EN emergence modernism Bengal Stream Bangladesh, blessed with cultural and sce- Bangladesh’s contemporary architecture The exhibition does not present a romanti- nic riches, has so far barely been present on movement follows in the footsteps of the cally glorified view of Bangladesh’s architec- the architectural world map, but that may grand master Muzharul Islam (1923-2012), tural development; instead, this exhibition change in the near future, due to excellent whose original drawings are exhibited has arisen from a wish to learn more about works emerging from a vibrant architec- here for the first time outside his home the architectural approach to substantial ture movement. country. Muzharul Islam strived to medi- questions: What does it take to allow good The output of this Bengal Stream is not ate between tradition and the modern, architectural spaces to emerge? What mate- just highly controversial in a spatial and while absorbing the local and the interna- rials make sense where and for which pur- architectural sense, it also bears witness tional to equal extents in his architecture. poses? How can these have an effect? How to the high societal relevance of architec- lt was in keeping with his persona! under- can natural illumination and ventilation pro- ture as a discipline. Via local action, care- standing of intercultural dialogue to bring vide added value, not just in an economic fully developed from the country’s specific western protagonists to his homeland for sense, but also in terms of design? Here, it history and geography, current trends in important construction projects, such as becomes clear that pioneering architecture Bangladesh are taking on global signifi- his teacher Paul Rudolph and his college is based on universally valid architectural cance. Participatory low-cost, environmen- friend Stanley Tigerman, both of whom elements, such as light, space and propor- tal or social projects are often undertaken he met when studying architecture in the tion, regardless of site-specific limitations. The Vibrant Architecture Scene of Bangladesh of Scene Architecture Vibrant The by the same designers who also get com- USA, and ultimately Louis I. Kahn. Bengal Stream offers an invitation to go missions from a growing middle class and on a journey and to see one’s own culture in from the urban high-end price segment. a new way via discovery of another. Bengal Stream Bengal Although the protagonists among the gen- eration of architects setting the agenda introduction of the exhibition in S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, by today have defined individual focal points Niklaus Graber, Andreas Ruby et Viviane Ehrensberger, co-curators. with their projects, they are intercon- nect ed as a community by a lively profes- sional exchange and higher-level objec- tives. Like an unrelenting tide, more and more players are helping this still-young Bengal Stream is the first exhibition in France to focus on the architectural profession to get established and sup- scene in Bangladesh. porting an awareness of the local culture The East-West / North-South programme designed by arc en rêve in 2004 pre- without closing their minds to global influ- sented the essential purpose of architecture, giving people places to live, and ences. ln the largest delta region on Earth, placed creativity at the heart of the major issues facing societies as they turn veined by thousands of rivers, people seem towards the future. We observed at the time that dwelling solutions developed to be aware that every kind of living cul- by populations in extreme conditions can inform the search for new modes of ture is a combination of the inherent and design to help us to build habitable environments here and now. the foreign. Climate, mobility, time, and living are the shared materials for any architectural Bengal Stream exhibition curated by Niklaus Graber, Andreas Ruby and Viviane Ehrensberger, project. produced by the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum in collaboration with The architects Francis Débiédo Kéré (Burkina Faso), Junya Ishigami (Japan), the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements. Studio Mumbai (India) and Wang Shu Lu Wenyu (China), who have all honoured us with exhibitions, have taught us to look at the world in new ways and provide adaptation of the exhibition in Bordeaux us with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. arc en rêve centre d’architecture Francine Fort, general director for the layout design Why organise a major exhibition on the architectural scene in Bangladesh, History: Tradition as the Michel Jacques, architecte, artistic director today in France? Humus of the Present Focus: Contemporary Positions Wenwen Cai, architecte, project manager The curators, Andreas Ruby and Niklaus Graber, refer to this country, the largest delta in the world, as a universal case study. The area where today’s Bangladesh is situated has been Many of today’s protagonists were students, assistants aquitanis • station ausone • Texaa • Tollens • populated for millennia and is characterized by a wealth or companions of Muzharul Islam and in recent decades support the initiatives of arc en rêve centre d’architecture The high risk of flooding due to climate change in Bangladesh, and also the of cultural history. In a chequered historical sequence they have formed an independent architecture scene population explosion and mass exodus from the countryside towards the cities of events, various trends have expressed themselves in that carries the societal and architectural concerns of are the new challenges that local development bodies rise to with exemplary different architectural ways, according to religious or their predecessors forwards in a contemporary way. skill. This country, whose architecture used to be largely ignored, could become socio-cultural developments. Typological strands, from Even though figures like Shamsul Wares, Nahas Khalil, a global model for responsible architectural activism. the Mogul period (16th to 18th century) to British colo- Saif Ul Haque, Kashef Chowdhury, Eshan Khan and 22 11 2018 > 03 03 2019 “Bangladesh is a global laboratory. All the negative effects of climate change nial architecture (1757-1947), through to 20th-century Marina Tabassum define individual focal points with can be seen there,” says Munir Muniruzzaman, former adviser to the president modernism, are impressively demonstrated on the basis their spatial statements usually made from brick and of Bangladesh. of schematic layout plans. In particular, the Bangladeshi exposed concrete, they are acutely interconnected as a Bangladesh has a lot to teach us, especially about the way our planet can adapt architect and thinker Muzharul Islam (1923-2012) had a community in a lively professional exchange. Again and to rising sea levels. For the people of Bangladesh, this future is now present: linking function in societal and architectural discourse. again, it is this loose group who, despite dynamic global Outlook: Architecture as Social the lost of soil is a reality. Firstly, in his work and teaching, he strived to mediate pressure to develop, collectively stand up for architectural Responsibility Projects for floating schools and hospitals, structures built in two days with between tradition and the modern. Secondly, he values and for an awareness of their own culture. In inhabitants, and whole villages raised to a higher level, are all examples of managed to acknowledge locality and internationality addition to their impressively built works, their teaching To an increasing extent, architects are attending to the architecture that is able to respond to the inevitable. to equal extents. As he had studied at Yale in the USA and mediation also constitute an integral part of this country’s societal and climatic challenges. In this regard, Since 1981 arc en rêve centre d’architecture has elaborated a cultural awareness- building strategy focusing on contemporary architecture and extending into city during the 1950s, it was also in keeping with his perso- extraordinary commitment on different socially relevant their sphere of activity is widening, and is often based on planning, landscape design, aimed at broadening perceptions of a changing world. The exhibition Bengal Stream presents over sixty projects demonstrating the nal identity to bring international protagonists like Paul levels. These developments are of global significance, in cooperation with local and international NGOs. Collabo- Its internationally recognised programme features exhibitions, lectures, public discussions, publications, workshops for children, seminars for adults, visits to extraordinary vibrant architecture scene in their country. Simplicity, adaptability, Rudolph, Stanley Tigerman and ultimately Louis I. Kahn the sense that in nations confronted with sharply rising rative projects in urban slums and rural areas are produ- buildings, city tours, and planning experiments. and an ability to cope with vulnerability are the collective strengths and values to Bangladesh for important construction projects. Ano- economic growth rates in a very short space of time, an cing socially sustainable structures of high architectural of architecture in Bangladesh. ther key part of Muzharul Islam’s legacy is the forming exploitation of resources, minorities and the poor popu- quality. Architects are initiating and executing more and of the so-called Chetana Study Group, whose thoughts lace often ensues. Thanks to the architects, the quality more such construction projects, like floating