Chikpat is a fast food outlet sitting in the heart of Islamabad. It reinvents south Asian cuisine with an assembly line module. In this particular project, we came across a client who was deeply connected to the roots of the heartland.  Initial conversations with him were mostly about the old city culture of Karachi and Lahore and how he is passionate about bringing the food on the street to the masses and classes of Islamabad. While talking to him, we stumble upon the idea of recreating reminiscence. 15’ wide and 65’ deep site has a similar proportion to an old city street. Space is a nostalgic re-imagination of Post-colonial urban thoroughfares. Research became the prerequisite for design. The team did in-depth research on the old city in terms of surfaces, art, and form. 

​

Layer 1- Form:  Forms of old city façades were selected and drafted as a streetscape. Segments of streets were extracted from different old city streets.

​

Layer 2 – Surface:  Earthy tones and metal surfaces were composed in contrast to induce a similar feel. The pertinent surfaces of the forms were necessary to evoke sensory nostalgia.

​

Layer 3-Art:  Finally space was wrapped in the art to mark it urban. Indigenous graffiti style was studied in depth to cover the surfaces holistically. It elevates the visual Texture and depth of the surface.