ASPIRATIONS AND IDEAS: Designing with Context

12 January, 2025 Total View: 95

Book Info:

An expression of the aspiring architectural visions of the future Bangladesh, this book aims to catalyse a conversation about how architecture distinctly based on contextual thinking can transform a society for the better.

The book is an edited volume of selected student projects from architecture schools across the country. The projects vary in scale and issues and are organized in ten thematic chapters ranging from identity and conservation to user’s special needs and housing. Each chapter starts with critical discussions on its theme by veterans who introduce the projects presented by young scholars in the field.

These student projects are not necessarily a solution to the problem; rather, each one is, as we like to call it, a young eye’s aspiration. Our aim is that these chapters will initiate a healthy debate among the stakeholders on the related themes. This debate will eventually help us to determine the correct path to reach our goals for the future.

This book is the first of its kind in Bangladesh and we hope that it will become a valuable resource for students, teachers, and professionals in built-environment design and related fields.

Publisher:

The University Press Limited

Editors:

Mohammed Zakiul Islam, PhD

Professor Zaki teaches at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. Upon his graduation from BUET, he worked under the architect (the late) Muzharul Islam till he started his graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. During his stay at UT Austin, Zaki received multiple funds, travel grants, and scholarships, including the prestigious Mebane scholarship.

Zaki completed his PhD from North-Carolina State University and was involved in a number of research projects including at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS). He received first place at the Annual NC State University Graduate Research Symposium and the Landscape Architecture Research Award in 2008.

He has presented at numerous international conferences and published widely in international journals. His articles appeared in high-impact factor journals, such as Environment and Behavior, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and Children, Youth and Environment. He is the Principal Investigator of the IPEN (International Physical Activity and Environment Network) Adolescent study in Bangladesh, funded by the National Institute of Health, USA.

As a practicing architect, he has received the Berger Best Young Architect Award 2005 and a commendation in the Berger Award for Excellence in Architecture 2017.

He has also been the Secretary-Education & Research for the 18th and 20th Executive Council of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh and served as a juror member in several National level design awards.

Saimum Kabir, PhD

Saimum Kabir, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture and Design, BRAC University. He has research experience on built environment design and planning in Australia, Vietnam and Bangladesh contexts. He co-edited the book titled: Aspirations and Ideas: Designing with Context, and is the founder editor of contextbd.com—a collaborative platform for architecture education and practice in Bangladesh.