Two projects from Bangladesh—Machan: Korail Community Platform in Dhaka and the Floating Schools program in the Pabna District—have been named among the 26 global recipients of the 2025 Ammodo Architecture Award. The award celebrates exemplary contributions to socially and ecologically responsible architecture.
Selected from 168 entries across 60 countries, the winning projects were recognized for their powerful social engagement and innovative responses to local challenges.
Machan: Korail Community Platform
Built collaboratively with residents of Korail, the Machan project transformed a former dumping ground into a vibrant , flexible public space for art, learning, and community dialogue. The award committee praised its “powerful simplicity,” noting that it intervenes architecturally only where truly needed. Built collaboratively with local residents, the project was described as “playground architecture”—open, adaptable, and deeply rooted in everyday life.
“The result feels like ‘playground architecture’ – open, adaptable and deeply rooted in everyday life,” stated the committee. “With minimal means, it brings culture to the forefront of community building, challenging elitist assumptions about who produces culture and how.”
Floating Schools for Community Resilience and Sustainable Development
The Floating Schools initiative, run by Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, uses boat-based schools to support community resilience along the Gumani River. The design was lauded for its adaptive approach to climate change, “embracing water” rather than resisting it.
“Built with local materials and traditional knowledge, the floating structures bring learning, care and opportunity to remote communities – bringing the school to the people, instead of the people to the school,” the committee noted. They highlighted the project’s “cultural sensitivity, ecological intelligence, and flexibility.”
Each award recipient receives a grant to further develop their work. The complete list of 2025 awardees can be viewed on the Ammodo Architecture Award website.
