Vas02 by Abu Sayem

Issue 02 Spring Fall 2016 A Newsletter from Bengal Institute for Architecture Landscapes and Settlements

Issue 02 Fall Sequence 2016 First Edition, December 2016 A newsletter from Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements

Internet Media: facebook.com/BengalInstitute, twitter.com/BengalIALS, youtube.com/BengalInstituteVideos

December 2016

Credits and copyright information of most photographs, art / design work are mentioned on the individual pages. Uncredited photographs are taken by Faisal Huda, Mizanur Rahman Khoka, Mohammad Tauheed and Bengal Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participants of the Academic Programs.

Published by: Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements Bengal Centre Plot 2, Civil Aviation, Khilkhet, Dhaka - 1229, Bangladesh. Phone: +8809666773311 Email: info@arch.bengal.institute Web: www.arch.bengal.institute

Editor: Mohammad Tauheed Assistant Editors: Farhat Afzal, Muntakim Haque Editorial Associate: Ahmed Bhuiyan Contributors: Tazrin Ahmed, Fatiha Polin, Maisha Hossain, Faisal Huda, Farhana Rashid Designed by: Irteza Ameen Photograph on cover by: Fazlay Rabbi

Team

Executive Board

Advisory Board

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf Director General

Chairperson Abul Khair

Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

Luva Nahid Choudhury

Chairman, Bengal Foundation

Chairman, BRAC

Chief Adviser A.K. Abdul Momen

Members

Director Administrative

Marina Tabassum Director Academic

Saif Ul Haque Director Research Program

Professor Emeritus, Framingham State University, Massachusetts

Sameen Elahi

Professor Emeritus, Dhaka University

Chief Coordinator

Mohammad Tauheed Academic Coordinator

Masudul Islam Shammo Research Coordinator

Nusrat Sumaiya Associate Research Coordinator

Rashed Hassan Chowdhury Design and Communications Coordinator

Farhat Afzal Academic Associate

Tazrin Ahmed Research Associate

Dhrubo Alam Research Associate

Ahmed Bhuiyan Editorial Associate

Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury Research Associate

Muntakim Haque Contents Associate

Faisal Huda Research Associate

Rubaiya Nasrin Research Associate

Fatiha Polin Research Associate

Members

Architect, Ahmedabad

Principal Architect, J.A. Architects Ltd.

Professor, Columbia University, New York

Salauddin Ahmed

Gary Hack

Principal Architect, Atelier Robin Architects

Dean Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf

Rounaq Jahan

Director General, Bengal Institute

Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue

RaďŹ q Azam Principal Architect, Shatotto

Suha Ozkan

Belal Ehsan Baaquie

Architect and Architectural Historian, Bodrum/Istanbul

Professor of Finance, The Global University of Islamic Finance, Kuala Lumpur

Luva Nahid Choudhury

Michael Sorkin Architect and Professor, City University, New York

Director General, Bengal Foundation; Principal Architect, Abashan Upodeshta Ltd.

Stanley Tigerman

Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury

Dean and Professor, State University of Bangladesh, Dhaka

Principal Architect, URBANA

Iqbal Habib Architect-Director, Vitti Sthapati Brindo Ltd.

Saif Ul Haque Principal Architect, Saif Ul Haque Sthapati

Research Associate

Nahas Khalil

Research Associate

Principal Architect, ARC Architectural Consultants

Mohammad Arfar Razi

Ehsan Khan

Research Associate

Afreen Ahmed Rochana

Principal Architect, Ehsan Khan Architects

Research Associate

ASM Shahidullah Khan

Tamanna Tabassum

Chairman, Editorial Board, New Age

Research Associate

Marina Tabassum

Chowdhury Farah Zaki

Principal Architect, Marina Tabassum Architects

Research Associate

Balkrishna Doshi Kenneth Frampton

Jalal Ahmad

Hassan Mohammad Rakib Farhana Rashid

Anisuzzaman

Architect, Chicago

Shamsul Wares

Issue 01 Fall Sequence 2015 Second Edition, March 2016 First Edition, February 2016 Scan this code to view the online version of the ﬁrst issue of VAS.

The term “vas” is the root or infinitive of several other words related to dwelling, living, settlement, house/home, love, reality etc. The name tends to reflect the intent of the Institute — the integrity of all disciplines related to living, environment and settlements. Our academic, research and design programs comprise of faculties, researchers and participants from diverse background and different parts of the world, connecting multiple disciplines under one roof. Each academic sequence included classes, seminars, discussion forums, designstudios, field-trips, public lectures and other public events. Vas documents and publishes all the major events of the Institute, works by participants, faculties and others, as well as the Institute's research team.

Site analysis for designing a climate responsive residence - Studio by Philip Goad, submitted by Naim Ahmed Kibria.

Spring Sequence 2016 Bengal Institute’s academic program started off with the inaugural sequence Fall 2015 in August last year. For the first time in Bangladesh a diverse global lineup of faculty taught at the postgraduate level in an integrated program focusing on landscapes, architecture, settlement and the overall built-environment. The faculty hailed from the top academic and professional sectors from all over the world and took seminar classes, design workshops and conducted public events. It was a unique, holistic, fresh approach to academia that we claim a success. Currently Bengal Institute is hosting two academic Sequences per year, the Fall Sequence from August to November and the Spring Sequence from February to May. Spring 2016, our second academic sequence was similar to what we did in the first one, it was packed with sessions focusing on various topics conducted by top academics and professionals from Dhaka and different parts of the world. In the meantime, we organised a big event, the Bengal Architecture Symposium: Architecture Now/Next from 18th to 20th March, where master architects and prominent academics gave lectures and joined in panel discussion to find the answers to

what is going on the ﬁeld of the profession and what’s coming next. Hundreds of local architects and design enthusiasts participated in the event. The academic sessions in February focused on tropical design, architectural place making in March, housing in April and the focus of May was landscape. Overall, the sequence looked into discussing environmentally and socially responsible designs with a broad understanding of interconnected disciplines in the changing urbanism and climate.

February Session 2016

Muzharul Islamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NIPA Building at the University of Dhaka

Faculty: Alayne Adams, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Raﬁq Azam, Philip Goad, Soumitro Ghosh, Iliona Khalili, Dwijen Sharma.

The tropical climate is unique in its diverse ways and it has a direct impact on the design of our built environment; thus making ‘tropics’ a critical topic in the discussion of design, architecture and situated place-making ever since the modernism. A new generative theory of the “tropics” is needed to address its political, architectural, urban, botanical and health connotations. Beyond the image of a lush and exuberant landscape, the tropics is a geographic concept that needs a new measure for engagements. The February Session focused on all of these themes. We had Soumitro Ghosh with us, he is a prominent Indian architect based in Bangalore with some award winning projects under his belt. He was followed by, Iliona Khalili, the master of alternative building methods and materials, who is carrying forward the mission of sustainable building techniques some of which were started by Nader Khalili. Our participants had the experience of working with her hands-on in a week long design-build workshop on making earth-based domes and emergency earthbag shelters. We had Professor Philip Goad, who is an

authority ﬁgure on Australian architecture and tropical modernity. Professor Goad took the Session beyond South Asia, and connected the dots of the tropics of both North and South with discussions from Latin America, Africa, Australia and South and Southeast Asia. It gave us an overall picture and understanding of how architects all over the world innovatively addressed the issues of tropicality in their designs, with insights for what we can do in the future.

Top: A sketch from the project by Naim Ahmed Kibria at Philip Goad’s Studio.

February Session 2016 | 04-05 | Tropical Topics

Left: Bangla Ragini : A miniature painting from Rajasthan, late 17th Century Right: Soumitro Ghosh at his public lecture at Chhayanaut Auditorium

30-31 January 2016: Lectures by

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf Tropicality is a special topic in the architectural discourse. At the beginning of the session, Kazi Ashraf shed light on the fact with historical and contemporary references and analogies. His lectures also focused on how climate inﬂuenced architecture throughout the world, with the proposition that ‘architecture is a landscape event.’ The discussion also included architecture in a hydrological landscape and ‘architecture without architects,’ vernacular architecture in tropical regions.

3 February 2016: Public Lecture 12: Thoughts and Works: Soumitro Ghosh

Soumitro Ghosh at Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi Soumitro Ghosh is the principal partner of “Matthew and Ghosh Architecture”- an award-winning architecture ﬁrm from India. He lived in various states in India and in his lecture, discusses various ways Indian cities have and are still transforming. He referred to the changes in Bollywood (the most widely accessible and culturally inﬂuential media in India) as a metaphor and compared the great shift in the depiction of culture in Bollywood, with the vast changes in landscape of Indian cities. He critiques the growth of cities in India with emphasis on the failure of people to harmonise with nature to create a better dwelling.

4 February 2016: Review of Works:

Soumitro Ghosh Studio at the Abdur Razzaq Bidyapeeth, Dhanmondi The assignment was to propose an idea of designing housing in the low-land, wet-land areas and the participants brought out different approaches of building in the land-water-scape. The projects addressed some of the major issues of designing in the lowlands, such as legal boundaries of waterbodies and how the real-estate sector is misusing it and the sensitivities towards the hydro-ecological balance and new built environments.

“Stop the Pacman” Project by: Tazrin Ahmed, Mizanur Rahman Mishu at the studio of Soumitro Ghosh The project approaches an idea of stopping the encroachment of water-bodies still building and achieving the necessary density, along with the ideas of creating a water-based transportation system. The settlement idea was to develop a land-water hybrid module that is ﬂexible, expandable with the minimum intervention towards the water-edge ecosystem.

Most of the wetlands around the area have already fallen victim to encroachment and landfilling. Here is an idea of how to accommodate people without land filling, by attempting a floating structure. However, the adaptability of this idea is culturally difficult, as people may not agree to living in a floating community. To approach that problem this project attempts to orient them towards water through incorporating all other aspects of living, like livestock, small hatchery, bazar, cafes and vegetable production. Structures made with bamboo and floated by banana plants and hyacinth can move around and anchor as necessary. This is a transitional, tertiary community in the middle of urban and rural.

“The house is the most intimate part of architecture. It’s where we hide, where we ﬁnally have a refuge.” - Alberto Kalach at Bengal Architecture Symposium “Now/Next”

February Session 2016 | 06-07 | Tropical Topics

“Floating Community” Submitted by: Farhana Nizam Chowdhury, Mansura Perveen, Tahsin Hyder at the studio of Soumitro Ghosh

14 February 2016: Special Lecture by

Tarshito Nicola Strippoli is known to everybody as Tarshito, an architect, designer and artist. Tarshito has worn with pride the title Warrior of Love, he bears it with the responsibility and joy that comes from having recognized his own "centre": the point of balance that roots him to the ground and allows him to be open and to experience. Since the 1980s Tarshito has involved a number of designers in his work, both famous and obscure (or more recently his own students), simply by talking about love, holiness, gentleness, always drawing invisible connections between earth and

6-14 February 2016: Lectures and Design Build Workshop: “Earth Architecture and Eco-Villages” by

Iliona Khalili The earth is evolving with the new challenges of climate change, and we are desperately looking for alternative, environment-friendly solutions to design and construction. Iliona Khalili introduces us with some of the ideas and techniques of building sustainably with simple materials like earth, brick, in-situ ceramic and earthbags. She also sheds light on the backgrounds of how some of the methods were developed by Nader Khalili and were used in various humanitarian and standard usage for decades.

mind, between himself and his 'other’, between the Earth and the Sky. He has involved designers and artists of fame, such as Alessandro Mendini, Mario Merz, Nanda Vigo and many others who have been protagonists in the evolution of a contemporary language, inviting them to share a series of celebrations. At Bengal Institute, he and his partner gave a lecture in the form of a spiritual brainstorming, involving music and experiments with audience participation. The participants were literally connected with the threads and messages of love, spirituality and its connection to design.

Top: Tarshito’s presentation at Bengal Institute. Bottom: Iliona Khalili at her designbuild workshop

February Session 2016 | 08-09 | Tropical Topics

Diagrams and drawings: from Iliona Khalili's presentation on earth architecture Photos: Participants at the Iliona Khalili's design-build workshop outside the Bengal Institute campus.

Iliona Khalili’s ‘New Earth’ is a part of the wave of grassroots movements in Sustainable Eco-Villages. She wholeheartedly believe in humans’ ability to live harmoniously in this earth, and on the mission to offer hands-on education in creating environment friendly arts and architecture. Iliona is an architect and master builder in Earth Architecture, raised in London, graduated from AA, UK. From 1991-2008 she worked with humanitarian architect Nader Khalili to establish Cal-Earth Institute in California. With many professionals and students they developed his innovations, especially Emergency Sandbag Shelter which was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004.

Iliona and her team organized a workshop where our participants worked on building an earth-brick dome and a small emergency earthbag shelter at the open premises near Bengal Centre. Working day and night with mud and brick they put up the dome and the sandbags hands-on. The dome is still there for anyone to visit. This was a unique workshop where we learned how pragmatic and easy it is to move on to alternative, environment friendly building and construction techniques, with the materials and expertise readily, locally available.

Philip Goad at the review of his studio at Abdur Razzaq Bidyapeeth, Dhanmondi

20-23 February 2016: “Modernism & Tropics Indian Subcontinent, South America and Africa” Lectures by

Philip Goad The tropics of the earth work differently than rest of the globe. This region followed a unique historical and political path that impacted its architectural evolution greatly. Professor Goad showed how the colonialism affected the tropical belts across Africa, Indian Subcontinent and the Americas. Almost the entire Africa was colonised by different European countries throughout the history and those countries have obvious inﬂuence over the development of modern architecture in this region. There was a ‘colonial network’ of architectural knowledge and expertise exchange. Where the same architects got to work in different countries in Africa and Indian Subcontinent during the colonial times. Due to the lack of local architectural education the ‘imperial knowledge and technology’ transfer was inevitable. Post WW-II, the decolonisation process began; with a lot of efforts into creating ‘tropicality’ as a subject of focus by developing a local knowledge base, and local manuals of building for the tropics. Exemplary books like J.M. Richards, New Buildings in the Commonwealth, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry’s Village Housing in the Tropics with special reference to West Africa and Alcock’s How to Plan Your Village. wards building a contextual identity. Almost similar fate followed in the Subcontinent. Modern architecture began with exemplary buildings like Lighthouse Cinema, Kolkata, in 1934 by Willem Marinus Dudok or Golconde Student Dormitory, Pondicherry between 1935-42 by Antonin Raymond and George Nakashima. While Otto Koenigsberger got the responsibility for

providing housing solutions for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who had ﬂed Pakistan following partition, including a low-cost prefabricated housing system and a new town policy based on the principle of aided self-help, aimed at creating sustainable urban communities in 'underdeveloped' regions of the country. Le Corbusier and as part of his team Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew got awarded with the works of Chandigarh. And soon enough, BV Doshi and Charles Correa in India, and Muzharul Islam in Bangladesh, started designing great examples of ‘tropical modernity’ with an eye towards building a contextual identity.

25 February 2016: Review of Participants works

Philip Goad Studio at the Abdur Razzaq Bidyapeeth, Dhanmondi The participants were given a quick assignment to design an ideal home in the tropics. They were given two days to come up with an idea which may be situated in an imaginary site or it could also be an extension or renovation of an existing work.

24 February 2016: Public Lecture 14 “Poetry In Section:The Architecture of Glenn Murcutt” lecture by

Philip Goad at Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi Philip Goad discusses the life and works of Glenn Murcutt in this public lecture in Dhaka. Glenn Murcutt is a British-born Australian architect born in 1936. Murcutt lived in Papua New Guinea before the second World War broke out, which is when the Murcutt family moved

to Sydney. Philip Goad cites the influences that Murcutt had having lived in the tropics and having an amateur architect (professionally a gold prospector) as his father who encouraged him to pursue the profession. He began his career even before graduating from New South Wales Institute of Technology (now known as the University of New South Wales) by designing a house for John Devitt at Beacon Hill, Sydney. After graduating Murcutt travelled throughout Europe, and Philip Goad tracks his influences and outlines how his travels shaped his designs. Goad also examines the influences of other architects such as Mies van der Rohe and José Coderch in Murcutt’s work and how interaction with other architects like Craig Ellwood helped Murcutt shape his own brand of design. Goad then assesses the works of Murcutt to highlight the importance of “drawing in sections” to better understand design and to adapt the design better to the landscape and its conditions. Going through Murcutt’s works also demonstrated how an architect’s vision evolves. Philip Goad used Glenn Murcutt as an example with which any architect could modify their approach and thought process to both find and better implement their vision.

February Session 2016 | 10-11 | Tropical Topics

Sketches from the project by Naim Ahmed Kibria at Philip Goad's studio.

Project by Naim Ahmed Kibria Idea of an ideal tropical house that provides a comfortable living throughout the year during different seasons in the City of Darwin in Northern Territory of Australia around the climatic region of the Tropic of Capricorn. Where the seasonal changes are somewhat the opposite of Bangladesh. The house entirely depends on passive cooling and climate conscious design with an optimum usage of efďŹ cient materials and natural ventilation techniques.

Sketches from the project by Naim Ahmed Kibria at Philip Goad's studio.

Top spread: All the participants worked on the same large drawing covering various aspects of rivers and its edges from the experience of the journey and the workshop. Bottom Left: Sketch by Cyrus Sohrab Khan and Nabila Binte Nasir at Kazi Khaleed Ashraf's Workshop on “Japito Jeebon”

Faculty: Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Peter Buchanan, Suha Ozkan, Peter Stutchbury, Timmy Zamir Aziz.

The month of March was very special to us. Along with our academic programs we organized a three-day long international symposium “Architecture Now/Next,” the ﬁrst of its kind event in Bangladesh. Renowned local and international speakers and panelists talked and discussed about the pressing matters of the profession, its related issues and gave direction towards the future. While at the classroom Kazi Khaleed Ashraf did an extensive discussion on the fundamentals of urban design and place-making, Suha Ozkan showed a wide range of projects from different corners of the world that made it to the lists of major award programs, works beyond popular magazine items. Peter Buchanan gave an insightful anecdote of the transition from modernism, its impact on the practice and the education of architecture. Our participants got to work hands-on with Peter Stutchbury at the studio and also outside the Dhaka city, where he took us to explore the river, nature and their interwinding impact on designing in the tropics. Throughout the session Timmy Aziz enthusiastically focused on training the participants about some new design methods and technology, including analytical mapping with GIS.

06-09 March 2016: Lectures by

25-27 March 2016: Lectures by

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf

Peter Buchanan

The chapters of philosophy over time has a direct inﬂuence over the transitions in architecture. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf gives an extensive analogy of the relationships and the transitions. It had three major parts Architecture and the Body, What does architecture do, with texts from Abbe Laugier and Gottfried Semper and the anthropology of space. Next was the core theories of architecture and its manifestos. And the third part was about architecture and the world, the relationship of built environment and places with the nature, site, situation, location, community and the cities.

Modernity and modern architecture brought many good things, but we now increasingly suffer their toxic downsides. With architecture this results in fragmented city fabric, society and even psyches. Generally it results in intertwined and intractable, multi-causal challenges unamenable to simple solutions – so called wicked problems – that include the urgent need for sustainability.

14-16 March 2016: Lectures by

Suha Ozkan Suha Ozkan’s vast experience in curating architectural award programs gives him a unique knowledge of the diversity and breadth of architecture practice across the world. His lectures took us beyond the typical list of popular names and brought in examples from several different places and communities to look into. It was a reminder of the riveting points that shaped the contemporary architecture of last few decades.

Current thinking and theory are inadequate in addressing these challenges. What is required in a meta theory that is more inclusive and with a higher perspective. Hence the adoption of Integral theory that brings all ﬁelds of knowledge into a horizontal relationship and also introduces a higher level of thinking. A key theme of Integral Theory is “transcend and include.” Peter Buchanan, continued to explain the idea that it is time to move on from modern architecture to a more complete architecture informed by a more complete vision of what it is to be a human.

Clockwise from top-left: Peter Buchanan's lecture at Bidyapeeth, Dhanmondi; Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Suha Ozkan, Marina Tabassum at Bengal Institute; Buchanan's lecture at Bidyapeeth; Suha Ozkan with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf at BI; Kazi Ashraf's lecture at BI lecture room.

March Session 2016 | 16-17 | Place/Form

“You can’t Google knowledge. It doesn’t work like that. You Google information.” - Peter Stutchbury at Bengal Architecture Symposium “Now/Next”

25-27 March 2016: Trip to Dhaleshwari River with

Peter Buchanan Peter Stutchbury

March Session participants went out to a day-long study-trip with Peter Stutchbury, Peter Buchanan and Marina Tabassum to the Dhaleshwari river. It was part of the design studio that Stutchbury conducted to get a hands-on experience of the relationship between the river and people in Bangladesh and how to design for them.

25-29 March 2016: Studio with

Peter Stutchbury Stutchbury pushed our participants to look at the bigger picture of the edges of the rivers, by literally drawing long sketches in a new way of looking at the rivers of Bangladesh and how they interact with other elements and people. Followed by the trip to Dhaleshwari river it was an exercise of plotting memories, culture and large-scale design strategies by drawings and sketches.

The Naked City by Guy Debord, 1957, an unplanned journey through a landscape of Paris drawn as a photographic psychogeographical diagram

13-16 March 2016: Workshop: Critical Cartography and the Informal Settlement

Timmy Aziz Urban maps not only provides Architects with physical information about buildings, streets and public spaces but they also provide a way of seeing. This workshop took the examination of an informal settlement in the Dhaka City area as an opportunity for creative map-making and ways of seeing and searched for what to the eye and mind of the Architect is revealing.

The goal of the workshop was to visually reveal spatial structures and relationships that may not be otherwise seen and offer a fertile ground for architectural concepts that may otherwise not be possible. And to arrive at ‘maps’ that integrate classic and unconventional data alike that reveal the urban characteristics of the site in ways that traditional urban maps would not.

Comparing and contrasting the classic methodology of urban analysis laid out in the book “The Image of the City” by Kevin Lynch and the experimental mapping by the Situationist activist Guy Debord, the class developed its own strategies of assessing and mapping the site.

The groups of the participants were divided into the tasks of gathering information in the ﬁeld, gathering data from existing sources and mapping. Participants learned to work on QGIS software to analyze and map some given sites. They worked on Beribadh Slum, Abdullahpur; Ansar Camp, Mirpur; Geneva Camp, Mohammadpur; Godown Slum, Mohakhali with extensive analytical mapping.

Informal settlements may be seen as a paradigm of our time that is characterized by unplanned urban growth, rather than an outlier of contemporary urban form. It may thus be argued that analyzing and understanding its urban structure and sense of place is of great importance. Certainly such an understanding offers a critique of practices based on planned and ordered urban spaces rather than ‘wild’ and unplanned ones.

PATHWAYS

SITE PLAN

ENCROACHMENT OF WATER

LANDMARKS

Ansar Camp: “Informality in Disguise” By Nabila Binte Nasir, Fatiha Polin, Shahin Sultana Eity The Ansar Camp in MIrpur is a densely populated area that can be considered as residential and commercial amongst other identities. Settlement here began with it being allotted as colonies for government employees, but afterwards encroaching of the water bodies opened up more spaces for usage. The area is under Dhaka North City Corporation, Ward 10, Zone 4, which is flourishing spontaneously in an unplanned manner. The water-bodies in the area are being encroached as it starts landowners when they fill the water-bodies to build houses. The tenants of those houses then systematically start to creep further inside the water-bodies. Given the density it is interesting to find some courtyards which are being used as playgrounds, for drying clothes, socializing and storing goods. there are also some small and different kinds of cottage industries growing along with grocery vendors; spaces are being used for making rickshaw hoods, brooms, traditional cakes, kites and for raising

livestock, vegetable farming and ﬁshing. Along with so many individual classes which are signiﬁed and granted by the society, there is a zest to become more isolated, reannouncing more individual groups, community showing or approving more distinguishment among dwellers. Though the ‘walled city’ concept is not being practiced anymore, still the inhabitants are having their own ‘walled’ settlement in the name of security, safety, priority, services, infrastructure. But all these shows up as a socio-psychological inferior as well as superior attitude. And there the question arises ‘Why are we having such approach to draw ‘cage’ around us?’ When we think “development,” we seem to assume that the service sector, working class people who keep the city alive, will vanish into thin air at the end of the day. There is typically no sign of them in the urban premises, planning and discourse.

March Session 2016 | 20-21 | Place/Form

SAND FIELD

ENVIRONMENTAL MAP

LAND USE PATTERN AND STRUCTURAL TYPOLOGY CHANGE OF ACTIVITY PATTERN DURING IJTEMA

Beribadh Slum: “A Shadow Community” By Nidalia Islam, Ali Adnan, and Mohammad Masudur Rahman This informal settlement is known as “beribadh bosti (slum)”- situated on the north side of Dhaka-ashulia highway or beribadh road. Uttara Sector 9 is situated just opposite of it (south side of DhakaAshulia Highway). A slum adjacent to industrial zone nearby and a planned residential area which acts as a dominant factor in the lifestyle and profession of the people living in that slum. The dwellers of the slum serve the middle class and upper middle class society of planned residential area. The growth of small industries in that area ensures a scope of employment for slum dwellers. A ﬁsh market, bus stand and the highway also encourages the spontaneous growth of the slum as these features add opportunity for employment. It is a very organic and informal settlement which is situated adjacent to a highway which act as an important link to the main city. The planned residential area and highway act as catalyst to the growth of this slum. They suffer slightly from

environmental hazards and there is a lack of proper sanitation. Otherwise, it’s a very organic layout and there’s a sense of place in the nodes and small pocket spaces which face the Turag River. Children have made their place to play and the residents have made their own individual lifestyle and sense of belonging here.

TENANCY TYPE MAP

HOUSE RENT MAP

HISTORY OF WATER ENCROACHMENT

ACTIVITY MAP (ALL DAY ACTIVITY MERGED)

SMELL MAP

LIVING DURATION MAP

Godown Slum: “Diverging Duality” by: Cyrus Sohrab Khan, Kazi Sumaiya Saifee The settlement along this road is like an enigma for hundreds of passersby. However, multiple overlapping narratives can be generated in general and also through individual’s own perspective. Such multifarious indicators can be seen here in the northwest corner of the largest slums in Dhaka. Godown Slum is situated at Mohakhali, Dhaka. The slum started to grow along the linking road of Mohakhali and Banani over Banani Lake in late 90s. The inhabitants of the slum came from outside of Dhaka due to several reasons, ie. In search of livelihood, river erosion, evicted from own land etc. They basically come here for a short period of time and they have a tendency of shifting to a better place. So, the sense of belongingness is less among them. And somehow the worse situation of their living condition led to the name of the slum as GODOWN which Indicate

human living in a warehouse. Godown slum at a glance : Area 4.5 Acre (Approximately) Population:1,600-2,000 34.2% people own their houses 60.60% houses rented 5% rent free 99.4% electricity connection 99% Gas connection Mapping Strategy The standard data mapped Psychogeographic (Lynchian) data Data concepts based on observation

ARCHITECTURE

MEETING CORE

PLANNING URBANISM

LANDSCAPE

PLANNING URBANISM

LANDSCAPE

24 March 2016:

Rethinking Architectural Education for the Emergent Era by Peter Buchanan at Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi Buchanan says he is not an academic, but an architect-urbanist who writes, and now teaches at the London School of Architecture (LSA). His impression is that the quality of schools and teaching within them varies considerably, and the best schools are neither the famous ones nor in likely locations. (Often a few individuals lift an otherwise ordinary school.) He says, schools are slow to update and pace up with the practice. And a few new schools are emerging to cope up with this crisis. Like at the LSA, all students are working part-time, all faculties are practicing architects and students pay their tuition fees from the money they earn from working. There will be no tenure and the faculty lineup will always be renewed. Sometimes a teaching position may be taken by a practice rather than an individual. The school has no permanent base and will move between London’s boroughs and work in collaboration with their municipalities on local, reality-based projects. There are some consistent comments about architecture schools, like schools are not providing a proper grounding in architecture, particularly its technical and construction aspects. This is certainly true of some schools, particularly the ‘elite’; but much less so of those the elite dismiss as ploddingly “provincial”. Tellingly, tutors at elite schools send their children to “provincial” schools, expressly so as to get a proper grounding in construction. Students complain of poor design teaching, particularly by academic teachers who cannot themselves design. Having fallen far behind the leading-edge of practice this presents a major challenge, not least in giving students access to the level of consultants that such practices collaborate with. Also there is lack of comprehensive and coherent curriculum, and the fact that the studio emphasises concept rather than craft. And students are pressured to quickly produce concepts, a misunderstanding of the creative process: concept should emerge rather than be imposed. Problems compounded by drive for architectural education to be more

academic, hence the rise of theory with many posts going to PhDs at expense of architects experienced in design and construction Theory has become a self-referential equivalent of medieval Scholasticism – a major reason academe has fallen behind practice. Although issues such as sustainability became more pressing, they tend to remain marginal add-ons and restricted to objective issues of ecology and technology. Whereas many professors privately confide the view that architectural education does not belong in universities. Some of the big changes are underway, and an architectural curriculum adequate to the emerging epoch is evident. For architectural education to catch up with where practice is now, challenging as that is, falls far short of what is required. The massive changes we are undergoing require application of new knowledge and new modes of thinking that are more inclusive and integrative. Most especially we need to adopt a ‘Meta Theory’ that both charts the horizontal relationships between our exploded fields of specialist knowledge and includes a vertical dimension giving us an elevated perspective that helps us apply this knowledge wisely. Such meta theories have long been available but, although powerfully relevant to it, have been ignored by architecture – the one field where all knowledge is synthesised. The changes afoot and these meta theories will even provoke a radical rethinking the very purposes of almost all facets of life, including of architecture and urbanism. We need to look far, stretch beyond our comfortable cocoon. “Whoever discovered water, it wasn’t the fish” This was how Marshall McLuhan explained our blindness to the degree to which we are shaped by our omnipresent communication media. But something very similar applies to architecture, to which our relationship is so intimate and sustaining that we are relatively unaware of it. This is true even of architects and architectural

academics. A deeper understanding of the purposes of architecture and design is necessary to help formulate the most elevated and empowering vision of them relevant to the emergent epoch. This is vital to achieving sustainability, inspiring change, and revitalising architectural education. Sustainability cannot be achieved by objective means alone, such as technology and ecology, vitally important as these are. We are complex cultural beings exiled from nature. Architecture starts in part as compensation for this exile from Eden, creating an independent human world. It originates in imagination and fantasy as much as shelter and function. These two factors, spatialisation of the psyche and compensation for separation, have driven the elaboration of culture and architecture – including the great glories in buildings, gardens and urban set pieces. Like culture, architecture is a largely unconscious compensation for our exile from Eden. When architecture loses its cultural dimension it becomes functional and abstract, alienating us and leaving us homeless because now outside this web of relationships. Returning this sense of connectedness is fundamental to advancing sustainability. It is time to reconnect – with each other and our deep selves, with nature and our built environment: to come home again. The current state of architecture is either a theory dominant postmodernism or a computer generated spaghetty. Peter Eisenman’s City of Culture, Santiago de Compostela in Spain for example, is an extravagant absurdity of illustrating theory at the expense of any other reality. And then we have the pandemic attempt of the computer generated forms, which makes any form possible, raising the question: which forms are relevant to architecture and our relationship with it? Buildings as products of surrendering uncritically to softwares. We need to rethink the whole curriculum and method of teaching at the schools involving Multiculturalism and Spiral Dynamics. An example of All Quadrant architectural curriculum: At the core, drawing on in pragmatic fashion and

March Session 2016 | 22-23 | Place/Form

ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE COMMON CORE

PLANNING URBANISM

CULTURE

PLANNING URBANISM

LANDSCAPE

ENGINEERING

FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR

THEORY

THIRD YEAR FOURTH YEAR YEAR OUT FIFTH YEAR THESIS YEAR BREADTH OF ISSUES RAISED BY PROJECTS

drawing on in pragmatic fashion and synthesising all these disparate fields of knowledge is the design studio and its associated research. Unrelated Environmental Design Disciplines Just as differentiation of Big Three became pathological dissociation, so too architecture, planning and urbanism, and landscape have become overly independent of each other, studied separately with little reference to each other. With these fields pulled apart, they neglect a crucial core that should be common to all. Much of that is crucial to sustainability – and is not covered in education - lies in the present gap between, and what should be the overlap, of these fields. Similarly, culture, downplayed under modernity, lost its grounding in religion and transcendent spiritual realms as well as the living earth, needs revitalization. Engineering in all it forms (dotted border) is a vital common resource all these fields need to understand and draw upon. And the shared foundation courses

among all the related disciplines can be: Evolution and ecology Human ecology and history of settlements Climate and cultural adaptations to it Climate change and its consequences Flows of energy, materials, resources and food from extraction to waste Physiology and psychology of perception Phenomenology and environmental psychology Theories of cultural development, eg. Spiral Dynamics Human need for meaning (depth psychology) and communication (semiotics) Purposes and processes of design. The relationship of studio and lecture would be governed by necessity, i.e: No lecture course starts until demand (and motivation to study it) arises from studio. Finally the implications for education would be: A culmination of progress to Four Quadrant curriculum and raise students to Second Tier; focusing on knowledge alone cannot deliver this. Move from genius to scenius, from education predicated on solitary genius to

multidisciplinary teamwork and collaborative creativity. Turning schools as forums of interdisciplinary discussion and research, focused particularly on topics addressed in shared core course, on reassessing purposes and on personal development as well as a critical reappraisal of past cultures and architecture for lessons relevant to the emergent epoch. Reappraisal of purposes and nature of architecture, and how it elicits relationships - only partly through mediatory role of culture. After millennia of separation, it is time for an architecture that seeks connection and relationship - between buildings, buildings and settings, and with us – and return humanity in its fullness to centre.

hou se,clu ster, mat rix April Session 2016 Permeable Lattice City by WOHA

Faculty: Jalal Ahmad, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Abed Chaudhury, Niklaus Graber, Saif Ul Haque, Nahas Khalil, Christoph Steiger, Wong Mun Summ (WOHA Architects), Marina Tabassum.

Public housing is among the most pressing matters of our time. The design and the necessity of housing are rapidly changing as our working habits, transportation modes, industries, and social and family values are changing. It is time to rethink the core functions of living and its diversity and differences across communities and regions. The movement from house to housing raises increasingly complex questions about the morphology and arrangement of social and spatial organization. In thinking about settlement patterns, the process also indicates shifting scales, typological complexity, and network systems. The theme of â&#x20AC;&#x153;House, Cluster, Matrixâ&#x20AC;? addressed the range of rural and urban housing forms through the dynamic practices of Steiger and Graber from Luzern (Switzerland) with Saif Ul Haque, WOHA Architects from Singapore, and special engagements with Nahas Khalil and Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Dhaka, along with lectures by Jalal Ahmad and Marina Tabassum.

Project sketch and photos from Panigram Resort, Jessore, by Marina Tabassum (MTA) presented at the lecture at BI.

PRAYER SPACE for 100 pers.

IMAM'S OFFICE

MEP

WOMEN'S PRAYER ROOM

IMAM'S LIVING +DINING KITCHEN

COURTYARD

Figure 382 - Computer Generated Image of a Contemporary Mosque.

Figure 383 Computer Generated Image of an interior of a Contemporary Mosque, Option a.

Figure 384 Computer Generated Image of a Contemporary Mosque showing Mihrab.

Figure 385 Computer Generated Image of an interior of a Contemporary Mosque, Option b.

Figure 376 Interior view of the facade (Option 2)

Figure 377 Exterior view of facade (Option 3)

Figure 378 Interior view of the facade (Option 2)

Figure 379 Exterior view of facade (Option 3)

STORE WOMEN'S TOILET +ABLUTION

SHOE RACK SHOE RACK

SHOE RACK

TOILET+W. BASIN +SHOWER

WOMEN'S ENTRY

MEN'S ENTRY

Figure 381 - Example of a contemporary Mosque layout.

FACADE - 2

SECTION - 2 5m

FACADE - 3

SECTION - 3 0

17-18 April 2016: Lectures by

Marina Tabassum Diagrams and standard 3D of Mosque Design Guidelines of Abu Dhabi, UAE, by Marina Tabassum (MTA) presented at the lecture at BI.

Marina Tabassum showed two very different recent works by her and discussed aspects of how they are all connected to the issues of House, Cluster and Matrix. One of those was the Panigram Resort and the other was the Abu Dhabi Mosque Development Regulations for United Arab Emirates. Both the works have elements of “architecture without the architect.” As the mosque design regulations are heavily connected to the vernacular architecture of the Emirates and the Panigram project introduced the strategy of involving local community to learn and build the project.

Abu Dhabi Mosque Development Regulations Project The mosque design guidelines that Marina Tabassum developed for Abu Dhabi was a result of an extensive research and analysis of vernacular mosque design in the Emirates. The regulations feature all the traditional, organic elements of the local vernacular architecture, that would help to ﬁt the future designs with local climate and the culture seamlessly; involving the ideas of passive-cooling, traditional proportions and efﬁciency.

Panigram Resort The Panigram Resort project also started with extensive research on the local and vernacular architecture. While being sensitive to the local culture, climate and environment, this project also involved the local people directly into the process of making it. Located in Taherpur, Jessor, on a small delta of Kapotakkha river; it becamean exemplary work of sensible, state-of-the-art hospitality facility

April Session 2016 | 26-27 | House/Cluster/Matrix

IMAM'S ENTRY

SERVICE ENTRY

19-20 April 2016: Lectures by

Wong Mun Summ (WOHA) In a constant state of evolution and innovation, WOHA Architects of Singapore are renowned for their works in the public-sphere and tropical highrise. Founder, Partner-architect of WOHA, Wong Mun Summ gave two lectures during the April Session, showing some recent works relevant to Dhaka’s context. He also elaborated on the ideas of ‘21st Century Toolkit’ for Macro Strategies, Architectural Strategies, Climatic Strategies with the target of designing 100,000 people per square-kilometre dense cities planned vertically and threedimensionally.

Photos from the Seminar by Wong Mun Summ (WOHA Architects) at BI and some his example projects from the presentation. c of the visualization WOHA Architects

9 April 2016: Site Visit to Savar with

Niklaus Graber, Christoph Steiger and Saif Ul Haque As part of the design studio, Niklaus Graber, Christoph Steiger and Saif Ul Haque went to visit the site of the experiment, Kanarchar in Savar. It’s a village that is on the fringe of possibility of turning into a small town, as much of the tannery and other industries from Dhaka are being relocated in and around these areas. The target was to understand the elements of the community, economy and builtenvironment which was going to be affected by the potential semiurbanisation. The visit also included the remarkable ﬂoating school project designed by Saif Ul Haque, made of bamboo on the river.

13 April 2016: Studio review by

Niklaus Graber, Christoph Steiger and Saif Ul Haque The assignment was to come up with ideas of how to cope up with the possible increase in density in the villages of the Dakkhin Kanarchar area when many of the factories will be relocated here from Dhaka; how the villages should embrace the potential rapid changes and semi-urbanistion. The studio also focused on several other aspects of social, economic, cultural and environmental sustainability.

From Top: The ﬂoating school project by Saif Ul Haque in Dakhshin Kanar Char, Savar, taken during a ﬁeld trip to the area; Jalal Ahmad at BI Studio; Niklaus Graber, Saif Ul Haque and Christoph Steiger at the design studio and the review.

April Session 2016 | 30-31 | House/Cluster/Matrix

Fahmida Sultana A centralised courtyard-based cluster idea which accommodates various functions and types of residency, yet ďŹ&#x201A;exible enough to be replicated and manipulated as necessary. The village grows along units and clusters; density increases, as people start to migrate for the new industrialisation of the area.

Faisal Huda came up with this idea of clustering low-rise, high-density housing that would also host rentable â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;resortsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for visitors and tourists. The whole business part of the residences is integrated within the livelihood. The village itself becomes a place to visit and an opportunity of experiencing the organic way of living within the community for the visitors.

Samira Awal Trisha It was an idea of a modular housing in growing bee-hive pattern with shared services. The main structures would be built on pilotis to keep an accessible ground-level connected by momentary open-tosky courtyards. It is easy to accommodate any size families or type of income-groups in this arrangement, as they can rent or purchase as many small modules as they need.

Tauhidul Islam Rifat As the density increases, this project by Tauhidul Islam, suggests growth by shared facilities and services. The cluster, he suggested, comes with the ideas of shared courtyard, kitchens and toilets by multiple families, and bedrooms, living spaces are added around it as it grows.

April Session 2016 | 32-33 | House/Cluster/Matrix

Top: Photos from Kazi Khaleed Ashraf - Nahas Khalil’s design studio and a project of Sabrina Rahman at the following studio. Bottom: Photos from the trip to Kanihati, Shamshernagar, Sylhet with Abed Chaudhury

24-27 April 2016: Studio by

28-29 April 2016: Trip to Kanihati with

Nahas Khalil Kazi Khaleed Ashraf

Abed Chowdhury

Nahas Khalil and Kazi Khaleed Ashraf initiated the discussion to probe the most typical pattern of designing residential areas in Bangladesh, the gridiron layout of plots of land. The studio worked on to come up with new ideas of how to break the typical notion of individual plot based distribution of land and aiming towards a bigger scale of communal housing patterns. Participants worked on a block of land in Dhanmondi residential area, assuming as if it doesn’t have any plot boundaries, and how large communal housing could take advantage of the idea and solve some of the pressing matters of providing housing for the high density of Dhaka.

Renowned geneticist, writer Abed Chaudhury oriented the participants about how we perceive the visual world around us through eyes and how we process it in the brain. He also added the facts and references to portray an integrated picture where everything is interlinked through our evolutionary process, genetic inﬂuence and selections and how all these lead to shape what we design and our understanding of aesthetics.

He has a living project of producing organic crops, rearing poultry and breeding different species of crops and vegetables using ‘selective breeding’ in Kanihati, Shamshernagar in Sylhet. Our participants went to visit the projects and received a ﬁrst hand experience of sustainable living. They also visited the nearby Khashia village on a hill-top.

6 April 2016: Public Lecture by

Niklaus Graber Niklaus Graber represented the architectural practice based in Lucerne, Switzerland “Graber und Steiger" run in partnership with Christoph Steiger. He explained their ethos of practice, saying that although their projects have a basis of superior and; to a certain extent; abstract concepts and sketches, they make a point of creating architecture that is widely understandable and which creates a tangible and physical experience. Under the aspect of “Trended structures,” they are searching for practical and academic strategies that can help them to establish powerful architectonical structures which approach the task in a targeted way and encourage an autonomous spatial expression. In an immaterial sense, they see structure as the “inner or- dering” or as the DNA of an architectural complex.

The term “structure” plays a central role in developing their projects. In many design approaches, they therefore investigate the question of which parameters shape the architectural structure and which vectors align them in a recessive or dominant way. How do different aspects such as program, site or material, or “what”, “where” and “how” overlap in an architectural complex? How can they be synthesised in harmony

within a design? Which strategies can help us establish structures with character that are also trended towards the environment and content of the task, thereby enhancing the speciﬁc expression of the spaces and buildings? To fundamentally investigate these and other questions, they thoroughly study the spatial and architectural potential of the term “structure” using various experimental conﬁgurations.

In their architectural research, they try not to regard structure as a purely material phenomenon. Instead they also grasp it as a working hypothesis or an intellectual tool that allows them to describe the mutual relationships within an architectural complex and the relationships between individual elements and the overall whole. They therefore posit the hypothesis that structure can be seen as an “inner order” or as the actual DNA of an architectural design. Looking at the concept of structure in different disciplines such as science and art, they see that structure appears to be a universal principle that is fundamental to their understanding of things.

When designing, in addition to the “what” and “where,” they always pay great attention to the “how” and therefore the construction too. The process of detailing for example is never self- referential. Instead, its tectonics always follow the logic of the architectural and spatial origin of the building. It is their belief that in times where building processes and

methods of construction become more and more complicated, the simplicity and implicitness of architecture should be cultivated.

The actual ﬁelds of reference that behave dominantly in formulating an architectural structure are mainly the result of the subjective stance of the architect respectively the question of the “who”. The design achieves its unmistakable expression through the subjective weighting and assessment of the task by the author or designer. An architectural task cannot be mastered by merely analysing the location and the programme. Instead, it must develop through interaction with invention, observation and conclusion, whereby the designer in a way plays the role of the director. They also see their work as a critical comment to the environment that we live and work in.

By establishing trended structures, they seek an archaic-timeless architectural expression for designs. Thereby, they wish to step away from an imageoriented approach to architecture in order to make the buildings resistant to aspects of a short-term Zeitgeist or fashionable lifestyle."

The structures from nature, a slide from Niklaus Graber’s presentaiton at BI

land scape, form s,for matio ns May Session 2016

Photograph: from the site visit to Purbachal with Kelly Shannon

Anika Tabassum Ahmed Anisha, Faisal Huda, Tauhidul Islam at Kelly Shanon and Saif Ul Haque Studio The long section made of natural elements is an analytical section of the entire site depicting different elements in different areas. The design is an idea of creating elevated connections and roads to keep the natural ﬂow of water and the existing ecosystem functioning, while achieving a certain density that is still economically viable.

Faculty: Salauddin Ahmed, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Ishrat Islam, Madhura Prematilleke, A. Atiq Rahman, Wakilur Rahman, Kelly Shannon.

Theories, designs and techniques were presented for working with a hydrogeographic landscape as the Bengal delta. Seminars, design workshops and forums addressed various scales of operation, from water urbanism and climate induced environmental adaptations to landscape rearrangements for more localized situations.

Kazi Ashraf started off with orienting the participants towards the multifaceted meaning of what we understand by ‘landscape’ from different perspectives. While Madhura Prematilleke gave some examples building in and with the landscape in Sri Lankan tropical climate. Salauddin Ahmed and Wakilur Rahman paved a journey of seeing landscape as an artistic intervention and a mode of human expression through land-art and the harmonious intervention into the nature. Expert landscape professor Kelly Shannon took a full length design studio with Saif Ul Haque to look in depth into designing for the delta. She shared from her vast experience of designing in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.

May Session 2016 | 36-37 | Landscape Forms and Formations

Top: One of Madhura’s exemplary works in tight urban condition where the entry of sunlight and greenery is still ensured Bottom: Madhura Prematilleke at his public lecture at Chhayanaut, Dhanmondi

17-18 April 2016: Lectures by

Marina Tabassum

11 May 2016: Public Lecture by

Madhura Prematilleke Many of Madhura Prematilleke’s works are in tight urban sites, and yet he aimed to provide some of the basic elements of nature to all users. He declared his design manifesto as:

Madhura Prematilleke principal of tA teaM Architrave, Colombo, is a Sri Lankan Architect and Urban Designer. Madhura studied architecture at Moratuwa and Helsinki, and has worked in Sri Lanka, Finland, India, China, Oman and the Maldives. He has lectured and taught extensively at international conferences and universities. tA have won 15 design awards and their work has been published internationally, including in the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary Architecture, Beyond Bawa, Architectural Review, Architectural Design, A+U, and Asian Design Destinations.

build less: slim the program build on less: reduce the footprint, grow trees, build in and out: dissolve barriers between inside and outside build slender: reduce mass, get slim, make natural light and ventilation possible build robust: lets go to ruin gracefully, reduce the need for maintenance build light: lightweight structures, layers and skin: touch the earth lightly build leftover: adapt the existing, bring history to life build ordinary: seek out the beautiful in the everyday: regular is the new special build safe, not sterile: kill hazard, don't kill joy build local: feed off local material, local skills build interim: affordable now, grow later build hope, not ambition: architecture should offer hope to grow, not be heavy with ambition build need, not greed: necessity is cool, excess sucks build joy, not ego: the difference could be subtle He emphasised a humane quality and honesty within pragmatism in his wide range of works from public places to the interior of Sri Lankan Airlines, and how he incorporated nature and culture in every aspect of design.

One of Prematilleke’s exemplary works in tight urban condition where the entry of sunlight and greenery is still ensured And ﬁnally he announced a “Bill of Rights” for the users of architecture, which he believes, all architects should aim to provide when they design: A Bill of Rights - for (Users of) Architecture Architecture Shall Provide Every Person Who Inhabits a Building: The Right to Physical and Emotional Well-being. The Right to Public Open Space (to Live Within Community, to Be Within Easy Reach of Public Space and Amenities) The Right to Private Open Space (Gardens, Courtyards, Balconies, Terraces ) The Right to Interact With Nature (via Open Spaces, as Well as via Views and Vistas) The Right to Fresh Air The Right to Feel the Breeze and/or Warmth The Right to Natural Light The Right to Experience Sunrise and Sunset The Right to Personalize The Right to Control the Relationship Between Inside and Outside The Right to Dignity The Right to Privacy The Right to Age With Dignity The Right to an Environment That Will Age Gracefully The Right to Cope With Disabilities The Right to Build With What You Have (to Use One’s Own Skills and Resources) The Right to Affordability The Right to Grow The Right to Hope The Right to Joy

12 May 2016: Design Workshop by

Madhura Prematilleke Madhura Prematilleke gave the challenge of providing with some of the ‘fundamental rights,’ as he theorizes, people should have even in the most densely populated neighborhoods, like sunlight, view to greenery and natural ventilation. The participants described about the places they live in Dhaka and what are the missing elements in them and worked on the ideas of design intervention to bring the landscape even to the worst possible housing sites.

30 May 2016: Lecture by

Ishrat Islam Ishrat Islam is a Professor at Department of Urban and Regional Planning in Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET). Her lecture at Bengal Institute focused on the development of ‘fringe areas’ of Dhaka. As she showed the data and evidences, that Dhaka is now at its tipping point of losing all its control of water, as the encroachment and establishments on ﬂood-ﬂow zones continues, while a bigger portion of the residents are diving deep into poverty and in the unplanned settlements. The cases of resettlements from homeland and converting cultivable wetlands into housing plots are growing at an alarming, unprecedented rate around Dhaka Metropolitan area. ne of the commonly asked questions about social justice of ‘development’ is, ‘why do people sell their lands?’ As Professor Ishrat Islam explained, only 16% people sell their cultivable and homestead land for ‘good money.’ 26% say they sold their land to developers as they were offered jobs in the city, which in most cases, they never got. 43% cases are of threats and harassments by the developers and their local goons who help them grab lands and to evict people.

Among many solutions to these crises can be, introducing new techniques of fishery and farming to turn wetlands and flood-flow zones into better income generating assets to the locals, so they are more keen to keep their lands. Also inevitably, we have to strictly enforce the demarcation of water-bodies, rivers and wetlands, and save them from land grabbers.

25 May 2016: Lectures by

A. Atiq Rahman Atiq Rahman is the Executive Director at Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and a visiting Professor at Tufts University and Harvard University, Boston; he is one of the eminent experts on climate related issues in Bangladesh, joined us to add the questions and thoughts around how climate-change will affect the future of our landscape. His lecture also contained the directions we should act while designing for the future for a sustainable earth.

Dr. Rahman added, humans and the planet Earth have entered the new era of “anthropocene” with the commencement of irreversible climate change. This is likely to undermine many potential development opportunities and pose serious security challenges. Climate change induced extreme events and disasters will dominate human lifestyles for many societies and communities. Environment, economic development and progress towards sustainable development will be hindered. He believes, mitigation is the best form of adaptation, and a possible action to stop or reverse the effects of climate change. And designers and planners don’t have the option anymore not to respond to this issue.

May Session 2016 | 38-39 | Landscape Forms and Formations

20 May 2016: A Visit to Ramna Park with

Dwijen Sharma The Bangla Academy and Ekushey Padak laureate professor Dwijen Sharma is among the most renowned botanists and science-writers in Bangladesh, and one of Bengal Institute’s regular visiting faculties in landscape related sessions. Part of Professor Sharma’s workshop with the participants is to visit the Ramna Park to learn about the trees and plants ﬁrst hand from the master.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What man thrives on is what we need, how landscape and water themselves structure urbanism and our job is to re-edit this existing environment.â&#x20AC;? -Kelly Shannon

at Bengal Institute Lecture Program, April 2016

May Session 2016 | 40-41 | Landscape Forms and Formations

Opposite page: Kelly Shannon and Saif Ul Haque at the design studio Top-left: Kelly Shannon’s public lecture at Chhayanaut Top-right: Design studio review with Kelly Shannon and invited jurors Bottom-right: Site visit to Purbachal extension area near Dhaka

22 May - 1June 2016: Studio by

2 June 2016: Public Lecture by

Kelly Shannon and Saif Ul Haque

Kelly Shannon

Participants were divided into four groups to analyse and propose large scale landscape design ideas around the extension of Purbachal near Dhaka. Quite a few real estate developers are buying big chunks of lands arbitrarily in the eastern periphery of Dhaka Metropolitan area, often most of it is cultivable lands or rural residential neighbourhoods. There is quite a bit of tension between the communities about the whole phenona of transfer of properties, loss of cultivable land and longstanding family homes versus the inflow of money by selling lands to the influential developers. Many villagers see it as ‘giving in’ to the pressure, whereas others see it as an opportunity of making money and moving on to urban settlements. All these changes and pressure of developments pose a threat to the natural landscape of and texture of these areas. Much of these areas are in floodplain regions, that goes under water during monsoon. How the new development may affect the flow of water overall that was also a big point of focus of this studio.

Kelly Shannon is Professor of Architecture and Director of the Graduate Program of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Southern California. She completed her PhD at the University of Leuven (Belgium), She related her experience working on projects in Vietnam with the landscapes, conditions and culture of Bangladesh, while showcasing her extensive work in research on the Mekong Delta.

“‘Desa’ means village and ‘Kota’ means city. And this is a very interesting notion because he says that Asian cities are very unlike western cities, there is no separation and there never was between city and countryside, but the two are inevitably embedded with one another. So in the city we have the countryside and in the countryside we have pieces of urbanity. We should remember this as we modernize, we shouldn't try to become, an Asian City shouldn't try to become Western. The beauty of an Asian city is that it is ‘Desakota’, it is a village and it is a city.”

Not only did she express how important she thought that Asian cultures are represented in the architecture of the cities and settlements but also provided detailed analysis of the behaviour of water bodies in South-east Asia all the while mapping out how to use the interplay between landscape infrastructure and urbanism.

“If progress means decimating the land and ravaging all life, if this is progress I want to say stop now. We have really had enough of the Anthropocene.” - Naeem Mohaiemen at Bengal Architecture Symposium “Now/Next”

Left: Tasmia Rahman Annaba Top-right: Anika Tabassum Ahmed Anisha Bottom-right: Naila Hasan

15 May - 18 May 2016: Studio by

Wakilur Rahman and Salauddin Ahmed Salauddin Ahmed and Wakilur Rahman gave lectures and set the exercise of seeing landscape around us under a different artistic point of view. The outdoor workshop was to create land-art with found natural elements of nature. Often the participants let the nature create new art works on her own!

sy mpos ium

Scan this code to watch the symposium videos

Peter Buchanan, UK

Peter Stutchbury, Australia Adele Santos, USA Alberto Kalach, Mexico Suha Ozkan, Turkey Byoung Soo Cho, Korea

Syed Manzoorul Islam, Bangladesh Timmy Aziz, USA Vo Trong Nghia, Vietnam

Naeem Mohaiemen, Bangladesh

h lac rto Alb e

lam

l Is

ter

oru

n Ma

Neelkanth Chhaya

18-20 March,2016

Suha Ozkan

ati

p Ta a urt

-Th

Timmy Aziz

hia

nto

ele

ng Tro Vo

By o

Peter Stutchbury

Venue: Auditorium, Krishibid Institute Bangladesh Farmgate, Dhaka Organized by: BENGAL INSTITUTE For more details : www.symposiums.bengal.institute

From top left: Marina Tabassum, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Luva Nahid Chowdhury, Abul Khair, Sir Fazle Hossain Abed, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith

Opposite Page: Biblioteca Vasconcelos, by Alberto Kalach, Mexico City, 2007

Symposium 2016 | 44-45

“Why wouldn't you start to try and collect places of living together and ﬁnd ways that people could actually do cooperative things?” - Adele Santos at Bengal Architecure Symposium “Now/Next”

Architecture Now!Next

বতমান এবং আগামীর াপত

The three-day international architecture symposium "Architecture Now!Next" was organized by Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements in association with Bengal Foundation from the 18th to 20th of March 2016. The objective of the program was to explore and question the practice and thoughts of contemporary architecture and urbanism and to illustrate the structure and format for the future. Architects from around the world, distinguished academics, critics and thinkers joined the event with hopes to inspire young architects and the civil society of the country with their thoughtful and insightful discussions.

১৮ থেক ২০ মাচ হেয় গল ব ল ফাউে শন ও ব ল ইনি িটউেটর উদ েগ আেয়ািজত ‘আিকেটকচার: নাউ! ন ট’ শীষক আ জািতক াপত সে লন। অনু ােনর সামি ক উে শ িছল াপত এবং নগর পিরক নার ু িদকিনেদশনা দান, আদশ াপত ধারার একিট নতন ু ধের এর গঠন ও িবন াস পযােলাচনা করা । দৃ া তেল িবে র িবিভ া থেক আগত িবিশ পিত, িশ ািবদ, সমােলাচক ও িচ ািবদেদর সু িচি ত আেলাচনাপযােলাচনা অনু ািণত কের উপি ত িশ াথী, ত ণ পিত এবং দেশর সু শীল সমাজেক। বাংলােদেশর ভৗেগািলক অব ান, জলবায়ু , িব ায়েনর ু জনসংখ ার চাপ, সংকিচত ু ৃ ভাব, নগরমখী াকিতক স দ এসব সামেন রেখ াপত িচ া কী হওয়া উিচত তা ু কের ভাববার অবকাশ রেয়েছ। পিথবীর ৃ িনেয় নতন নানা দেশ সংকেটর মা া িভ িক সমস ার ধরন ায় কাছাকািছ। এসব িনেয় এসময়কার পিত ও িশ করা অব ান থেক কী ভাবেছন তা অনু স ান করা এবং ভােলা কােজর দৃ া বাংলােদেশর পিত ও পিরক নািবদেদর সে ভাগ কের নওয়া এই িসে ািজয়ােমর আেরকিট উে শ ।

Top: Deepwater Woolshed, New South Wales by Peter Stutchbury, 2000-05 Bottom: Peter Stutchbury at the Symposium.

Day 01 Marina Tabassum, the Director of the Symposiums; Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, the General Director of Bengal Institute; Luva Nahid Chowdhury, the director general of Bengal Foundation; and the Chairman of Bengal Foundation, Abul Khair spoke at the inaugural session. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf expressed hope in ﬁnding new and bold ways of thinking in a city riddled with multi-faceted crises. Abul Khair shared his optimism in implementing plans of developments with the rivers as the focal point for Bangladesh. Honorable Finance Minister AMA Muhith emphasised the role of architects in the reformation of cities in Bangladesh. He praised architect Muzharul Islam and talked about the unique contribution of architect Bashirul Haq. Founder and chairperson of BRAC, Fazle Hasan Abed presided over the ceremony. He deliberated the need to expand to new ideas in order to build a beautiful and livable post-independence Bangladesh.

Prominent Australian architect Peter Stutchbury who has been described as a “lyrical technologist,” spoke eloquently about an architecture that is sensitive to the environment and the accumulated wisdom of the people. His deep connection with nature and the environment, and how it inﬂuenced his work was highlighted in the presentation. Stutchbury then took part in an animated panel discussion on ‘Architecture that Validates,’ which was also participated by celebrated Mexican architect Alberto Kalach, distinguished academic Peter Buchanan, the former Dean of the design school at MIT, Adele Santos and architect Bashirul Haq. The session was moderated by the former director of the ‘Aga Khan Award for Architecture’ Suha Ozkan.

Symposium 2016 | 46-47

Photos from the Symposium: Adele Santos, Peter Buchanan, Niklaus Graber, Shamsul Wares, Timmy Aziz, Syed Manzoorul Islam

থম িদন ু নািহদ চৗধরী, ু ব ল ফাউে শেনর মহাপিরচালক লভা ব ল ইনি িটউেটর অ াকােডিমক িডের র মিরনা তাবা ম, ইনি িটউেটর মহাপিরচালক কাজী খািলদ ু আশরাফ এবং ব ল ফাউে শেনর চয়ারম ান আবল খােয়র উে াধনী পেব ব ব রােখন। কাজী খািলদ ু সংকেটর মেধ আশরাফ বেলন, ঢাকা শহেরর ব মখী ু ও সাহসী িচ ার স াবনা। আবল ু ু লিকেয় রেয়েছ নতন খােয়র নদীপথেক ধান কের পিরক না ণয়েনর আশা ব কেরন। ু ু মাল আ ু ল মিহত মাননীয় অথম ী আবল নগর ু ধের ব ল ূ িবিনমােণ পিতেদর ভিমকা তেল আিকেটকচার িসে ািজয়ােমর উে াধন ঘাষণা কেরন। এ সে িতিন পিত মাজহা ল ইসলাম ও বশী ল হেকর অনবদ অবদােনর কথা উে খ কেরন। উে াধন অনু ােন সভাপিত কেরন ােকর িত াতা ও চয়ারপারসন ফজেল হাসান আেবদ। িতিন াধীনতাু পরবতী বাংলােদশেক সু র ও বাসেযাগ কের তলেত ু িচ াভাবনা সােরর েয়াজনীয়তা তেল ু ধেরন। নতন িসে ািজয়ােমর আেলাচনা পেব থেম ব ব রােখন অে িলয়া থেক আগত িবিশ পিত িপটার াচবাির। ৃ ও পিরেবেশর সে তাঁর কােজর গভীর কিত ু সংেযােগর িবষয়িট িতিন তাঁর উপ াপনার মেধ তেল ধেরন। াপেত র যথাথতা িবষয়ক আেলাচনায় শেষ অংশ নন িপটার াচবাির, পিত বশী ল হক, এমআইিট িডজাইন ু েলর া ন িডন অ ােডল সাে াস, মি েকার পিত আলবােতা কালাচ, াপত িবষেয় লখক ও সমােলাচক িপটার িবউকানান। আেলাচনা স ালনা কেরন আগা খান অ াওয়াড ফর আিকেটকচােরর া ন পিরচালক সু হা ওজকান।

ি তীয় িদন িশ ািবদ ও অধ াপক সয়দ মনজু ল ইসলাম িশ াব ব া ু ও াপত িশ া িবষেয় তাঁর সু িচি ত উপ াপনা তেল ধেরন। িতিন আমােদর িশ া-ব ব ায় নানা অসাম স তা ু ধরেত িগেয় িশ ায় সমঅিধকার ও িশ ার তেল ু ব মখীকরেণর েয়াজনীয়তার কথা জারােলাভােব বেলন। িব ায়েনর যু েগ আমােদর িশ া-ব ব া এখেনা অেনক িপিছেয় আেছ। িশ ায় বািণিজ ককরেণর আমােদর িশ াব ব া, িশ ার মূ ল উে শ থেক দূ ের সের িগেয়েছ। রবী নােথর িশ াভাবনার উ ৃ িত িদেয় িতিন বেলন, একজন পিরপূ ণ মানু ষ িহেসেব গেড় তালাই িশ ার মূ ল কাজ। িশ াব ব ায় িচ াশীলতা, সৃ জনশীলতার অভােবর ু কারেণ ছা ছা ীরা তােদর ইিতহাস-ঐিতহ ভলেত বেসেছ। িতিন এমন একিট িশ া-ব ব ার কথা বেলন, যখােন িশ া হেব সৃ জনশীল, তির করেব সেচতনতা, িশ া হণ ু হেব আন মখর। পিরক নািবদ ও পিত অ ােডল স াে াস এমআইিট াপত ও পিরক না িবভােগর া ন িডন। িতিন ভারত, চীন, া , ইটািলসহ িবে র নানা িব িবদ ালেয় শহর নগর িবষেয় গেবষনাগার াপন কের ব মাি ক গেবষণা কায ম চালু কেরন, যা পিরেবশ েকৗশল ও অন ান িব িবদ লেয়র সে যৗথ উেদ ােগ ও েযাজনায় চালু হয়। তাঁর উপ াপনায় িতিন চীেনর জাই ু িভে ছাট শহর িনেয় ছা ছা ীেদর গেবষণা কাজ দখান, যার মূ ল িতপাদ বি ক াপেট টকসই শহর ও নগেরর পেরখা দান। ‘ রাল আরবািনজম’-এর এই কে চীেনর বাইমা ৃ ু এলাকার কিষ, পািন, আবাসেনর ধরন, সিবধািদ ও পযটন ু এলাকার িশ িবষয় িনেয় কাজ করা হয়। েত পেরা ৃ বিশ স েক ধারণা পাওয়ার জন জনসংখ া, ভূ কিত, ৃ ু ান কেরন। জীবনযাপেনর ধরন, কিষব ব ার িবষেয় অনস ু এলাকােক কিষিনভর ৃ এরপর পেরা এলাকা িহেসেব কীভােব গেড় তালা যায় এবং বাইমা কীভােব আেশপােশর এলাকার সােথ আ িলক উ য়েন স ৃ হেত পাের তার পেরখা ণয়ন কেরন। ামীণ এলাকায় জীবনযাপেনর মান উ য়ন করাই িছল এই কে র অন তম ধান বিশ । িশ া: বতমান ও ভিবষ ৎ িনকলস াবােরর স ালনায় িপটার িবউকানান, আেডল সাে াস, িটিম আিজজ ও সামসু ল ওয়ােরস ‘ াপত িশ া

বতমান ও ভিবষ ৎ’ শীষক আেলাচনায় অংশ হন কেরন। এেত াপত িশ া ব ব ার ধরন কমন হওয়া উিচত, ছা ছা ী ও িশ কেদর কান কান িবষেয় ল রাখা ূ উিচত এবং সমােজ পিতেদর ভিমকা কী হওয়া উিচত স ু ধরা হয়। কমজীবেন সামি কভােব খাপ িবষয় েলা তেল খাইেয় নয়ার জন , িচ াশীলতা বৃ ি র জন িশ াথীেদর বা বধমী এবং ব বহািরক িশ ার িত আ হী কের ু তলেত হেব। অধ াপক সামসু ল ওয়ােরস াপেত র ত ীয় ও ব বহািরক ােনর পাশাপািশ ছা ছা ীেদর মেধ িনেজর সমাজব ব া, মানু ষ, পিরেবশ ও সাং ৃ িতক ােনর ু ধেরন। বতমান িবে িবিভ পশাজীবী েয়াজনীয়তা তেল বা অন ান িবষেয়র মানু েষর সে যাগােযাগ ও সম য় াপন অত জ ির। িপটার িবউকানান সই সে মানু েষর জীপনযা ার মান কমন হওয়া উিচত স িবষেয় উ াপন কেরন, যার ওপর িনভর করেছ আগামীর ু াপত িশ া ম। ভেল গেল চলেব না য, অতীেতর অিভ তাই িদেত পাের ভিবষ েতর সিঠক িদকিনেদশনা। ু কািরয়ান পিত বয়ংসু চা'র কােজর িবেশষ বিশ হল ৃ ূ কিতর সে াপেত র সংেযাগ াপন। সকারেণই ভিম ৃ ও কিতর সে দালান কাঠার যাগােযােগর িবষয়িট তাঁর ু সব কােজর মেধ ই কাশ পেয়েছ। বয়ংসু চা াপত েক ু ু একিট অব ান পনগঠেনর খলার সে তলনা কেরন। িভেয়তনােমর পিত ভা ং িঘঁয়া থেমই ঢাকা এবং হা ু ৃ িচ িমন শহেরর জনসংখ া, আকার এবং কিতর তলনা িদেয় বেলন, এটা সিত ই আ য এত ঘনবসিতপূ ণ ূ াকিতক ৃ এলাকায় মানু ষ কীভােব থােক! ভবিশ একই ু দেশর মেধ িবরাট পাথক । ঘনহেলও জনসংখ ায় দই ৃ ু বসিতর কারেণ কিত থেক দূ ের সের আেছ মানষ। ু নগরায়েনর ফেল কমেছ সবজ। য কােনা িবমানব র, রে ারাঁয় গেল দখা যায় মানু ষ খাে আর পাশাপািশ মাবাইল ফােন খলেছ বা ই ারেনেট রেয়েছ, আেশপােশ বেস থাকা মানু ষ, পিরেবশ কােনা িকছু র িদেকই তার খয়াল নই, মানু েষ মানু েষ, পিরেবশ ও মানু েষর সে ু কােনা সংেযাগ নই। তাই সবেজর সে হািরেয় যাওয়া ু সংেযাগ পনঃ াপন করাই ভা ং িঘঁয়ার াপত দশন। ‘ াফিটং আিকেটকচার’ বা ‘ াপেত র কা ৈশলী’ িবষয়ক অিধেবশেনর আেলাচনার মাধ েম ি তীয় িদেনর কায ম শষ হয়। িটিম আিজজ স ািলত এই অিধেবশেনর ু আেলাচকরা িছেলন মিরনা তাবা ম, বয়ংসু চা, ভা ং িঘঁয়া ও সালাউি ন আহেমদ।

Diamond Island Community Island Dome, Ho Chi Minh City by Vo Trong Nghia , 2015

Day 02: Syed Manzoorul Islam, a professor in the Department of English, University of Dhaka, and a noted academic, writer, columnist, and literary-critic, elaborated on the necessity of interactive education. He lamented that the prevalent education system is completely enclosed in classrooms and textbooks. He emphasised the discrepancies in the education system. “Childhood is a beautiful gift” he said, and added that lost childhood is the greatest loss a nation can brew in its future. So education in the future must address the needs, the demands and the desires of childhood. Adele Naude Santos, FAIA, is currently a Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On her maiden visit to Bangladesh, she talked about responsible urbanism trying to show a glimpse of what is being done at MIT. The structure of courses conducted at MIT are of interdisciplinary nature taking place in different locations around the world in which she started a series called “Rural Urbanism” in India and China. Being an interdisciplinary research completely supported by students, it also treats the research as an intersection between the program at MIT and other universities and departments. The proposition of rural urbanism being networking villages and cities together, “to be able to live in a country side, and still support yourself attaining all the amenities that are needed”, she said. This joint studio focused on studying Baima; a town in the Lishui District of Nanjing, Zhujiajian Village, and its various settlements; to create a uniform

development strategy that addresses the three elements of "town, village, and settlement." Development of the standard of living of the area was the primary focus of this project. Niklaus Graber moderated the dialogue between Peter Stutchbury, Peter Buchanan, Adele Santos, Timmy Aziz and Shamsul Wares regarding the present and future of architecture. They conferred how the nature of architectural education system should be like and how the focus of the students and teachers should be on how to accommodate the needs of the community. Adapting to his/her career as a whole, growing a sophisticated and practical mindset for students interested in learning to design. Shamsul Wares emphasized the need for knowledge on social, human, environmental and cultural requirements in addition to the basic architectural theory and practical knowledge among the students. It is also extremely important that professionals all over the world communicate amongst each other so they can coordinate a solution to problems they face collectively. Peter Buchanan questioned the standard of living of people and added that education will mold the architecture of tomorrow. He added that the experience of the past could point us to the right direction for the future. Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho’s specialty is the connection between his architecture and nature. He relates architecture with landscape reconstruction. Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia compared the size, nature and population density of Dhaka and Ho Chí Minh City and acknowledged his fascination in the way people dwelled in

densely populated areas. Despite the natural features of the two places being similar, there is a big difference between the two countries’ population density. Due to the high concentration of population in settlements, people have become detached from nature. Urbanisation is eroding greenery. It can be seen anywhere with an urban setting that people are conﬁned within their own digital lock-up. Eating with everyone around but busy on their smartphones, detached from everyone and everything in their vicinity. He expressed an urgency in re-establishing the connection between not only people and nature but one among people as well. With discourse on the topic "Crafting Architecture" / "Art of Architecture", the session on the second day concluded. Marina Tabassum, Byoung Soo Cho, Vo Trong Nghia and Salauddin Ahmed contributed to the conference as Timmy Aziz delivered it.

Symposium 2016 | 48-49

From Top left clockwise: Casa Vera, Veracruz, Mexico by Alberto Kalach, 2009; TOTO Gallery Bamboo Forest Pavilion, Tokyo by Vo Trong Nghia, 2015; Alberto Kalach; Naeem Mohaiemen.

“When you look up the Eastern philosophies and ideas light, in Tao Te Ching, is something that cannot be understood without darkness. You have to make it dark so you can see the light.” - Byoung Soo Cho at Bengal Architecture Symposium “Now/Next”

ৃ ততীয় িদনঃ শষ িদেনর মূ ল িবষয় িছল শহরেক নানান আি েক ও হয় নানান দৃ ি ভি েত বাঝার চ া। অনু ান িচ িনমাতা ও নৃ ত িবদ নাঈম মাহাইেমেনর ‘ঢাকা কাথায়?...’ শীষক উপ াপনার মধ িদেয়। তাঁর পিরেবিশত ু ব ব সবাইেক ৃিতকাতর কের তােল। পরান ঢাকার র াি ন ি েটর বািড়েত বেড় ওঠা একিট মধ িব একা বতী পিরবার এবং অথৈনিতক বৃ ি র ফেল এর পিরবতন িচি ত কের গাটা সমাজ। ফেল আসা সমেয়র ু ু টকেরা টকেরা ৃিতর ঢাকােক িতিন আেজা খঁু েজ চেলেছন তাঁর নানা কােজর মােঝ। মি েকার খ াতনামা পিত আলবােতা কালােচর উপ াপনা ৃ ও িনমােণর িনিবড় স েকর িছল কিত প। িতিন ু বেলন, অেনক সময় ঐ েযর াচয াপত েক অিবন ু ু কের তােল অথচ একটখািন সবেজর ছাঁয়া বদেল িদেত পাের যকেনা পিরসর। গভীর জ েল গাছগাছািল ঘরা ৃ আর াপেত র পিরেবেশ গেড় তালা একিট বািড়েত কিত ু ধেরন সহাব ান কতটা না িনক হেত পাের সিট তেল ূ আলবােতা কালাচ। ভিম েপর সে সাম স রেখ করা তাঁর সৃ ি েলা সিত ই অনবদ । একই সে জলজ াণ আর জল বােহর সে ভিবষ েতর মি েকার শহরায়ন কীভােব খরেচই স ব সিটর পেরখা ণয়ন কেরন িতিন । সহজ সাবলীলভােবও কিঠন িবষয়াবিল য সাধারণ মানু েষর দয় াহী কের উপা ন করা যায়, পিত িপটার ু িবউকানােনর পিরেবশনা না দখেল বাঝা মশিকল। ু ু সনাতন এবং আধিনক াপত ু েলর তলনা িদেয় িতিন সমসামিয়ক ঘটনা, পািরপাি কতা বাঝার ে ব বহািরক ু ধেরন। িতিন বেলন, চিলত কােজর ূ িশ ার ভিমকা তেল সে সংেযাগহীনতা কীভােব িশ া এবং এর েয়ােগর

মােঝ তফাৎ তির কের, ছা ছা ীরা কীভােব িপিছেয় পেড় বতমান থেক? এভােব চিলত ধারায় াপেত র িবিভ ৃ স েক আেলাচনা মেন িবভাজন, গিত কিত তােল - কান িনিদ সময় বা ান িদেয় িক এেক বাঝােনা স ব? নািক এর পিরসর িথত ইিতহােসর আেরা গভীের? এরপর হয় ‘শহর উপলি , অনু ধাবন, উ াবন’ শীষক আেলাচনা। আেলাচনািট স ালনা কেরন িপটার িবউকানান এবং অংশ হণ কেরন নাঈম মাহাইেমন, সয়দ মনজু ল ইসলাম, আলবােতা কালাচ ও সাইফ-উল-হক। ু িবেকেল মে আেসন তরে র পিত সু হা ওজকান। াপেত র যথাথতা িন পণ করেত িগেয় িতিন পিতেদর ৃ কােজর ীকিত দােনর ওপর আেরাপ কেরন। উদাহরণ প ি জকার আিকেটকচার াইজ ও আগা খান অ াওয়াড কীভােব িবিভ পিত এবং তাঁেদর অনবদ কাজ েলা িব দরবাের পিরিচত কেরেছ তার ব াখ া দন। ৃ ও হণেযাগ তা কীভােব আমােদরেক ভািবত ীকিত কের এবং এ েলার ঊে িগেয় কাজ করার য তা িনেয় আেলাচনা কেরন। সবেশেষ অনু ি ত ‘ াপেত র ভিবষ ৎ কী?’ শীষক আেলাচনা স ালনা কেরন কাজী খািলদ আশরাফ এবং তােত অংশ হণ কেরন সু হা ওজকান, আফেরাজা পারিভন, িপটার াচবাির, অ ােডল সাে াস ও িপটার িবউকানান। ু আেলাচনা শেষ, িত দ’বছর অ র িস িজয়াম আেয়াজন কের িবে র িবিভ দেশর পিতেদর সে পিরেবশ, রা , ৃ ও সমাজ িনেয় বাংলােদেশর পিতেদর িচ াভাবনা কিত ভাগ কের নবার আশা ব কের ব ল ইনি িটউেটর মহাপিরচালক কাজী খািলদ আশরাফ িতন িদনব াপী সে লেনর সমাি ঘাষণা কেরন।

Day 03: The focal point of the last day’s discussions was looking at cities through various perspectives. Filmmaker and archaeologist Naeem Mohaiemen opened the discussion with his presentation “Dhaka Where? …”, which manage to evoke nostalgia in many. Growing up in a middle class home in Old Dhaka’s Rankin Street with his extended family, he represented his upbringing and experiences as a model for all of Dhaka’s society during a time of economic and social change. Through his works, he still seeks fragments of Dhaka as he remembers it. Prominent mexican architect Alberto Kalach presented a vivid image of the close relationship between architectural constructs and nature. He said more often than not, architecture designed to display affluence comes off as ostentatious, disturbing the aesthetic balance of the surroundings whereas greenery enhances it. He demonstrated how it was possible to design a house that coexists with dense forestation surrounding it. Landforms in line with his creations are really impeccable. He also mapped out how to cost effectively urbanise Mexico taking the waterflow and aquatic life into consideration. Peter Buchanan demonstrated how one can engage an audience with topics that are presumably difficult to understand as he compared how teaching contemporary issues and ambience are approached by orthodox and modern architecture schools. He added how disconnection between what is being taught and the ongoing architectural concerns can leave new architects

marooned from the actual landscape of the field. Conversations involving the ever-changing landscape of the field raises the question whether it is possible to define the divisions in architecture by specific time periods and places or is it embedded far deeper into its history. Then began the "Understanding Cities, Making Cities" discussion. The conversation was moderated by Peter Buchanan and was attended by Naim Mohaiemen, Syed Manzoorul Islam, Alberto Kalach and Saif ul Haque. The evening session started with Dr. Suha Ozkan on stage. He’s an architect and architectural theorist, and is the former Secretary General of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Dr. Ozkan is also the Founding President of World Architecture Community. He gives an overview of the importance, significance, credibility and the validation that comes with the Architecture Awards around the world, mentioning prestigious awards like the “Pritzker Architecture Prize”. Showing the projects of winners over time Ozkan introduces the “Aga Khan Award for Architecture”, given every three years to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning practices, historic preservation and landscape architecture. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf moderated the final event of the symposiums. The panel discussion “What Next?” Regenerating community, culture and the city” in which Suha Ozkan, Afroza Parveen, Peter Stutchbury, Adele Santos and Peter Buchanan participated. At the end of the three day Symposium, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf; the Director General of the Bengal Institute for Architecture,

Landscapes and Settlements, expressed his desire to host this event every two years with architects from around the world to share ideas on the environment, the state and nature of society.

Top: Panel discussion “What Next,” from left Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Suha Ozkan, Afroza Parvin, Peter Buchanan Bottom left: Suha Ozkan’s presentation, Bottom right: Peter Buchanan’s presentation

res earch and desi gn

Research and Design Program Beginning its journey in October, 2015, the Research and Design Program is entrusted with one of the core objectives of Bengal Institute: to envision a better environmental arrangement for Bangladesh. BIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Research and Design team believes that it is possible to design, plan and change the future of our cities, small-towns, settlements and the bigger environmental conditions of rivers, ďŹ&#x201A;oodplains and agricultural landscape through innovative research investigations and design thinking. In order to turn

visions and ideas into workable propositions, the BI Research and Design program maintains a full-time multidisciplinary team of researchers, architects, planners, geographers, transportation engineers, and visualizers. Ever since its inception, the Research and Design team has been involved in conducting a number of critical research projects and producing some remarkable and publicly acclaimed visionary ideas for Dhaka city and other regions. Some selected ongoing projects are presented here.

Research and Design 2016 | 52-53

Dhaka: A City for a New Era Opposite page: Gulshan Circle - 2: A plaza for all Top: BAFA Chattar: For a rewarding childhood

Described as “the toughest city in the world,” and consistently listed as unlivable, Dhaka demands new architectural and urban imagination if it were to escape from those tags. The Research and Design program at Bengal Institute presents here alternative – and extremely doable! – vision for two critical areas of the city – Gulshan Avenue Corridor and Buriganga Riverbank. Bengal Institute is dedicated to reimagining Bangladesh’s urban future in which Dhaka is a special focus. The design team was led by Kazi Khaleed Ashraf with Saif Ul Haque and Masudul Islam. Part of the initiative is being supported by the World Bank on behalf of the DNCC and DSCC.

Dhaka is now poised for a new era. Positioned to be one of the most economically dynamic cities in Asia, Dhaka is predicted to be ranked at 48 by the year 2025 with an estimated GDP of USD 215 bn, way above Rome, Karachi, Hanoi and Montreal (UK Economic Outlook, 2009). But are we ready? A vast population of the city remains untouched by the fruits of quality urban life that continuously relegates Dhaka to the lowest rung of unlivable cities. From what was truly a garden city, Dhaka continues its predictable civic and environmental degradation. Even until the 1950s, with its spacious green spaces, majestic trees, crisscrossing canals, and civilized riverbanks, Dhaka presented itself as a garden city and a place by the water. With a new design vision and political will and action, Dhaka can still be a very unique, green and highly livable city that is also responsive economically and ecologically.

Buildings alone never make a city, but buildings and spaces in a well-knit fabric. The development of proper public places and civic spaces is central in transitioning Dhaka to a decent city, and removing the stigma of being unlivable. With a climate naturally suited to making a garden city, with a proper design and new imagination, and determined directives from the two dynamic mayors of the city, Dhaka can again be a place of light, green, and air. While open and public places define the civic realm of a city, sidewalks or footpaths are a key component of that network. The sidewalk is actually the finest mark of the civility and humanity of a city; it belongs to the culture of walking, strolling and promenading, and getting around without hindrances. This is particularly critical for Dhaka where more than 60% of the people walk. Such urban pedestrian system as boulevards, promenades, riverwalks, or simple sidewalks that are the hall-mark of all livable cities are for most part nonexistent in Dhaka. And if they do exist, they are in bits and pieces, and do not create a legible and defined network. It is first crucial to revise our perception of sidewalks: A sidewalk is not the extension of a drain, nor is it a three feet wide cover over it; it is a space on its own, it is a public space. A proper walkable condition is a civic right. A sidewalk in Dhaka will continue to be used for multiple reasons especially for portable commerce and other improvisations, still a guideline for sidewalk practices should be developed and maintained by proper regulations that embrace both the pleasure of

walking and the social interaction of commerce. It is often overlooked that overall transportation system of any city is intimately linked to that network of walkability created by sidewalks and public hubs. When the metro rail comes to Dhaka – mass transit would be the only way to counter the trafﬁc woes of a city like Dhaka – it will have to depend on a walkable system. One will leave home for work, walk to the station, get off at another station to go to a workplace or a school or college. On a holiday, a family will walk off to a station to get to a public space where an event is taking place. After a family meal at a restaurant and a walk by a promenade, they will catch another train to head back home. We present here two examples of transforming the city for a better urban life: (1) A riverbank based civic space along the Buriganga river, and (2) A new civic corridor along Gulshan Avenue all the way to Kawran Bazar.

Research and Design 2016 | 54-55

Buriganga Riverbank as a New Civic Space Opposite page From Top: Buriganga Riverbank: Extended Ahsan Manzil Plaza; Sadarghat Terminal: Transformed for people and river; Sadarghat Chattar: A new public plaza Top: Proposed riverbank development in front of Ahsan Manzil, Bottom: Proposed Sadarghat Terminal and Chattar

Dhaka is a child of the Buriganga, and yet it turns its back to being part of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most dynamic hydrological system. A radical reclamation of Buriganga river and its banks on both sides is crucial for an economic, transport and cultural reinvigoration of the oldest part of Dhaka. The river can become a sustainable life-blood, and the riverfront a much more organized condition providing renewed recreational, civic, touristic, economic, and transport facilities for the whole city.

We propose: Framing the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge with a new language of building appropriate to riverside activities: Riverbanks are encroached upon or abused because there are no exemplary models on how to use them. An appropriate riverside development will create the necessary overlap between city and river that is now lacking.

Connecting north and south riverbanks with a continuous public promenade: For a ďŹ rst phase, a promenade may link Sadarghat launch terminal to Badamtoli ghat, and via the bridge make a loop to the riverbank on Keranigonj. Walkways, ghats, terraces, gardens and pavilions will form ingredients of the promenade.

The river Buriganga: with active waterways, pathways and series of plazas.

Through the new public pathways, connecting civic and historic buildings and their sites, and newly proposed public and commercial centers, and large parks and gardens. A new public plaza â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sadarghat Chottor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is proposed in front of Sadarghat terminal as a public gathering space and forecourt to the terminal where passengers and visitors can assemble. The terminal building can be renovated as a porous and transparent building with better efďŹ ciency as a passenger hub, as well as a landmark structure on the riverbank. Generating an active water-based transportation by creating ghats and stations for river-buses and river-taxis in order to bring travelers and tourists from other parts of the city. Stations can become hubs for generating new economic and cultural activities in the neighborhood.

Research and Design 2016 | 56-57

Research and Design 2016 | 58-59

Gulshan Avenue to Karwan Bazar as a Civic Corridor From Top left clockwise: Gulshan-1: Creating a new ofﬁce environment; Gulshan Art Pavilion and Pedestrian Ways; Flowerscape: for seasonal ﬂower; A new schema for sidewalks; Gulshan Park: art park and underground parkin

Gulshan Avenue has seen much change, from being a quiet avenue for a planned residential district to a corporate and commercial axis. Despite a lineup of striking buildings, Gulshan Avenue still lacks a proper civic and walkable environment. There are no signiﬁcant public places or spaces, and no remarkable sites or structures to celebrate the avenue as a civic corridor. It is merely a road dedicated to the unruly car. The existing scenario can be arranged better with a new installation of exemplary public spaces, parks and pathways. We propose the following for a revision of Gulshan Avenue Corridor: Providing a new schema and standards for the sidewalk in order to create an organized walkable network that links key points and destinations in Gulshan. Gulshan Avenue itself becomes a continuous walkable corridor providing for Dhaka an example of a proper tree lined, comfortable walkable street with

the pedestrian as priority. A decent walkable city can reduce urban stress as well as transport crisis. Creating generous public places and plazas wherever it is possible (especially on city owned sites). Our most favorite, and clearly doable, idea is to convert Gulshan 2 road intersection into a pedestrian plaza. This can be done by rerouting car traffic around the outer circle in a continuous loop that will also ease traffic movement considerably. Converting selected city properties into a better and efficient public realm with higher economic results: The DNCC owned markets in Gulshan 2 area can be renovated into a proper civic center with new shopping facilities, offices, auditoriums, but most importantly, walkable public spaces and corridors. In developing each city property, multi-level underground parking is suggested to reduce anarchic parking on the streets.

Reorganizing trafﬁc system whenever possible: In a future development, an elevated light rail system can be erected connecting Gulshan 2 along the avenue all the way to Kawran Bazar with designated stops that can become new hubs. In order to encourage people to take mass transit, the proposed light rail can be linked up with the MRT (Line 5) now underway. Promoting parks and gardens wherever opportunities exist: Gulshan lake is an asset for both the area and the city. We propose strengthening its development as a recreational park and ecological zone. We also propose developing Gulshan park as a designated sculpture park with other art related programs. Below the ground of the green park, a ﬁve story underground parking can be constructed.

The Bangladesh Database Project Bengal Institute is currently developing a “Bangladesh Database” project that is dedicated to assembling multidimensional information of the country. In a continuously evolving database, the project not only archives current and past information and statistics but also updates information on future development strategies adopted by government and other agencies. Aligned with the BI’s vision for developing schemas with multi-disciplinary themes, the Bangladesh Database will be an essential, supportive tool in various investigation and research tasks.

Dhaka Nexus Dhaka is “growing” in its own happy rhythm, spurred on every now and then by fragmentary planning initiatives that are neither relieving pressures at the centers nor creating a decent urban development for the city and its regions. As a research design project, Dhaka Nexus considers Dhaka city and its greater neighborhoods – the region – in an active and coordinated planning thinking. With the studies of people, society and settlement, economic growth, movement system, ecology and landscape, the project aims to develop ideas for creating networks of livable towns and settlements (nodes) based on improved transportation and economic activities. A key thinking is: How existing small towns and settlements can be more attractive and livable places through a redistribution and rearrangement of institutions, facilities and housings. An organized, dispersed “city region” will have to rely on an efﬁcient public transportation system that could be a combination of fast commuter train, light rail transit, extensive bus network, and riverway ferries. The nexus system can support the creation of multiple and diverse kinds of settlements, catering to different needs and experiences. Better quality of urban life in the nodes, with less travel time, will encourage decongestion in existing Dhaka. Once the footprint of the expanded Dhaka is identiﬁed, nodes in the nexus and in-between areas could be carefully delineated so as not to affect more agricultural areas and wetlands. The research recognizes that a rigorous balance should be established between Dhaka’s urbanization needs and ecological obligations.

Research and Design 2016 | 60-61

Opposite Page From Top left: River network; Physiography; Topography; Dhaka Nexus: Developing a system for Dhaka and surroundings Top:Footpath design guideline for enhancing walkability; Bottom Left: Muktijoddha Chattar Bottom Right: Kazi Bazaar Node

Dhaka Footpath Design Guideline Taking the view that a proper walkable city is a civic right, the BI study project “Dhaka Footpath Design Guideline” is intended to prepare a set of guidelines considering pedestrian safety, comfort, universal accessibility and accommodation of diverse activity and commerce in an organized manner suitable to Dhaka’s street dynamic. While open and public places deﬁne the civic realm of a city, footpaths or sidewalks are a key component of that system. This is particularly critical for Dhaka where more than 60% of the people walk. However urban pedestrian systems as boulevards, promenades, riverwalks, or simply

Sylhet Townscape In order to highlight the quality of life in smaller towns and cities, and invest in improving the civic and public realm, the Research and Design team is developing ideas for Sylhet Town. Located on the bank of the Shurma River, with an area of 26.5 sq.km and population of 4,81,430, Sylhet has a high potential for addressing the desire for a better urban living and environment. In the scheme for a new Sylhet Townscape, selected urban nodes of the city are being studied and developed for a better civic environment. A more coordinated walkable city is being considered in the preliminary investigation in which important nodes, such as civic administrative complex, jail area, and other park and civic cultural complexes are connected in a set of ring roads that traverse the city in a loop. A chaotic condition exists in most selected nodes due to unorganized trafﬁc signals, haphazard parking, improper pedestrian system, and illegal encroachments. The scheme offers rejuvenated urban conditions alongside the looped pedestrian paths, with proper pedestrian and road amenities and organized trafﬁc management and opportunities to move, roam, and enjoy the experiential attributes of the city.

footpaths or sidewalks that are the hallmark of all livable cities are for most part non-existent in Dhaka, and if they do exist, they do not create a continuous, legible and deﬁned network. The ﬁrst crucial task is to revise the typical perception of sidewalks as a kind of extension of a drain, or a three feet wide cover over it, and consider them as a linear public space. The main task of the study is to develop a detailed guideline for sidewalk practices to be maintained by proper regulations embracing both the necessity of walking and the social interaction of commerce.

Shahbag Civic Centre In response to the request by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of Bangladesh, the Research and Design team investigated the potential of reorganizing the Public Library area in the Shabagh area, and subsequently schematized the possibility of a new civic centre that incorporates the Public Library and the National Museum in an integrated complex with a new civic plaza and other facilities. The study by Bengal Institute may be adopted to create the brief of a national competition.

news

August 1st 2016 Collaboration with BRAC University, Department of Architecture to launch PGd / PGCert programs BRAC University and Bengal Institute sign major agreement for collaboration. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Department of Architecture, BRAC University, and Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscape and Settlements on August 1 for conducting collaborative activities to face the challenges of contemporary cities and environments. Proposed activities will include joint programs in architectural and environmental education and research, including developing advanced and

post-graduate degree programs. Prof. Shaheda Rahman, Head of the Department of Architecture of BRAC University, and Prof. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Director-General of Bengal Institute, signed for their respective institutions. The event was also attended by Sir Fazle Abed, Chairman of BRAC, Mr Abul Khair, Chairman of Bengal Foundation, Dr Syed Saad Andaleeb, Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University, and other eminent architects and educationists.

News 2016 | 62-63

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Next Dhakaâ&#x20AC;? Exhibition Dedicated to rethinking the urban future of Bangladesh, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements is involved in investigating and producing alternatives visions for a better, livable and brighter Dhaka. To demonstrate how Dhaka can be transformed into a city of civic, social and ecological well-being, Bengal Institute will present an exhibition of its visions for Dhaka. To launch the exhibition, a presentation program was organized for 15th October at Bengal Art Lounge at 15:30. The Honorable Finance Minister of the Government of Bangladesh, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith was the Chief Guest at the launch program. Honorable Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Annisul Huq, Honorable Mayor of Dhaka South Corporation Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, and Honorable State Minister

for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mr Nasrul Hamid were the Special Guests. Abul Khair, Chairman, Bengal Foundation and Chairman, Executive Board, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, presided over the program.

“Next Dhaka” Exhibition at Bengal Art Lounge November 1st to November 20th, 2016

Bengal Institute has dedicated its resources to the study, research and design investigations for producing alternatives visions for a better, livable Dhaka. And some of those works were showcased at the “Next Dhaka: New Visions of the City” exhibition. Through the exhibition, and focusing on four areas of varying scales, Bengal Institute demonstrated how a dire Dhaka can be transformed into a better city. The intention of the exhibition is: to create public awareness for such a city, generate a momentum for transforming the city, and consider exemplary models of transport plans, civic spaces and public places. Bengal Institute presents alternative visions for Dhaka at three different scales: regional, inner-city and civic realm. The Institute also proposed a “Dhaka Nexus” in which the city and its greater neighborhoods – the region – are brought under an active and coordinated

planning net. Three transportation rings around Dhaka have been proposed, that will be the organizational basis of the nexus. The ﬁrst ring is located along the existing embankment roads of the city and connects Tongi, Savar, and Keranigonj. The second ring connects Naryanganj, Bhulta, Pubail, Gazipur, and Hemayetpur. The third ring connects Munshiganj, Mawa, Narshingdi, Kapasia, Kaliakoir, Manikganj, and other towns and settlements.

“Next Dhaka” Exhibition at Bengal Classical Music Fest 2016 November 24th to November 28th, 2016

“Next Dhaka” Exhibition was available for public viewing at the Bengal Classical Music Festival - Bangladesh at Army Stadium from November 24th - 28th. Followed by a successful launch and a public exhibition at Bengal Art Lounge from November 1st to 20th, a selected portion of the exhibition was on display at the BCMF. Hundreds of people already visited it at the Art Lounge, and this extended exhibition served to an even wider audience and diverse interest at the Music Festival. The exhibition was deemed as a milestone in envisioning pragmatic ideas of designing future Dhaka, and a source of inspiration for those who are optimistic about a change.

News 2016 | 64-65

“Locations: Anthology of Architecture and Urbanism” Co-publshed by ORO Editions and Bengal Foundation

Events and Discussions around the New Publication

Discussions about “Locations” at the Dhaka Lit Fest 2016

Bengal Co-sponsors Symposium at Harvard University

"Architecture and the Anxieties of Location" at Architectural League of New York

18 November, 2016

28-29 October, 2016

A panel was organized at this year’s Dhaka Lit Fest, focusing on the recently released publication of Locations, an international anthology of architecture and urbanism. The panel included Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Nayanika Mookherjee and Saif Ul Haque, with M K Aaref as moderator, where the discourse took place in order to explore the horizon of locations.

The Harvard South Asia Institute, Bengal Foundation and A+D Museum of Los Angeles organized a symposium "deCoding Asian Urbanism" at Harvard University on October 28-29, 2016. The event, coordinated by Farooq Ameen of A+D Museum, was participated by Kongjian Yu, Kenneth Frampton, Ken Yeang, Rahul Mehrotra, Anuradha Mathur, Kazi Khaleed Ashraf and Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury, and others.

1 November, 2016

The Architectural League of New York, in association with Bengal Foundation, presented an evening of presentations and discussions to consider the “anxieties of location” especially in the context of South Asian architecture. The program also launched the publication "Locations", an anthology of architecture and urbanism. The ﬁrst volume of Locations features the works of Kerry Hill, Terinobu Fujimori, Gregory Burgess, C. Anjalendran, Luis Longhi, Kenneth Frampton, Balkrishna Doshi, and others. Locations, edited by Kazi K. Ashraf, is published by ORO Editions and Bengal Foundation.

Speakers at DeCoding Urbanism Symposium, Cambridge

“The critical challenge of our time remains, and will be, how we organize our larger environments, how we plan our cities and settlements, and how we prepare for the next fifty to hundred years.” In the last year and half, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements has earned its recognition for its innovative programs in research and design activities, academia, publication, and public events. At the core of all its activities and programs is Bengal Institute’s commitment to envisioning a future for our environment and habitats. The critical challenge of our time is, and will be, how we organize our larger environments, how we plan our cities and settlements, and how we prepare for the next fifty to hundred years. At the heart of all this is how we recognize our rivers. I am constantly reminded of the words and observations of Prof. Abdur Razzaq, my uncle and mentor, “to visualize an exultant future for Bangladesh, one must not only consider the land and its people, but also its rivers.” Bengal Institute has already produced significant large-scale design thinking, including ideas for civic and public spaces for Dhaka, initial research for a regional plan for Dhaka, prospects for a rail corridor between Khilkhet and Dhanmondi, and a townscape design for Sylhet, amongst others. Some of these ideas have been presented for public viewing. Our exhibition entitled “Next Dhaka,” installed at the Bengal Classical Music Festival 2016, highlighted ideas for Dhaka and was viewed by over 100,000 people. Through these works, our intention is to share, with both policy-makers and the people, the potentials of good and thoughtful design. Our work emerges from a social responsibility, a deep commitment to contributing to an enlightened future for the country. To bring about real and effective changes to the future, I believe we should work towards creating an outline for a hundred year physical plan. At the Institute, we have taken the first steps towards reaching that goal. We are also collaborating with reputed design and planning institutes such as MIT, Harvard, Vastushilpa Foundation, BRAC University and others, in order to produce the finest collaborative output. The academic program of the Institute is flourishing with participation by many professionals from architecture and other disciplines. Through these seminars; workshops; and international symposiums, conducted by nationally and internationally renowned architects and academicians; the academic program has established new norms in the discussion of architecture, landscape thinking and urban design. The first volume of ‘Locations: Anthology of Architecture and Urbanism’, an international publication by ORO Editions of San Francisco and Bengal Foundation, has recently been published, and promises to take the thinking of Bengal world-wide.

Abul Khair, Chairman, Executive Board, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements