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Architectural Books and Collaborations:
Rafiq Azam: Old Dhaka-New Story: Architecture in Bangladesh (Rizzoli, 2025)
a mid-career monograph highlighting architect Rafiq Azam’s sustainable, community-focused projects in Dhaka. Edited by Rosa Maria Falvo with an introduction by Kenneth Frampton, it explores transforming dense, urban spaces into green hubs using his "art of negotiation" philosophy.
Marina Tabassum: Architecture, My Journey
Edited by Cristina Steingräber
Marina Tabassum: Architecture, My Journey is the first book devoted to the Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her multifaceted architectural oeuvre. Tabassum’s exploratory approach makes her architectural practice one of the outstanding contemporary positions internationally. This volume presents various public and private building projects that Marina Tabassum has worked on since 1995, first with the architectural office URBANA and since 2005 through Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). The selection of her architecture in this book ranges from early projects in the city of Dhaka shortly after completing her studies at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), such as the Museum of Independence and the celebrated Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, to recent mobile modular structures called Khudi Bari. Tabassum is establishing the latter for the people affected by displacement in various geographically and climatically challenged locations—both in the Ganges Delta and in the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar on the border to Myanmar, which is currently the largest refugee camp in the world.
With contributions by Sean Anderson, Vera Simone Bader, Kareem Ibrahim, Hanif Kara, Andres Lepik, Nondita Correa Mehrotra, Tanzil Shafique, Cristina Steingräber, Marina Tabassum, Sarah M. Whiting, and Danny Wicakson
Marina Tabassum: Architecture, My Journey is the first book devoted to the Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her multifaceted architectural oeuvre. Tabassum’s exploratory approach makes her architectural practice one of the outstanding contemporary positions internationally. This volume presents various public and private building projects that Marina Tabassum has worked on since 1995, first with the architectural office URBANA and since 2005 through Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). The selection of her architecture in this book ranges from early projects in the city of Dhaka shortly after completing her studies at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), such as the Museum of Independence and the celebrated Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, to recent mobile modular structures called Khudi Bari. Tabassum is establishing the latter for the people affected by displacement in various geographically and climatically challenged locations—both in the Ganges Delta and in the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar on the border to Myanmar, which is currently the largest refugee camp in the world.
With contributions by Sean Anderson, Vera Simone Bader, Kareem Ibrahim, Hanif Kara, Andres Lepik, Nondita Correa Mehrotra, Tanzil Shafique, Cristina Steingräber, Marina Tabassum, Sarah M. Whiting, and Danny Wicakson
Rising Oceans & Spaces That Care: Complexities and ideas behind the Friendship Hospital by Kashef Chowdhury / URBANA in Bangladesh
Niklaus Graber (Editor)
In times of global crises, architecture must also seek new sustainable approaches to climatic and social challenges. Designed by Kashef Chowdhury / Urbana, the Friendship Hospital in southern Bangladesh can be regarded as pioneering in this respect. The hospital, which was awarded the 2022 RIBA International Prize, provides life-saving healthcare, as well as enhancing the identity of a coastal region that has been devastated by cyclones and soil salinisation as a result of rising sea levels.
Constructed in local brickwork, the architecture collects the valuable rainwater and uses the wind for natural cooling, while subtly interacting with specific characteristics of the world’s largest river delta. It also applies universal architectural means such as space, light and proportions to ensure the well-being of patients and the people close to them.
A profound architectural stance developed out of the geography and history of the local context makes this work globally relevant. This book, which includes a photo essay by Hélène Binet, presents plans, diagrams and model photos that offer insight into the design and construction process in one of the world’s most climate-affected regions.
In times of global crises, architecture must also seek new sustainable approaches to climatic and social challenges. Designed by Kashef Chowdhury / Urbana, the Friendship Hospital in southern Bangladesh can be regarded as pioneering in this respect. The hospital, which was awarded the 2022 RIBA International Prize, provides life-saving healthcare, as well as enhancing the identity of a coastal region that has been devastated by cyclones and soil salinisation as a result of rising sea levels.
Constructed in local brickwork, the architecture collects the valuable rainwater and uses the wind for natural cooling, while subtly interacting with specific characteristics of the world’s largest river delta. It also applies universal architectural means such as space, light and proportions to ensure the well-being of patients and the people close to them.
A profound architectural stance developed out of the geography and history of the local context makes this work globally relevant. This book, which includes a photo essay by Hélène Binet, presents plans, diagrams and model photos that offer insight into the design and construction process in one of the world’s most climate-affected regions.
Marina Tabassum Architects SERPENTINE PAVILION 2025 A CAPSULE IN TIME
SERPENTINE PAVILION 2025 A CAPSULE IN TIME: Marina Tabassum Architects
To accompany the Serpentine Pavilion 2025 A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects, Serpentine has co-published a catalogue with Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz Konig, Köln.
Designed by Wolfe Hall, it brings together new and insightful contributions from the fields of architecture and art to reflect on Tabassum’s Pavilion and wider practice. Generously illustrated in colour throughout, it features essays by editor and curator Shumon Basar; architect, educator and Dean of Yale School of Architecture Deborah Berke; art and architecture historian Perween Hasan; architect, writer and critic Thomas de Monchaux; and experimental visual contributions from artists Rana Begum and Naeem Mohaiemen.
Alongside these contributions, it features drawings from Tabassum’s sketchbook whilst designing the Pavilion; a photo essay by Iwan Baan; a conversation with David Chipperfield; and an in-depth interview with Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist.
£28
Published by: Serpentine and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz Konig, Köln
Edited by: Chris Bayley
Contributors: Iwan Baan, Shumon Basar, Rana Begum, Deborah Berke, David Chipperfield, Perween Hasan, Naeem Mohaiemen, Thomas de Monchaux, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Marina Tabassum
To accompany the Serpentine Pavilion 2025 A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects, Serpentine has co-published a catalogue with Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz Konig, Köln.
Designed by Wolfe Hall, it brings together new and insightful contributions from the fields of architecture and art to reflect on Tabassum’s Pavilion and wider practice. Generously illustrated in colour throughout, it features essays by editor and curator Shumon Basar; architect, educator and Dean of Yale School of Architecture Deborah Berke; art and architecture historian Perween Hasan; architect, writer and critic Thomas de Monchaux; and experimental visual contributions from artists Rana Begum and Naeem Mohaiemen.
Alongside these contributions, it features drawings from Tabassum’s sketchbook whilst designing the Pavilion; a photo essay by Iwan Baan; a conversation with David Chipperfield; and an in-depth interview with Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist.
£28
Published by: Serpentine and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz Konig, Köln
Edited by: Chris Bayley
Contributors: Iwan Baan, Shumon Basar, Rana Begum, Deborah Berke, David Chipperfield, Perween Hasan, Naeem Mohaiemen, Thomas de Monchaux, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Marina Tabassum
Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment?
Editor: Dr. Adnan Zillur Morshed
Explores how spatial justice shapes equitable, empowering, and inclusive experiences
In an era increasingly defined by questions of equity and inclusion, Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment? offers a vital, global interrogation of how architecture and planning impact the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Edited by Adnan Zillur Morshed, this timely volume brings together contributions from 30 leading thinkers and practitioners—architects, planners, scholars, and designers—who reflect on the ethical and philosophical responsibilities of those who shape space.
Rather than offering simplistic answers or prescriptive solutions, this book explores the complex and often contradictory ways justice is interpreted and enacted through space. The essays examine built projects from around the world to ask whether design can foster dignity, hope, and community empowerment—and how design education must evolve to foreground these values. The contributing authors grapple with the mechanisms through which spatial practices can exclude, disempower, or uplift, addressing topics ranging from justice in the city to the politics of community engagement. Throughout the book, the essays advance a critical pedagogy of design—one that scrutinizes how space organizes power and shapes human possibility.
A far-reaching examination of how built environments can either reinforce or resist social injustice, this innovative volume:
Provides a compelling framework to understand justice not just as a legal or moral abstraction, but as a tangible, constructed reality embedded in our daily environments
Offers in-depth critical reflections on spatial justice across both the Global North and Global South
Engages with interdisciplinary voices beyond traditional design fields, such as environmentalists, social scientists, and urban theorists
Incorporates real-world examples of justice-oriented design in rural, urban, and transitional spaces
Contextualizes three decades of social justice movements within spatial and urban practice
Raises timely philosophical and pedagogical questions about equity in design education
Investigating the intersection of infrastructure, social reform, and public space through a justice-centered framework, Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment? is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses in architecture, urban design, city planning, urban sociology, and public health. It is well-suited for degree programs in architecture, urban studies, environmental design, social policy, and public administration.
Explores how spatial justice shapes equitable, empowering, and inclusive experiences
In an era increasingly defined by questions of equity and inclusion, Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment? offers a vital, global interrogation of how architecture and planning impact the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Edited by Adnan Zillur Morshed, this timely volume brings together contributions from 30 leading thinkers and practitioners—architects, planners, scholars, and designers—who reflect on the ethical and philosophical responsibilities of those who shape space.
Rather than offering simplistic answers or prescriptive solutions, this book explores the complex and often contradictory ways justice is interpreted and enacted through space. The essays examine built projects from around the world to ask whether design can foster dignity, hope, and community empowerment—and how design education must evolve to foreground these values. The contributing authors grapple with the mechanisms through which spatial practices can exclude, disempower, or uplift, addressing topics ranging from justice in the city to the politics of community engagement. Throughout the book, the essays advance a critical pedagogy of design—one that scrutinizes how space organizes power and shapes human possibility.
A far-reaching examination of how built environments can either reinforce or resist social injustice, this innovative volume:
Provides a compelling framework to understand justice not just as a legal or moral abstraction, but as a tangible, constructed reality embedded in our daily environments
Offers in-depth critical reflections on spatial justice across both the Global North and Global South
Engages with interdisciplinary voices beyond traditional design fields, such as environmentalists, social scientists, and urban theorists
Incorporates real-world examples of justice-oriented design in rural, urban, and transitional spaces
Contextualizes three decades of social justice movements within spatial and urban practice
Raises timely philosophical and pedagogical questions about equity in design education
Investigating the intersection of infrastructure, social reform, and public space through a justice-centered framework, Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment? is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses in architecture, urban design, city planning, urban sociology, and public health. It is well-suited for degree programs in architecture, urban studies, environmental design, social policy, and public administration.
Concrete Jungle: Tropical Architecture and its Surprising Origins
Editor: Gastalten
Combine concrete’s stoicism with luscious vegetative environments and you get to the language of tropical modernism. In continuity with its founding principles from the mid 20th century, today’s architectural visionaries renew the use of raw materials, such as exposed concrete, to explore functionality rather than aesthetics. No matter if works are created in total symbiosis with the tropical landscape or surrounded by flourishing nature, Concrete Jungle presents the dichotomy of the rough material being softened by interaction with the interior and exterior. When gray meets green a never ending range of impressions awakens.
Combine concrete’s stoicism with luscious vegetative environments and you get to the language of tropical modernism. In continuity with its founding principles from the mid 20th century, today’s architectural visionaries renew the use of raw materials, such as exposed concrete, to explore functionality rather than aesthetics. No matter if works are created in total symbiosis with the tropical landscape or surrounded by flourishing nature, Concrete Jungle presents the dichotomy of the rough material being softened by interaction with the interior and exterior. When gray meets green a never ending range of impressions awakens.
The July Resolve
Editor: Rezwan Rahman
The July Resolve: Hidden Faces of a Nation's Uprising, edited by Rezwan Rahman and published by The University Press Limited (UPL), is a 2026 anthology documenting the 2024 Bangladesh Monsoon Revolution. Launched on January 10, 2026, at Bookworm Bangladesh, it features 36 narratives detailing the resilience, sacrifices, and struggles of students, workers, and citizens during the uprising.
The July Resolve: Hidden Faces of a Nation's Uprising, edited by Rezwan Rahman and published by The University Press Limited (UPL), is a 2026 anthology documenting the 2024 Bangladesh Monsoon Revolution. Launched on January 10, 2026, at Bookworm Bangladesh, it features 36 narratives detailing the resilience, sacrifices, and struggles of students, workers, and citizens during the uprising.
Inclusive Architecture: Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022
Sarah M. Whiting (Editor), Farrokh Derakhshani (Foreword), Aga Khan Award for Architecture (Narrator)
Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022 – Inclusive Architecture
The release of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture every three years is an enormously important moment for the architecture world. The projects recognized by this Award represent the vanguard of thinking and practice in architecture that goes beyond the regular scope of building, planning and preservation through its strong impact on the needs and aspirations of societies. This publication presents the twenty shortlisted projects, including the six recipients of the 2020–22 cycle of the Award.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s mandate is different from that of many other architecture prizes: it not only rewards architects but also identifies municipalities, builders, clients, artisans and engineers who have played essential roles in the realization of a project. This publication thus presents the projects from various viewpoints alongside detailed and up-to-date images and descriptions.
The acclaimed, interdisciplinary master jury and steering committee of this cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture that determines the projects presented include David Chipperfield, Francis Kéré, Anna Lacaton, Marina Tabassum, and Sarah M. Whiting, to name but a few. Scholarly essays across various disciplines from members of the master jury and steering committee round out the publication. Contributions include a text on the optimism of humanity by Souleymane Bachir Diagne, director of the Institute of African Studies, Columbia University, and a contextualization of Modern Architecture in the Muslim World by Sibel Bozdoğan of Boston University. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, director-general of the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, writes on the perspective of the dialogical, while Nasser Rabbat, the Aga Khan Professor at MIT, shares notes on architecture as a humanist empire. The texts also include a Salon des Refusés by Nader Teherani, founding principal of Boston-based architecture firm NADAAA.
The texts, which come from a wide range of geographies, are informative and descriptive, often striking an emotional note. Together with the project presentations, the publication thereby guides the reader through a contemplation of an architectural question of increasing urgency in our current times of crisis: how to build ethically for our shared global future.
With contributions by Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Sibel Bozdoğan, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Farrokh Derakhshani, Nasser Rabbat, Nader Teherani, and Sarah M. Whiting.
Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022 – Inclusive Architecture
The release of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture every three years is an enormously important moment for the architecture world. The projects recognized by this Award represent the vanguard of thinking and practice in architecture that goes beyond the regular scope of building, planning and preservation through its strong impact on the needs and aspirations of societies. This publication presents the twenty shortlisted projects, including the six recipients of the 2020–22 cycle of the Award.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s mandate is different from that of many other architecture prizes: it not only rewards architects but also identifies municipalities, builders, clients, artisans and engineers who have played essential roles in the realization of a project. This publication thus presents the projects from various viewpoints alongside detailed and up-to-date images and descriptions.
The acclaimed, interdisciplinary master jury and steering committee of this cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture that determines the projects presented include David Chipperfield, Francis Kéré, Anna Lacaton, Marina Tabassum, and Sarah M. Whiting, to name but a few. Scholarly essays across various disciplines from members of the master jury and steering committee round out the publication. Contributions include a text on the optimism of humanity by Souleymane Bachir Diagne, director of the Institute of African Studies, Columbia University, and a contextualization of Modern Architecture in the Muslim World by Sibel Bozdoğan of Boston University. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, director-general of the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, writes on the perspective of the dialogical, while Nasser Rabbat, the Aga Khan Professor at MIT, shares notes on architecture as a humanist empire. The texts also include a Salon des Refusés by Nader Teherani, founding principal of Boston-based architecture firm NADAAA.
The texts, which come from a wide range of geographies, are informative and descriptive, often striking an emotional note. Together with the project presentations, the publication thereby guides the reader through a contemplation of an architectural question of increasing urgency in our current times of crisis: how to build ethically for our shared global future.
With contributions by Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, Sibel Bozdoğan, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Farrokh Derakhshani, Nasser Rabbat, Nader Teherani, and Sarah M. Whiting.
Architecture as Freedom
Curated and Written by Dr. Adnan Zillur Morshed
The work centers on the idea that architecture can "spatialize a spirit of freedom" and hope for those living in extreme poverty. It documents the design and construction of several regional offices for BRAC (the world's largest NGO) across rural Bangladesh.
The work centers on the idea that architecture can "spatialize a spirit of freedom" and hope for those living in extreme poverty. It documents the design and construction of several regional offices for BRAC (the world's largest NGO) across rural Bangladesh.
DOMa Magazine Issue 07
In DOMa 07, WORKac conduct a model-photos diary for 'RISD Student Center', with different layouts and additions to an existing building at the Rhode lsland School of Design. Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects indicate eleven successive stages in the development of the spatial concept for 'National Taichung Theatre'. Kashef Chowdhury / URBANA introduce their architecture by pairing their projects 'ULAB' & 'Friendship Centre', as a response to the local conditions of Bangladesh. Arge Summacumfemmer and Büro Juliane Greb share background information from the participatory design process of 'San Riemo', a cooperative residential building in Munich-Riem. Tatiana Bilbao Estudio explore fill-in strategies for a given excavated site at Έstoa, University of Monterrey'.
দেশের এই স্থাপত্য আলোকচিত্রীর তোলা অনেক ছবিই হয়তো দেখেছেন, জানেন কি তাঁর সম্পর্কে? | Prothom Alo
Main Article: দেশের এই স্থাপত্য আলোকচিত্রীর তোলা অনেক ছবিই হয়তো দেখেছেন, জানেন কি তাঁর সম্পর্কে?
Dec 20, 20251 min read
Der Asif Salman by Shahbaz Nahian
Main Article: https://archbiz.org/der-asif-salman/ Asif Salman Interview at Archbiz Magazine.
Sep 26, 20251 min read
MOMA recent aquisition
Marina Tabassum , MTA (Marina Tabassum Architects) Khudi Bari (tiny house)2020–2023
Jul 19, 20241 min read
Empathy, ergonomics, and how BRAC’s human-centered design includes its architecture
Photo by Asif Salman. “We did not want the building to be the protagonist. We wanted the people to be the protagonists of our...
Jun 12, 20241 min read
Light, Empathy, and Silence: The Architecture of Marina Tabassum
In her Dhaka, Bangladesh–based practice, Marina Tabassum seeks to create a language of architecture that’s simultaneously contemporary...
Jun 7, 20241 min read
The New Aga Khan Academy Dhaka Features Inviting Green Spaces for Education / Arch20
“The central Maidan, inspired by traditional university layouts in Bangladesh, serves as a green lung in the urban fabric and arranges...
May 3, 20241 min read
Bait Ur Rayan / Archello
Symbolism through geometric interpretation is an imperative feature of Islamic art and architecture. Islam prescribes symbolic or suggestive
Apr 24, 20241 min read
Time: THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2024 : Marina Tabassum
THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2024 : Marina Tabassum
Apr 17, 20241 min read
Saiqa Iqbal Meghna's vision for the Zebun Nessa Mosque | The Daily Star
Saiqa Iqbal Meghna's vision for the Zebun Nessa Mosque | The Daily Star
Mar 15, 20241 min read
Zebun Nessa Mosque / Studio Morphogenesis
Photo: Asif Salman Main Article: https://www.archdaily.com/1014337/zebun-nessa-mosque-studio-morphogenesis
Mar 8, 20241 min read
Forging a Bengali identity through modernist architecture | The Daily Star
After completing his Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Oregon, Eugene, in June 1952, the 29-year-old Muzharul Islam...
Aug 5, 20231 min read
Spotlight on Women Architects – Marina Tabassum | Stylepark
Photo: Asif Salman In our series “Spotlight on Women Architects” we present the work of female architects at regular intervals – such as...
Jul 31, 20231 min read
Aga Khan Academy Dhaka wraps around "friendly outdoor learning areas" | Dezeen
Photo: Asif Salman Decorative brick-clad buildings fold around courtyards at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, a boarding school in Bangladesh...
Jul 3, 20231 min read
Sthapotik design ancestral mausoleum for the ‘Pir’ of Uwaisi Tariqa in Bangladesh | avontuura
The Project is owned by a renowned Scientist of Bangladesh and he is the eldest son of ‘Pir’ Shah Muhammad Mohsin Khan, who was the...
Apr 21, 20231 min read
Shohel Residence / ARCHFIELD Bangladesh | Archdaily
The project brief emphasized mental and physical well-being rather than spatial requirements. The client invested his resources in his...
Apr 6, 20231 min read
Sthapotik tops Bangladesh mausoleum with "chandelier" of skylights | Deezen
A series of cylindrical skylights and brick turrets feature in this Bangladesh mausoleum, which architecture studio Sthapotik designed as...
Apr 5, 20231 min read
Marina Tabassum takes Bangladesh to Munich | Prothom alo
Munshiganj, Dohar and Bikrampur are well known for their modular prefabricated houses. People there still make such homes and live in...
Apr 2, 20231 min read
Meet the award-winning architect building flat-pack homes for flood victims | CNN
Marina Tabassum on CNN
Mar 31, 20231 min read
Sthapotik shapes bangladeshi mausoleum with textural brickwork and deep skylights | Designboom
Among a residential and tree-covered neighborhood in Manikganj, Bangladesh-based studio Sthapotik completes a mausoleum expressed with...
Mar 25, 20231 min read
Shah Muhammad Mohshin Khan Mausoleum | ArchDaily
Sufism is one most amazing, thought-provoking aspects of Islam. Sufism is derived from a more philosophical and social standpoint...
Mar 24, 20231 min read
Marina Tabassum Architecture: My Journey
MARINA TABASSUM ARCHITECTURE: MY JOURNEY is the first book devoted to the Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her multifaceted...
Mar 9, 20231 min read
What Role Should Architectural Prototypes Play in the Global South? | Archdaily
It’s an essential component of the design process, where spatial ideations are translated into built form – the design of the prototype....
Nov 5, 20221 min read
RIZVI HASSAN, KHWAJA FATMI, SAAD BEN MOSTAFACOMMUNITY SPACES IN ROHINGYA REFUGEE RESPONSE | divisare
Rather than separate projects, the six sustainably built structures in the world’s largest refugee camps, housing Rohingya fleeing...
Oct 26, 20221 min read
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Dhaka / Uygur Architects | ArchDaily
The structure of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Dhaka is located on the main road of a district reserved as the Diplomatic...
Oct 14, 20221 min read
Talks by Asif Salman
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