Glimpse of The Architectural Legacy of DWm4
DWm4 Architecture stands out as an innovative and visionary design studio, among the leading firms in the country. With its unwavering commitment to excellence, DWm4 has redefined the architectural landscape of Bangladesh through its creative and sustainable designs. Under the partnership of architect Mamnoon Murshed Chowdhury, architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad, and architect Shaoki Shamim, this renowned firm has been at the forefront of reshaping the country’s urban landscape with its innovative designs. In practice since 1995, DWm4 has been open to reshaping itself in terms of new design ideas, and also in management and operating strategies. Over the years, the practice has involved three separate and autonomously run units for architectural design [DWm4 Architects], interior design [DWm4 Intrends], and design-build projects [DWm4 Interprise]. While the founding partners, architect Mamnoon Murshed Chowdhury and architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad are involved in all three; the ID and Design-Build establishments have partners namely architect Daniel Haque and architect Arif Khan in chief executive and operating positions. In 2022, architect Shaoki Shamim joined DWm4 Architects as the third partner. All three architects had been members of the DWm4 team for a good number of years before joining as partners. With the younger generation coming on board, the vigour and architectural energy are strengthened through better mid-level management, enabling the practice to continuously make additions to its visions. The focus on re-structuring and evolution in DWm4 is based on the intent to produce designs of significance and relevance. While all projects follow the essential principles of being truthful to function, climate, structure, and aesthetics, they vary significantly so as not to be repetitive and predictable. For example, the architectural language is different in the office buildings like Bay’s Edgewater, Prime Bank Head Office on Gulshan Avenue, and Grameen Telecom Trust [GTT] Bhaban in Mirpur. The differences inherently are derived from site context and structural and functional prerogatives. landscaped precinct is created to bring tranquility to the context by appearing as an oasis to the pedestrians. The landscape is viewed from the interiors through the glass façade, and from the terrace formed by terminating the concrete portal on the 8th Floor, which is adjacent to the social spaces like the dining hall area, and daycare room. Another terrace facing East, adjacent to the Board Room on the 19th floor, is also a nod to the context as it provides a panoramic view of Hatirjheel. The design of Bay’s Edgewater celebrates the building’s location – accentuating the views from the interior spaces towards the sensual curves of the lake. At the same time, the layout does justice to its setting in a corner plot – separating the incoming traffic toward the more public café and gallery areas from the regular officegoers. Due to the careful attention to functional attributes, MEP, and BMS elements, after almost a decade of completion, the performance of the building is still stellar. The Prime Bank building is set deeper into the site as much as possible to be away from the maddening traffic of Gulshan Avenue. This was possible due to the site’s elongated shape. A 70-foot deep The Grameen Telecom Trust (GTT) project was designed on a partially built structure with fixed cores. By deleting one structural grid at the front and creating a water body at the place, the architects created a transcendent mediating space between the street and the double-height entry. Similarly, the very deep building floor plate was broken into two blocks by doing away with the middle parts of the floor slab by inserting a skylit atrium, which also ensured north-south airflow. The edges of the atrium are not static and shift in sections at different vertical levels. The facade is an intriguing composition of glass and concrete, creating a dynamic interplay of transparency and solidity. The patterns are inspired by organic lines of leaves and provide the building with a dynamic expression. The transparent glass sections allow natural light to enter the building, reducing the reliance on artificial lighting. About the project, architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad said, “We worked with the section of the building, which resembles a gallery. The ground floor lobby is dedicated to the people and space, encompassing a vast openness.” The building, designed in collaboration with architect Rashed Chowdhury reflects on people, progress, and emancipation. The field becomes more than just a patch of land; it becomes a symbol of joy, innocence, and a shared sense of community: In the typology of residential buildings, DWm4 has a large number of building projects that address the core concerns of natural light, ventilation, optimisation of space, and communicating with the context. Be it a single-family residence like the Reaz Loft in Khanpur, Narayanganj, or a multi-family building like Pohela Boishakh in Banani, Dhaka, these ideals find reflection in the designed forms. In Pohela Boishakh, the front landscape, the double-height drop-off area, and the lobby mediate with the street and creates a transition from public to private domain. The community space on the ground floor has a space that is designed as a café where residents come together and bond. The textures on the wall and floor are inspired by alpona motifs, reinforcing the spirit of Pohela Boishakh. The collaboration between the developer Signature 11 and DWm4 Architects ensured the seamless integration of architectural design and real estate development expertise, resulting in a remarkable building. The Reaz Loft stands as an incredible architectural achievement within the busy town of Narayanganj. This home on a very narrow strip of land, blends in with its surroundings and embodies modern living while paying attention to treasured memories of a special childhood field that is located in front of the loft. The elegant layout exhibits modernism with an emphasis on functionality and clear lines. As architect Riyaad explains, “Even though there was no room for horizontal deviations, we used our creativity to play with the building’s sectional elevations.” The structure stands as evidence of the designers’ keen eye for detail and commitment to creating spaces that resonate with the
Sculpting Skyline: Unwilling contribution to the concrete jungle
Going down one of the most elite avenues of Dhaka city, the count of ones and twos will be less when it comes to the display of architecture by Mustapha Khalid Palash. Mr Palash, principal architect, and his team Vistaara Architects (Pvt.) Limited, have contributed to the new city skyline with significantly designed commercial buildings that are money-making machines for the economy. While passing by, young architects admire those works – this is quite an accomplishment for an architect, right? However, architect Mustapha Khalid Palash does not have a similar feeling. He is dissatisfied with the replacement of Dhaka’s natural landscape with man-made infrastructure, himself being a part of the contribution to the concrete ‘slum’ with added aesthetics. The nostalgic mind of this multi-talented person wanders around the city he was born in. He misses the vista of green and the landscape of Dhaka. All that visual relief has been lost in the name of fast-paced city development. The young Palash, born in the early 1960s on Baily Road, Dhaka, and later shifted to Gulshan in the mid-1990s, has a vivid scenario of life then: the environment, the lush and green of the city, and its cooling effect on the temperature in the good old days. The boom in population with unresolved planning about migration for a better lifestyle in the city is one of the main reasons for the overloaded condition in terms of size and expansion. Yet the lack of road networks and the commute system does not help much with stretching the city further north and south. Mr Palash believes decentralisation can be a solution to making these struggles better. The idea of scaling down architecture while maintaining its grandness is an old practice in this city. From the Mughal period to modern works by Louis I. Kahn and Muzharul Islam, but later it was lost somewhere in the city lines. A breathing space for the building and a gazing distance for the people are needed to observe large-scale architecture. Examples in Dhaka, as such, are the Mughal forts and palaces, the Sangshad Bhaban (parliament house), and a few others. As lifestyle developed, affordability increased. An unorganised building development started as people wanted to buy apartments over land due to a hike in prices. Hence in the last 20 years, the city became a concrete jungle from a greener jungle. Architect Palash brought back this practice in his design again. One can subconsciously understand the difference between standing in front of the Bashundhara Shopping Complex in the Panthapath area of the city, and Rangs Babylonia in Bir Uttam Mir Shawkat Sarak, on the Tejgaon-Gulshan link road. The inviting space in front of these buildings, on the street level, is the visual relief one needs while perceiving. Commercial building owners are keener towards using their well-known reputation in terms of selling spaces, and with reputation comes along building functionality and safety measures. “The architecture we design is not only for visual aesthetics that happens by default. We focus on delivery and timeline because a building is not just a space, it has a significant relation to the economy. Architecture is not just art. The basic system involves proper functional planning and the utmost safety measures for fire and structural factors. To me, architecture is like a tailored ‘coat’, where the inner lining of clothes has to be the most comfortable for the user, and the outer material has to be visually pleasing to the observer. The outer sight can differ from tastes, but the internal functionality has to be accurate,” explained Mr Palash. Architecture is a partial contributor to the destruction of this city, glorifying architecture is a cliché. He does not just design commercial buildings, but apartment buildings as well. His most well-known architecture though being on the prefaces of avenues like Gulshan is mentioned often. In all these years, he never designed a single-unit family residence, deliberately. He has done notable work in Chattogram and is currently working on a mass development project in Rajshahi. “The neo-modernism that our culture and society have gotten into has changed the social morphology to a different extent. The presence of a mobile phone is a distraction in relationships that has a social impact and even a lifestyle impact. Nowadays, apartment projects have ‘his and hers’ separate rooms, and the family living space culture is almost abandoned,” added the architect. Gulshan is already a heat island because of the excessive use of concrete, air conditioning and generator systems to support them. In addition to that the buildings are east or west facing on the avenue. Mr Palash and his team designed screening to reduce the internal effect of temperature. A few buildings even use photovoltaic glasses on the façade to produce renewable energy. “I have a hidden geometry while designing my buildings. I believe in signature, a handwritten signature, not rubber stamping.” “I have a hidden geometry while designing my buildings. I believe in signature, a handwritten signature, not rubber stamping. When I follow my geometric style, the buildings look like they are from the same house, but they are different in variation with visual expression” he mentioned. “The areas like Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Bashundhara R/A, Dhanmondi, and Uttara cannot be an example. The population density is much less there, and the distribution of basic commodities is also sufficient. The rest of the areas which are more organic, unsupervised, and ‘unorganised-ly’ growing are more in threat and should be taken care of” he added. Born to an artist couple, Mr Palash had exposure to art and culture since childhood. His confidence was developed in a very nurturing way by his parents, which eventually made his path of journey easy. “When I was 6, I used to assist my father with his commissioned works. If he had any works with letters, he used to draw the outline and ask me to fill it up in
Architect Rashed and the Poetics of Practice
In the crowded clusters of Dhaka’s architectural offices—where every firm spoke in bold, predetermined tones—finding an original voice was never easy. For Architect Rashed Hassan Chowdhury, the journey began not with buildings, but with books and design experiments of all kinds. Encouraged by his elder brother to pursue architecture, he entered BUET carrying curiosity and a restless desire to make and learn. Even as a student, Rashed was never confined to one discipline. He moved fluidly between book design, graphic work, product design—anything that allowed imagination to unfold in tangible form. But the multiplicity of voices, the weight of tradition and pressure of trends, left him with a fundamental question: How does one discover one’s own architecture? Rashed’s answer, at least in the early years, was to do everything. His first role was as a researcher at BUET’s Green Architecture Cell, followed by a post as lecturer at the University of Asia Pacific. After office hours, he joined architects like Nahas Khalil, Marina Tabassum, and Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad on project-based work—each collaboration sharpening instincts and broadening vocabulary. And at night, in the chilekotha/attic of his brother’s office—with only a computer and printer—he began sketching the contours of his own practice. Sleep was rare, but happiness abundant. Eventually came the realization: energy without direction cannot sustain itself. “I was doing too much, but none of it was really going anywhere,” Rashed recalls. That reckoning pushed him to leave the safety of multiple jobs and commit to a singular vision. Out of that decision was born Dehsar Works—a multidisciplinary practice whose very name is simply the last-to-first spelling of “Rashed,” a gesture as honest and direct as the work it produces. Learning by Doing Dehsar Works is not merely an architecture office—it is a laboratory. For Rashed, design is not about formula but about process, about finding concept and clarity. “The design process excites me most. It still does, every single time,” he says. This philosophy is reflected in the kinds of projects he chooses and the way they evolve: adaptive reuse, experimentation with materials, finding beauty in imperfection, and above all, engaging with the everyday lives of users. The Blues Communications Office, a transformation of a warehouse into a bold new workspace, tested both his patience and creativity. The design called for a complex metal structure—one that contractors hesitated to take on. Instead of abandoning the idea, Rashed and his team decided to build it themselves. They formed a sister concern, aptly named Workshop, to execute the construction. Through trial, error, and persistence, they not only completed the project but also gained a wealth of knowledge about materials and making. Ajo Idea Space is perhaps the purest example of his ethos. Conceived as a café and gathering space, it was never meant to be a conventional air-conditioned box. Instead, it embraced openness, natural ventilation, and a certain looseness that invited people to linger. The pavilion-like structure, with its vaulted steel forms and porous screens, blurred the boundary between inside and outside. It embodied sustainability not as a checklist but as a lived experience: a place where people ate, conversed, and created in ways that felt organic. Another notable work is the Beximco Learning and Development Center, a lightweight, semi-circular hall framed with steel and clad in polycarbonate sheets. Here, the emphasis was on creating an affordable, sustainable, and flexible learning environment that could anticipate future uses. By designing with recyclability and climate responsiveness in mind, Rashed sought to redefine what corporate infrastructure could mean in Bangladesh. Similarly, the Artistry Marble & Granite Experience Center transformed an old warehouse into a gallery-like environment for natural stones. Rather than demolish and rebuild, the design preserved and reinterpreted the existing shell, reusing nearly half the materials. The result was a spatial narrative where light and texture interacted with surfaces, allowing visitors to experience stone not as a static product but as a dynamic material. Another iconic project of Rashed is Suvastu Rialto Tower, a contemporary commercial landmark in Dhanmondi. Developed by Suvastu Properties Ltd., the project embodies functionality, visibility, and refined contemporary design. Suvastu Rialto Tower is a 3-basement, ground plus 13-storey commercial building, developed on approximately 10 kathas of land. The vertical organization of the building efficiently accommodates parking, retail, and office functions, addressing both spatial optimization and urban density challenges. The architectural language of Suvastu Rialto Tower is distinctly modern, characterized by clean lines, transparency, and material contrast. The façade features a glass curtain wall system, combined with aluminium elements and contemporary detailing. The glass facades not only enhance the building’s aesthetic appeal but also maximizes daylight penetration, contributing to a pleasant and productive interior environment. A Philosophy of Effort Rashed is not shy about offering advice to the younger generation of architects. His words are sharp but encouraging: “Stop complaining and start enhancing your skills.” For him, the profession is not merely about constructing buildings but about learning by doing—whether in furniture, graphic design, or urban experiments. Bangladesh, in his eyes, is a land of vast opportunity, waiting for those willing to work with patience and integrity. “There is so much to do, but very few skilled people willing to put in the effort,” he says. The formal degree, while important, is not enough. Real growth, he believes, happens through curiosity, through the courage to try, to fail, and to learn. Toward a Different Future The story of Dehsar Works is, in many ways, the story of one architect’s relentless pursuit of authenticity. From a chilekotha room with a single computer to award-winning projects recognized internationally, the journey has been marked not just by structures built but by lessons learned. As Rashed continues to shape spaces that are adaptive, playful, and deeply contextual, he reminds us that architecture is less about monuments and more about moments: the
