Bengal Institute

21/09/2026

ARCHITECTURE IN THE LANDSCAPE: A FORUM
ARCHITECTS SPEAK ABOUT THEIR IDEAS OF LANDSCAPE

From the BI Archives: A compelling clip of a landmark event in which prominent architects of Bangladesh discuss their position on architecture and landscape. The discussion forum was a conclusion to an academic session of Fall 2016 titled ‘Architecture in the Landscape’ that featured Jalal Ahmad, Salauddin Ahmed, Rafiq Azam, Iqbal Habib, Saif Ul Haque, Ehsan Khan, and Marina Tabassum. Prof. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf moderated the event and summarized the viewpoints. Considering the significance of landscapes and habitats, the forum discussed how architects can moderate the relationship between architecture and landscape.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH_LWtaRkF4&t=359s

16/09/2026

THE ART OF MAKING BOOKS WITH IRTEZA AMEEN
THE FINAL SESSION

Bengal Institute has organized some unique learning experiences in the form of workshops and seminars. One such program is the recently concluded special workshop led by Irteza Ameen that explored the design of books: "Flow of Pages: The Art of Making Books". The workshop concluded with an inspiring final session on September 14, 2026, in which participants presented the books they conceived and crafted over the workshop, sharing the motivations behind their work, their creative processes, and their reflections on the journey of bringing ideas into thoughtfully designed physical form.

Throughout the program, architect and designer Irteza Ameen led participants in close engagement with the art and craft of bookmaking, exploring design, materiality, sequencing, and the tactile experience of the printed page. The sessions encouraged them to approach books not merely as printed objects, but as carefully designed mediums of storytelling, creativity, and knowledge. The final session offered a rich platform to present these explorations and to receive thoughtful, generous feedback.

The final presentation and discussion were enriched by the presence of two distinguished artists — Wakilur Rahman, painter, printmaker, and sculptor, and Sabyasachi Hazra, artist, author, and prolific illustrator — whose insights and encouragement added great value to the participants' work.

Participants who enriched the workshop are: Suborna Morsheada, Tazeen Saif Ananna, Mahmudul Gani, Atkia Sadia Rahman, Zifry Rakib, and Sakib Ahsan Choudhury

Here are glimpses from this enriching exploration of the art of making books.

05/09/2026

DEADLINE TODAY!

LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPES
Seeing, Journeying, and Recording
A special field workshop · Ashwin Kormoshala

Faculty: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Dates: 22 September – 4 October 2026
Application Deadline: Midnight Today, 5 September 2026

This unique academic program is about experiencing our natural landscapes. Predominantly a field-based workshop, participants will tour around Manikganj, Jhenaidah, Jashore, and make a few impromptu visits. They will learn how to see, journey, and document our landscapes and people. One agenda item is to orient the participant group to the idea of co-creating with nature and people. Anyone from any discipline, including architecture, geography, and urban/ regional planning, can apply!

Apply here: https://forms.gle/7cMZD9bJ7Ydt9A6H7

Learn more about the program (including payment-related information): https://bengal.institute/academic-program/learning-from-the-landscapes-seeing-journeying-and-recording-fall-2026/

Queries: [email protected]

04/09/2026

THE ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE OF ZAMINDARBARI
A DOCUMENTATION PROJECT OF BENGAL INSTITUTE

The documentation and study of Bangladesh’s zamindarbaris is another landmark project conducted by Bengal Institute. With over 500 zamindari sites in Bangladesh in various forms and conditions, the architecture of zamindarbaris forms an important aspect of the culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. The zamindarbaris included not only the buildings but also elaborate landscape formations. The buildings were also organized into planned cluster forms. However, such features of zamindarbaris remain an understudied topic. Bengal Institute conducted a documentation project of two important zamindarbaris – Puthia and Natore – recording all the structures, many of which have not been studied before, and producing new drawings. The study was supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme.

We share a few selected images from the study of both Puthia and Natore. The documentation was carried out with the participation of a select group of students from RUET: Subrin Shirmin, Acia Hossain, Nura Al Howa Sadika, and Nabila Mustary.

31/08/2026

DEADLINE EXTENDED!

LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPES
Seeing, Journeying, and Recording
A special field workshop · Ashwin Kormoshala

Faculty: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Dates: 22 September – 4 October 2026
Extended Deadline: 5 September 2026

Led by Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, this unique opportunity to learn about landscapes raises simpler and deeper questions — what are our landscapes, and where are they? Set in the Ashwin season, this workshop moves through the rural, riverine delta and invites participants not to solve, but to see, to journey, to record, and to discover.

Khondaker Hasibul Kabir is a Bangladeshi landscape architect and sustainability advocate who works with Bangladeshi development agencies such as BRAC and Grameen in rural and sustainable architecture. He first proposed “The Platform of Hope” (Ashar Macha) in 2007 when he moved in personally with his family in the slums and designed a community space. It was showcased at the Cooper–Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City. He has also worked on disaster-resilient housing projects in Bangladesh and Haiti. Trained in architecture at BUET, he qualified with an MLA from the University of Sheffield, UK. In 2003, he followed a postgraduate course in ‘Organized Self-help Housing, Planning and Management’ organized by Lund University, Sweden, and FUPROVI, Costa Rica. His research and practice focus on ‘Ecological Landscape’ and ‘Aesthetics/Ethics of Housing and Development’.

Anyone from any discipline, including architecture, geography, and urban/regional planning, can apply for this wonderful opportunity!

Apply here: https://forms.gle/7cMZD9bJ7Ydt9A6H7

Learn more about the program (including payment-related information): https://bengal.institute/academic-program/learning-from-the-landscapes-seeing-journeying-and-recording-fall-2026/

Queries: [email protected]

30/08/2026

A LIFE OF SCHOLARSHIP. A LEGACY OF KNOWLEDGE. A COMMITMENT TO BANGLADESH. A FORCE OF IMAGINATION AND DESIGN.

Tribute to Prof. Ashraf by Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed of Philadelphia.

Prof. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf has fundamentally changed how we understand Bangladesh. He has helped us see Dhaka not merely as a city, but as a living terraqueous landscape shaped by water, ecology, settlement and culture. Through the book "Designing Dhaka" (2012) and his pioneering work on hydrological consciousness, he introduced a powerful new lens to the understanding of the city and its relationship with the Bengal Delta. For over eleven years at Bengal Institute, through research, books, exhibitions and design, this intellectual journey has expanded into a deeper understanding of rivers, riparian life, water and the living landscapes of Bangladesh. It has helped bring ecological thinking into public, professional and policy discourse. Educated at BUET, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania, and after 25 years of teaching in the United States, he returned to Bangladesh in 2015 with a renewed commitment to research, design and the future of the place. His influential works include "The Great Padma: The Epic River That Made the Bengal Delta" and "The Mother Tongue of Architecture: Selected Writings" which received an award from the CICA Bruno Zevi Book Award 2026. In summarizing his continuing impact, we can say:

A legacy that has changed how we think about Dhaka. A legacy that has deepened how we understand Bangladesh and the delta. A legacy of knowledge, imagination, design and an unwavering commitment to place.

Prothom Alo New York https://www.prothomalony.com/news/17964

কাজী খালেদ আশরাফের পরিচয় গর্ব করার মতো। আমার কাছে কিছু মানুষের শীর্ষে তার অবস্থান। কেউ যখন জিজ্ঞেস করে প্রবাসীরা...

28/08/2026

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE ONGOING ACADEMIC PROGRAM ON
THE ART OF MAKING BOOKS WITH IRTEZA AMEEN

Bengal Institute continues offering unique learning workshops through the exploration of the art and craft of bookmaking. The ongoing special workshop, “Flow of Pages: The Art of Making Books,” is conducted by acclaimed designer Irteza Ameen. Through engaging discussions and hands-on sessions, participants are exploring the evolution of book design and the creative processes involved in transforming ideas and content into thoughtfully crafted physical books.

As part of this special workshop, participants are engaging with various aspects of bookmaking, exploring design, materiality, sequencing, and the tactile experience of the printed page. The sessions encourage them to reflect on books not merely as printed objects, but as carefully designed mediums of storytelling, creativity, and knowledge.

Here are some highlights from the ongoing workshop activities.

27/08/2026

ONLY THREE DAYS REMAINING!

LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPES
Seeing, Journeying, and Recording
A special field workshop · Ashwin Kormoshala

Faculty: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Dates: 22 September – 4 October 2026
Application Deadline: 29 August 2026

A special and unique academic program is offered by Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements. It’s about experiencing our natural landscapes. Containing a 60% field tour around Manikganj, Jhenaidah, Jashore, and a few impromptu visits, this program is designed to learn how to see, journey, and document our landscapes and people. One of the agenda items is to orient the participant group to grasp the idea of co-creating with nature and people.

Sessions will be led by Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, a well-known community architect and co-designing advocate. We also expect Prof. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf to lecture at certain points in time. Anyone from any discipline, including architecture, geography, and urban/ regional planning, can apply!

Apply here: https://forms.gle/7cMZD9bJ7Ydt9A6H7

Learn more about the program (including payment-related information): https://bengal.institute/academic-program/learning-from-the-landscapes-seeing-journeying-and-recording-fall-2026/

Queries: [email protected]

25/08/2026

WHAT KIND OF CITY DO WE WANT?

AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION BETWEEN ADNAN MORSHED AND PROF. KAZI KHALEED ASHRAF ABOUT THE CITY WE HAVE, THE CITY WE IMAGINE, AND THE CITY WE CHOOSE TO BUILD.

This thought provoking conversation moves beyond the familiar crisis of congestion and asks deeper questions about density, urbanism, spatial justice, ecology, and the future of Dhaka.Is density itself the problem, or can we create “good density”: a city that is compact, connected, equitable, and supported by public space and infrastructure? What happens when rivers, canals, and wetlands, the ecological systems that sustain the city, are gradually lost to plot by plot development?

Prof. Kazi Khaleed Ashraf proposes a fundamental shift in perspective: perhaps the solution to Dhaka lies outside Dhaka, by strengthening our mid-sized cities and regional centres. Adnan Morshed adds another crucial dimension: allowing each city and town to retain its own identity, talent, and “DNA”, rather than reproducing Dhaka everywhere.

The conversation asks us to move beyond the anxiety of what Dhaka has become and imagine what our cities could become. Perhaps the real question is not simply how to save Dhaka, but how to build a Bangladesh where Dhaka no longer has to carry the entire country.

Organised by The Daily Star.



Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/J6MihG7o2hM

24/08/2026

Deadline approaching!

LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPES
Seeing, Journeying, and Recording
A special field workshop · Ashwin Kormoshala

Faculty: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir, with Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Dates: 22 September – 4 October 2026
Application Deadline: 29 August 2026

This unique opportunity to learn about landscapes raises simpler and deeper questions — what are our landscapes, and where are they? Set in the Ashwin season, this workshop moves through the rural, riverine delta and invites participants not to solve, but to see, to journey, to record, and to discover.

Participants will travel through natural farms, forests, wetlands, and riverside settlements, reading each place through four lenses: agriculture, forest, water, and settlement. Along the journey, each participant maintains a journal to draw, write, and to reflect. The journey returns to Dhaka to close with an exhibition of the work. Anyone from any discipline, including architecture, geography, and urban/ regional planning, can apply!

Apply here: https://forms.gle/7cMZD9bJ7Ydt9A6H7

Learn more about the program (including payment-related information): https://bengal.institute/academic-program/learning-from-the-landscapes-seeing-journeying-and-recording-fall-2026/

Queries: [email protected]