In the industrial heart of Korangi, ASTOLA proposes an alternative to the ordinary factory campus. Designed by Gul & Thariani, the LEED Platinum-certified facility unites pharmaceutical production with a workplace built around light, landscape, and human wellbeing — courtyards, gardens, and water threading through a disciplined, rust-and-ochre exterior.

Inside, a dramatic sky court carved through the third and fourth floors anchors four colour-coded zones, while a thousand-seat auditorium, a library and gaming zone, and courtyard gardens turn the everyday workplace into something closer to a community. As CEO Khalid Mahmood puts it, the project takes its name and spirit from Astola Island in Balochistan — a sanctuary where varied forms of life converge.

Spanning over a million square feet and eight years in the making, ASTOLA marks Getz Pharma’s second major architectural chapter with ADA, continuing a dialogue between industry, design, and culture that began back in 2009.

📖 Read the full feature in ADA-Iconica, Issue 79.