Qamar House

Qamar House (Urdu: قمر ہاؤس‎), also known as EFU House, is designed in the Art Deco architectural style, by Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani in 1948 and was built on Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road in central Karachi between 1948 and 1955 by Qamardin & Co. It was the tallest building in Karachi until the construction of the Habib Bank Plaza building in 1968.

Qamar House
قمر ہاؤس
General information
Architectural styleArt Deco[1]
Location16/2 G.K.8 Ghulam Hussain Kassim Quarters, M. A. Jinnah Road, Karachi, Sindh
CountryPakistan
Coordinates24.90°N 67.02°E / 24.90; 67.02
Elevation29 ft above msl
Current tenantsEastern Federal Union (EFU Life) Insurance Company
Construction started1948-49
Completed1955
Inaugurated1957[1]
CostRs 2.4M in 1957
LandlordQamardin & Other’s 1948-2002; EFU-2002 onward
Height129 ft (39 m)
Dimensions
Diametertrapezoidal
Other dimensions150ft * 300ft
Technical details
Structural systemRCC Frame in filled masonry
Floor count12
Floor area268,056 sq ft
Design and construction
ArchitectQamardin Mahomed Hashwani (QMH)
Structural engineerA Mevawalla
Civil engineerAhmedali Mahomed Hashwani (AMH)
Quantity surveyorQJV with QMH
Awards and prizesSindh Government Recognition 15 April 2011 National Heritage Monument, EFU House (Qamar House) Heritage of Sindh website Published in 2017, Retrieved 16 February 2018
Other information
Parkingopen plot (cos) 125 square yards
References
Qamardin Jaffer Valliani: Procurement for building Qamar House & facilities maintenance management till 2002


Location

Qamar House was built on Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road across from the Karachi Port Trust Building erected in colonial prepartition times, and in the vicinity of the Merewether Clock Tower another colonial preparation monument in Karachi.[1]

Details

Qamar House was designed by Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani in 1948 in the Art Deco style, and was built in partnership with Qamardin Jaffer Valliani and both their brothers and partners Ahmedali Mahomed Hashwani and Tajdin Jaffer Valliani by their Partnership Qamardin & Others. It has 12 floors, and is 129 feet in height.

While Qamar House was being built its recognition spread beyond Pakistan. On 5 July 1957 Aga Khan III appointed Qamardin as his Honorary Architect for Pakistan. His appointment for Pakistan was reaffirmed by Aga Khan IV succeeding his grandfather, when he appointed Qamardin as Honorary Architect for life for various projects throughout Pakistan.

History

From inception in 1948 till 2002 Qamar House was initially owned by four original partners of Qamardin & Others: Qamardin Mahomed Hashwani 25%, Qamardin Jaffer Valliani 25%, Ahmed Ali Mahomed Hashwani 25%, Tajdin Jaffer Valliani 25%; subsequently, original four owners successively gifted of their 25% shares sub-fractionally to members within each of their nuclear families. It was acquired by EFU in 2002 to be the head office for Eastern Federal Union, the largest insurance company in Pakistan.[1] Afterwards, it was officially named EFU House.[2]

References
  1. Profile of EFU House (Qamar House) on Heritage of Sindh website Published in 2017, Retrieved 16 February 2018
  2. efuinsurance.com https://efuinsurance.com/conventional/company/about-efu.php. Retrieved 13 April 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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