Foyez Ullah

On occasion, an artist is not only from, but of, a place. Imbued with the very spirit of a locale, and thus inspired to return the favour. Such is the nature of the relationship between the legendary architect Foyez Ullah, and Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka.

Dhaka is a city rich with history; borne of eclecticism, and its tremendous growth post-independence has been extraordinary, both culturally and architecturally. From the early Mughal architecture to the Indo-Saracenic style of the colonial era, to the sheets of steel and glass that characterize a modern metropolis, there’s an aesthetic battle for the city’s very soul being waged.

Foyez Ullah has played an active role in this conversation for nearly three decades, weaving a tapestry of work within Dhaka’s realm that declutters its chaotic whims and sets revealing insight into context-specific architectural response.

Through a series of his architectural benchmarks, as well as texts from the architectural critics Vladimir Belogolovsky and Shamsul Wares, this volume posits a framework for responsive and contextual architecture for Dhaka in the 21st century.

Vladimir Belogolovsky was born in Odessa, Ukraine on August 7, 1970. He graduated from The Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1996. He is the founder of the New York-based Intercontinental Curatorial Project (est. 2008), which focuses on curating and designing architectural and conceptual exhibitions worldwide. Belogolovsky is the American correspondent for architectural journals Arquitectura Viva (Madrid) and SPEECH (Berlin). He has his interviews column on ArchDaily and is a corresponding member of the International Academy of Architecture in Moscow (IAAM). His books include Conversations with Peter Eisenman: The Evolution of Architectural Style (DOM, 2016); Conversations with Architects in the Age of Celebrity (DOM, 2015); Harry Seidler: LIFEWORK (Rizzoli, 2014); Felix Novikov (DOM, 2013; TATLIN, 2009); Soviet Modernism: 1955-1985 (TATLIN, 2010); Green House (TATLIN, 2009). In addition to Harry Seidler: Painting Toward Architecture exhibition world tour, he has curated: Emilio Ambasz: Architecture Toward Nature (Singapore, 2017); City of Ideas at the University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia, 2016) and Chicago Design Museum (Chicago, USA, 2016); Sergei Tchoban: Bridges & Spires at InCite Gallery (Bangalore, India, 2016); Anthony Ames: Object-Type Landscapes at Casa Curutchet (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2015); Colombia: Transformed (American tour, 2012-15); a retrospective of architect Ángel Fernández Alba at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Madrid, 2009); Green House at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall (Moscow, 2009); Chess Game at Russian Pavilion (Foreign Section) at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale (Venice, Italy, 2008). He has lectured at Columbia University, the University of Virginia, Hong Kong University, Moscow Architectural Institute, the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Tongji University in Shanghai, Tsinghua University in Beijing, and other universities and museums in more than 30 countries.

Shamsul Wares (born 21 January 1946) is a Bangladeshi architect who worked under the American architect Louis I. Kahn and his associate, Mazharul Islam, the father of Bengal Architecture.

Shamsul Wares served as a faculty in the Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) from February, 1972 to February, 2003. He served as a Professor of Architecture & Dean of the faculty of Environmental Science and Design at University of Asia Pacific (UAP) from March, 2003 to April, 2015. Currently, he is the Dean of the School of Environment and Design at the State University of Bangladesh, and an architectural consultant at Shisrikkhu Sthapati in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shamsul Wares has designed many residential, institutional and public buildings. He has served as president of The Institute of Architects Bangladesh(IAB) for two terms and has led the Bangladesh delegation at five ARCASIA meetings. He was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award for Architectural Education by the institute in 2009. He also serves as a technical advisor to a number of Bangladesh Government Organizations including the Ministry of Public Works,Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Dhaka University, Export Promotion Bureau, etc.