I should have identified the right girl, convinced her of the idea, embarked on a whirlwind courtship and pulled together a ceremony all prior to arriving back on their doorstep!
'Snow problem!'
An interesting issue came to light this week concerning the construction of House Type C as drawn. Now my view is that it isn’t necessarily necessary to jump every time a labourer on site questions some aspect of the design, however, on this occasion the man had a point and he was vocally supported by all others present so why swim against the tide?! By this stage I’ve picked up enough Urdu to understand that his was a 'snow problem' and it related to three windows positioned on the rear wall of the house. You see, I had failed to appreciate when placing these openings that, in the higher villages, snow can fall to such an extent that it drifts in the space behind the slope at the rear (there’s usually one of these!) and the rear wall of the house to a depth which would put it above the window sill level. This is a problem because our windows have no glazing, consisting only of timber frame and insect mesh with internal shutters (this may seem unusual but is a common arrangement here where the poverty of many householders doesn’t lend itself to anything more!) so the snow and melt water cause water ingress into the house! Not to worry, a fair degree of flexibility is essential on this job and the remedy is to shift a couple of the windows to each side wall where the sun warms and melts the snow so reducing the problem. All considered a very useful reminder that when designing for a context that is somewhat unfamiliar only so much can be anticipated and/or known at the outset. Even with research and consultation with local knowledge there will be gaps that remain which can only be addressed as the project develops. Now its true that we are left with one window on the rear wall! Short of omitting the opening entirely and with it all natural light into the room the only answer here involves a raised sill level and a shovel!
Springtime in the Vale of Kashmir
Here goes…
…Vividly punctuating hillside shades of green are dainty-crooked trees pink with blossom. Mud plastered homes topped with glimmering metal sheet border yellow-green terraces of wheat that step in curvilinear fashion to the valley floor below. Flowers dust the fields all around, blooming almost as rapidly as the capricious weather turns, trembling gently with the morning breeze…
In 1916 a man named James Douie wrote eloquently of 'the poet who had found ideas for a new Paradiso in the Vale of Kashmir…’. It would surprise me if this landscape hadn’t provided fertile material for numerous dabbling Dante’s since Douie's time. With that in mind I will refrain from getting too lost in Paradiso description on this occasion but believe me she’s awful pretty! 
I had planned to stay on in Kashmir through the weekend but was compelled to return to Islamabad by the arrival of Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī, a holiday celebrating the birth of the prophet of Islam that saw my colleagues heading homeward and the site office devoid of staff. There are some advantages to a weekend in the city and, secure in the knowledge that a warm shower would soon be mine to enjoy, I joined three colleagues on the 4 ½ hour journey to the capital. I enjoy these bumpy 4WD rides. With the exception of a couple of occasions when regrettably the twisting routes have triumphed over my stomach - with messy results - these journeys are never uninteresting and especially after a few days in Islamabad provide an opportunity to engage with life outside the rather constrained environment of the city. A few sights catch my eye as we travel. A post-election trend to display in vehicle windows prominent photos of either a jowly Nawaz or strident Benazir as a means to proudly demonstrate allegiance to their respective political parties (whether this would catch on with our own Gordo and Dave I have my doubts!). Bold white lettering on blue signboards stating ‘Drive Slow We Love Our Children’ and the over-honest ‘Speed Thrills But Kills’ are undoubtedly more engaging than the less emotive slogans found on a UK roadside. Punjabi love songs play on old cassette tapes, the landscape is spectacular and we pause only to acknowledge a passing friend, have another round of tea and take care of the necessaries (!) or, less regularly, to pick up a newly oiled child’s bike, two wheelbarrows and what looked to me like a broken washing machine before dropping off all of the above at a seemingly random location several miles up the road!…I didn’t bother asking and no one felt it necessary to explain…
On balance this past week has been a positive one work wise. The standard of house construction is improving, the build cost has been reduced considerably by implementation of the smaller house types and with judicious cutting of superfluous finishes we can get this down further. There was some hard graft last year to put together plinths which, although using techniques indigenous to the region, were nevertheless somewhat more demanding to construct for the contractors involved. With this experience behind them and many of the big issues addressed I find myself in the pleasurable position of working closely with the engineer and contractors to refine and improve the workmanship and design to ensure that our beneficiaries receive houses that are strong, comfortable and adequate for their needs.
With time I have been able to better understand the local working methods and vernacular construction techniques. More and more I've come to realise that, with regard to the sophistication of the construction of these houses, there is a natural point beyond which it would be inappropriate to go. I have details drawn that show plastic sheeting as a means to protect the timber floor plate from water and eaves finished with aluminium sheet soffits and insect mesh but the simple truth is that, regardless of the validity of such ‘improvements’, there is a level of sophistication above which anything else is seen as unnecessary, overly expensive and wasteful in terms of material, labour and cash. This realisation has been an important one for me. Once I came to understand which items fell within the necessary and possible and which remained outside and improbable it became easier to give priority to improving the areas of work which mattered most. In this context the drawings are only a starting point; an attempt at an ideal solution at which to aim that must, by necessity, be compromised and adapted to the realities on site and the lessons learned as the project develops.
