SYC

OCA Experience Center
1 Constitution Avenue, Islamabad

Originally built in the early 2000s, this office was made to house the administrative and sales teams for the mix use complex that is One Constitution Avenue. A decade and a half later, SYC was hired by the developer to spruce up the interiors and supervise the fit-out process - all within a timespan of a few weeks. The layout of the double height hall was altered to allow for a coffee lounge in the first half and a display area and meeting space in the second half. The admin side of the office was moved to the backside of the building, whereas the executive conference room and president’s suite remained on the first floor. The tree shaped columns and the stair side rail were finished in a metallic rose gold color, large monolith stone finish tiles were used for the reception counters, warm wood ply was utilized for walls, archways and ceilings. Several elements that were to be part of the mall interior design were incorporated into the experience center. A custom designed mural was also installed near the display area, serving as a nod to the developer’s company title.

OCA Experience Center
Location: 1 Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
Year: 2023
Square Footage: ~5000 sq.ft

One Constitution Avenue
1 Constitution Avenue, Islamabad

Largely considered to be the best address in the capital city, One Constitution Avenue since its conception has been one of the most prominent developments in the area. SYC was brought into the fray on the request of its developer to solve a whole host of challenges - responsibilities ranged from the interior design and finishing of the shopping mall to the redesign of the hotel tower. Several spaces were also designed in addition to the above such as a pan asian restaurant at the 23rd floor skybridge, sales & marketing office and Tower C lobby. SYC engaged with consultants around the world to ensure that the design was in compliance with the requirements of the well known hotel operator that was slated to occupy the hotel tower. Landscaping and external planning services were also rendered by SYC.

One Constitution Avenue
Location: 1 Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
Year: 2022
Square Footage: ~350,000 sq.ft

HOUSE 166E
Garden City, Rawalpindi

SYC was invited to lead this project post-grey structure phase. The client had purchased a handful of abandoned structures in garden city as an investment and desired to have one repurposed as his secondary home, the original one being in Kashmir. This 9,000 sq.ft structure was modified and repurposed by SYC to allow for multi-family living, with two separate units. The basement was designed as a standalone 2 bedroom unit whereas the upper two floors were converted into a proper 5 bed home. The facade of the house was modified to allow for a more contemporary feel - large wings and fins hiding the original classical elements of the building. Extra tall angled metal slat panels provide privacy and a larger than life feel to the elevation. A staggered boundary wall inset with diffused light features outlines a sprawling lawn on two levels. By combing carrera marble, walnut wood and brass accents in the interiors, SYC was able to effectively create a residence that exudes luxury and glamour. Bespoke doors, fully equipped italian kitchens and wardrobes, large format slab floors and baths are only a few of the dazzling features that give this house an A++ home rating. This house was completed in 24 months in a budget of approx. 80 million.

House 166E
Location: Zone 4 East, Garden City, Rawalpindi
Year: 2023
Square Footage: ~9,000 sq.ft
Project Architect:
Shahzeb Khan

2 C Residence
Bahria Enclave, Islamabad

This 7500 sq.ft house espouses the two principles that underscore sound architectural practice - simplicity and order. By choosing an intuitive layout and restrained interior palette and materials, SYC was able to effectively create a residence that feels larger than it is yet cozier than one expects a space of this size to be. Voids bisect both axis’ the house sits on, allowing ample light into the inner spaces. A narrow yet tall pivot door allows access to the foyer with an all glass ceiling - thus creating a smooth transition from the outdoors to the indoors. 9 foot tall bespoke doors give the rooms grander access, and similarly sized glass and wood shutters separate formal spaces from the informal areas of the house. Grey, brown and beige combine with each other to provide a complementing theme for the house. By using mostly local materials and incorporating principles of minimalism, this 2-kanal house was completed within a budget of 40 million and 18 months.

2 C Residence
Location: Sector C, Bahria Enclave, Islamabad
Year: 2023
Square Footage: ~7500 sq.ft
Project Architect:
Shahzeb Khan

Progency HQ
Bahria Town, Rawalpindi

This 2700 sq.ft office was planned as a habitat for marketing creatives. Curved, irregular shapes form an organic, flowing layout, with no single room having walls at 90 degree angles. The Progency promise infinity feature wall beckons the user into the office, with bespoke bright visitor chairs serving as a place to wait. Elements such as a dot matrix light ceiling, diffused light back wall and metallic grey reception counter allow for a futuristic and yet retro feel. A curved glass meeting pod separates yet connects the reception to the open concept workspace. Laminate wood finish planks wrap around the floors, walls and ceilings of the conference room, executive waiting areas and the CEO offices - again providing connections across spaces rather than compartmentalizing them. Muted colors were chosen for this project to allow for a minimal and clean feel, with splashes of color and texture in the furniture and flooring spicing up the interior spaces. All of the furniture was custom made in accordance with the functions and sizes of the spaces the pieces would be placed in.

By choosing an experimental layout and restrained interior palette and materials, SYC was able to effectively create a place worthy of the vision an ethos of the company.

Progency HQ
Location: Phase 7, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi
Year: 2023
Square Footage: ~2700 sq.ft
Project Architect:
Mashaal Shahid

Durani Residence
DHA, Lahore

This 5000 sq.ft neoclassical house was designed to serve as a secondary home for a client that primarily resided in another city. Equipped with 4 beds, an outdoor whirlpool bath, BBQ terrace, AV Lounge, concealed powder, butler’s room and a full fledged servant compound, this house feels much bigger than a kanal. Floral moldings, fluted beam caps, wrought iron railings, white windows & blue shingles adorn the house’s french themed exterior. The crisp, modern interiors reflect an entirely different story, with straight-line elements such as the staircase, ceilings and doors signifying modernity. Accents of gold, white marble and fluted wood add a glitzy feel to an otherwise light and elegant space. With state-of-the-art light and blind automation with AI integration, sensor lights, an automatic sliding gate and electrical slide out power sockets, this house sports the latest and greatest in home tech.

By employing sound space planning and interior design skills, the dream team at SYC was able to effectively create a home worthy of the vision and gregarious personality of the client.

Durani Residence
Location: Phase 5, DHA, Lahore
Year: 2022
Square Footage: ~5000 sq.ft
Project Architects:
Arsalan Mansur & Mashaal Shahid

Meseta Coffee Phase 7
Bahria Town, Rawalpindi

Designed on the same shipwreck theme as the flagship coffee shop of Meseta Coffee Italy, this outlet was designed to provide a rustic, cozy setting for coffee aficionados. Weathered blue paint and wooden beams adorn the ceiling, complementing the white brick clad walls and wood floors. A French glass and wood front entrance allows ample light into the cafe, whereas the cigar lounge is partitioned from the cafe by accordion doors with vintage hand lettering on the glass. Accents like a rope ladder condiment shelf, umbrella barrel storage, pirate mural, faux copper tubing and glass dispensers for coffee percolation take the patrons of the cafe to old sea faring era. As a nod to the original cafe, hand made jute and canvas frame film posters cover the bench side wall, thick rope wraps the lower third of a central column and an archway allows access to the inside of the coffee bar.

Meseta Coffee (2nd Branch)
Location: Phase 7, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi
Year: 2022
Project Architect: Arsalan Mansur
Square Footage: ~1300 sq.ft

Prism Head Office
Gulberg Greens, Islamabad

SYC planned, designed and executed this 10,000 square foot head office and sales office in just under 6 months. It was conceived as a one-house operation for one of the largest real estate companies in Pakistan, Prism Estate & Builders. The design incorporates brass accenting, parametric wave forms in grey wood finish & sinterflex slabs on the facade and interiors . A double height hall serves as a luxury viewing area for potential clients, surrounded by supporting offices on the sides. Gold mesh laminated glass, electronic privacy glass, back lit skin rock were some of the latest materials utilized to accentuate the grandness of the space.

Prism Head Office
Location: Gulberg Greens, Islamabad
Year: 2019
Designed by: Sharoon Younas
Furniture by:
Square Footage: ~12,000 sq.ft

Corporate Mall Office
Lake City, Lahore

This project is a good example of how office architecture can be moved away from monotonous themes and straight lines to dramatic curves and bold textures. A 4000 square foot space was required to be designed to house the corporate staff of a suburban mall - with the client wishing to avoid boxy and uninspiring designs. Particular attention was paid on how to separate open workstations from the executive cabins and board room without separating the spaces visually. Drawing inspiration from the curving body of dragons, a serpentine wall of wood and travertine was chosen to separate the two aforementioned zones. Gold accents and full length mirrors add a bit of glitz to the dark themed office. The ceiling, feature walls and flooring as a consequence follow the same order as the curving wall, flowing in very pleasing turns.

Corporate Mall Office
Location: Lake City Mall, Lake City, Lahore
Year: 2021
Designed by: Sharoon Younas
Furniture by:
Square Footage: ~4,000 sq.ft

Bahria Club
Bahria Town, Rawalpindi

In order to fulfill its vision of providing high living standards and top-notch facilities, Bahria Town aimed at developing a state of the art health club for the residents of Bahria Phase 1. The 15,000 square foot facility was designed by SYC to inspire awe and allow for the users to work out in a luxury environment. Staggered metal brise-soleil screen the facade, which is clad in a vintage acid finish beige stone. The club is accessed by a reception area housing a custom designed prismatic counter and bench. This foyer is partially separated from a restaurant cafe by a mesh and stone feature. The cafe sports a black parametric ceiling and copper finish bar. Wood finish arches wrap around a tunnel connecting the foyer to the swimming pool hall and spa. A 20-foot larger than life model of a running figure custom designed and fabricated for this project ‘breaks’ through one of the pool hall columns. Stairs completely clad in polished grey travertine lead to the gym on the first floor. The gym and fitness studio follow a similar aesthetic, with floating fluid forms floating on an otherwise wood slat ceiling. The project was inaugurated by none other than Mr. Malik Riaz himself, the owner of Bahria Town.

Bahria Club
Location: Bahria Heights, Phase 1,
Bahria Town, Rawalpindi
Year: 2022
Project Architects:
Club: Shahzeb Khan
Gym: Arslan Mansur
Square Footage: ~15,000 sq.ft

Henry’s House
F7/3, Islamabad

Houses are meant to embody the spirit and personalities of their inhabitants and this house does that quite well. Warm, unpolished wood meets harsh fair face concrete and steel in a marriage of raw, industrial materials - giving the house a natural and spartan feel. Covering over 10,000 square foot of space, the residence boasts panoramic picture windows, floating stairs, fireplaces on all three floors, a full length lap pool complete with floating deck above, as well as a open sky rooftop lounge. Particular care was taken to achieve neat, crisp lines for the various finishes - with the building process being a lot more complicated than the final product. Taking the better part of three years, the project was a labor of love and stretched all stakeholders to their limits, culminating in a space SYC can be proud of!

Henry’s House
Location: F7/3, Islamabad
Year: 2021
Project Architect: Aman Mehmood Khan
Built by: .pakistan
Square Footage: ~7,500 sq.ft

Verasat, by Tandoori
DHA, Islamabad

A restaurant is not just meant to be a place for people to eat. Rather, it is a space that stimulates social interaction and provides a breath of fresh air in an otherwise monotonous routine. A great restaurant does this and more - it evokes nostalgia, and serves as a fond reminder of rosier times. Verasat Haveli is one such establishment. Tandoori Restaurants, a household name among the residents of Islamabad, had been looking to expand into the swanky suburban market of the twin cities. Having designed and executed two 300+ seat themed restaurants, SYC was once again approached to work its magic. Owing to its location on the Soan riverbank in DHA Phase 1, the latest Tandoori branch warranted a regal setting - a venue that was evocative of the type of fare being served. A mughal era haveli was hence designed, constructed and then broken down to a more weathered state. Featuring mostly local materials and built by local craftsmen, this restaurant was built from start to finish in under 10 months at a total cost of 25 million.

Verasat, by Tandoori
Location: Bund Road, Phase 1, DHA, Islamabad
Year: 2019
Designed by: Sharoon Younas
Built by: .pakistan
Square Footage: ~10,000 sq.ft

Trophy Properties
Lake City, Lahore

Satellite office projects are always tough; with shortage of space, funds and time being the main challenges. SYC was tasked with outfitting a real estate firm’s branch office in a newly developing suburb on the outskirts of Lahore. A 60 day window to move in and an under 2000 rupee/sft budget meant that the interiors had to be simple from the get-go. The 900 square foot space was sectioned into four areas: a reception, a sales department, an executive office and services. Large, symmetrical windows on either side of a herringbone pivot door provide ample natural light to the interiors. A monochrome base was set by grey perimeter walls adorned with rectangular profile moldings. The reception counter, fashioned from the same tile as the floor, was separated from the sales area by staggered metal slats finished in deco gold paint. Curved ends for the sales agent desks resulted in them taking up less space visually. Owing to the client’s fondness for aviation history, framed photo prints of early 20th century flights covered the walls of the chief executive’s office. The back gulley parallel to the executive office - usually left by office tenants for storage or unsightly items - was converted in a little green space and allows for some lovely views during the day.

Trophy Properties
Location: Lake City, Lahore
Year: 2018
Designed by: Sharoon Younas
Built by: SYC
Furnished by: EDGES
Square Footage: ~900 sq.ft

Hyat House
DHA, Lahore

Owing to stifling material and labor costs in the current economic atmosphere, building a house on a budget is proving to be increasingly difficult. The size of the nuclear family has decreased on average, yet people tend to construct more on their lot to compensate for skyrocketing land prices. The concept of building a house with a covered area as per market norms is myopic since one undertakes the construction of a house to customize living spaces according to their needs and wishes. The Hyat House was built for a client that desired to go against the grain; desiring a blank canvas for his artwork on a standard one kanal plot with only partial utilization. For this purpose, the plot was divided lengthwise into two halves, with the front half set aside for the lawn and driveway and the back half for the dwelling. A simple, symmetrical facade and disjointed garage allowed for an elegant yet easily constructed building . Local materials were utilized for the interior and exterior of the house, with the overall construction cost ending up under 10 million for a 4200 sq.ft covered area. It is quite rare for a one kanal house on a 50 million plot to be built in just 1/5th the cost of land - even rarer is the fact that the Hyat House pulled this off without any compromises on aesthetics and practicality.

Hyat House
Location: Phase 5, DHA, Lahore
Year: 2019
Designed by: Sharoon Younas
Built by: .pakistan
Square Footage: ~4200 sq.ft