Barrack, Sindh Secretariat

The brief

Design a barrack for the Special Secretary Development within the Health Department's premises at the Sindh Secretariat, and stay with it through construction. Government work carries a particular discipline: the drawings must be right, the departments must be kept informed, and every stage has to be checked and approved before the next one is allowed to start.

Working inside a live government campus

The site sits within an operating secretariat, hemmed in by existing buildings and a boundary wall, with neighbouring plots under construction on more than one side. That shapes the sequence: material has to be staged in a tight footprint, access is shared, and the setting-out has to be transferred carefully from the drawings to a ground that offers few clean reference lines.

What supervision actually looked like

The photographs on this page are the record of ordinary site visits, which is exactly where a design either survives or quietly drifts. On each visit the layout was checked against the issued drawing set, the column cages were inspected for cover and lap length before any concrete was poured, and the day's questions from the contractor were answered on the spot — with revised sheets issued the same day where a detail needed to change.

Departmental representatives walked the site with us regularly. Briefing them in person, in front of the actual work, removes a fortnight of correspondence and keeps approvals moving.

Where it stands

Substructure and the reinforced concrete frame are under way: boundary and plinth blockwork are up, the plinth beam is cast, and column starter bars are in place for the frame above. Supervision continues through the frame and into the finishes.