Urban October 2025: IAB Organises Daylong Event, Three-Day Exhibition
The Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) on November marked Urban October 2025 with a day-long celebration at its Multipurpose Hall, bringing together students, professionals, and policymakers to reflect on the future of urban design in Bangladesh. Timed to coincide with World Architecture Day, World Habitat Day, and World Cities Day, the event began at 10:30 am with the opening of a three-day exhibition showcasing student urban design studio projects from architecture departments across IAB-accredited universities. Participating institutions include Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh University (BU), BRAC University (BRACU), Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), North South University (NSU), American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), Khulna University (KU), Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET), Daffodil Institute of IT (DIT), Southeast University (SEU), Stamford University, State University, and the University of Asia Pacific (UAP). There was a roundtable discussion on “Shaping Cities: The Role and Future of the Urban Design Profession in Bangladesh” led by academicians. The exhibition offers a glimpse into the next generation’s vision for Bangladesh’s urban future, with models and visualisations of cityscapes, transport corridors, and public spaces. At 4:00 pm, the main programme commenced with a roundtable discussion titled “Interference to Planning: DAP”, led by Team Environment & Urbanisation from IAB’s 26th Executive Council. The session addressed concerns surrounding the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and its implications for sustainable development, zoning, and citizen engagement. The theme for this year’s World Cities Day — “People-centred Smart Cities” —guided the evening’s discussions. A documentary presentation highlighted month-long Urban October activities, including editorial seminars and conventions. Experts and stakeholders then joined a panel discussion, followed by speeches from the chairperson, the chief guest. The event concluded with a vote of thanks. Held under the banner of Urban October, the celebration reaffirms IAB’s commitment to shaping inclusive, resilient, and well-planned cities. As Bangladesh continues to urbanise rapidly, today’s gathering serves as both a showcase and a call to action — urging architects to lead with vision, integrity, and public purpose. The World Cities Day 2025 event ended with the distribution of certificates. Programme Schedule: Location: IAB Office Date: November 1, 2025 Time: Exhibition: 10:30 am Main programme: 4:00 pm Written by Nibir Ayaan
Bangladeshi Hotels, Resorts Win Big at South Asian Travel Awards 2025
Bangladesh’s hospitality sector received a resounding endorsement on the international stage as several leading local hotels, resorts, and tour operators were honoured at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2025, held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo. The glittering ceremony, widely regarded as one of the region’s most prestigious events in the travel and tourism calendar, brought together top-tier organisations from Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. A total of 53 Gold Awards and 113 Silver Awards were presented across a range of categories, recognising excellence in service, innovation, and guest experience. Bangladeshi winners spanned multiple categories, reflecting the country’s growing reputation as a destination of choice for regional and international travellers. Award Winners from Bangladesh Baywatch: South Asia’s Best New Hotel and South Asia’s Leading Beach Resort HANSA – A Premium Residence: Leading Designer Hotel/Resort Holiday Inn Dhaka City Centre: Leading City Hotel Intercontinental Dhaka: Leading Luxury Hotel Momo Inn: Leading Family Hotel & Resort and Leading Convention Center Award Platinum Grand: Leading Boutique Hotel Platinum Residence: Leading City Hotel and Leading Budget Hotel Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View: Best Eco-Friendly Hotel Radisson Blu Dhaka: Leading Airport Hotel and Leading Meeting & Events Sayeman Beach Resort: Leading Wedding Hotel/Resort Sayeman Heritage: Leading Heritage Hotel/Resort The Palace Luxury Resort: Leading Palace Hotel The Peninsula Chittagong: Best CSR Program, Leading F&B Hotel, and Leading Business Hotel The Westin Dhaka: Leading Wellness and Spa Hotel/Resort Bangladesh Tour Group (BTG): South Asia’s Leading Inbound Travel Agent and Best Promotion Campaign in South Asia Travel Classic (Pvt.) Limited: Leading Travel Agent – Outbound Winning awards in different categories was no easy feat. Each submission underwent a rigorous selection and evaluation process. The SATA 2025 Awards were presented to organisations that embody excellence in service delivery, innovation, sustainability, leadership, and overall industry impact. During the evaluation stage, 60 percent of the marks came from the professional judges’ report cards, with the remaining 40 percent from online public voting. Judges scored submissions based on multiple criteria: service excellence, innovation and improvement, customer satisfaction, sustainability and responsibility, operational excellence and safety, sales and revenue performance, leadership and team development, and industry contribution. This year, SATA placed particular emphasis on sustainability, cultural authenticity, and digital innovation. “SATA brings together over 300 delegates from across the South Asian region to celebrate the best of South Asian hospitality brands,” said SATA President Ismail Hameed at a press conference held during the event. He added that international establishments such as the Taj Mahal Palace, as well as brands from Nepal and Bhutan, which are unique in their own right, took part in this year’s show. “From travel agents’ associations to hotel associations to tourism boards — all are part of SATA,” Hameed said. He noted that South Asian destinations hold great tourism potential, offering everything from cool weather and beaches to mountains, heritage, history, culture, food, and delicacies. Md Mohsin Hoq Himel, Secretary of the Bangladesh International Hotel Association (BIHA), who attended the event, said: “BIHA has been working with the South Asian Travel Awards in Bangladesh.” Under the overall guidance of Hakim Ali, founder of BIHA, the association has participated in the prestigious event every year, he said. Through this platform, BIHA aims to highlight the service standards of Bangladesh’s local hotels and resorts, showcasing their uniqueness and distinctiveness alongside other regional hotels, Himel added. “This year, every Bangladeshi hotel and resort has achieved remarkable positions. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners.” According to representatives of Bangladesh’s hospitality sector, this international recognition will further advance the country’s tourism and hotel industry in the global market and strengthen Bangladesh’s brand image worldwide, he said. The first edition of the South Asian Travel Awards began in 2016 and has been organised by Highrise every year since, with the support of multiple associations and tourism bodies from across the South Asian region, according to the SATA website. The annual search for South Asia’s most outstanding travel organisations spans a month each year from March to April, calling upon industry professionals to name their preferred travel suppliers in the region who have risen above the competition and surpassed expectations, it read. “The awards programme continues to serve as a platform for nations to come together, not in competition, but in celebration of shared triumphs and brilliance.” Written by Nibir Ayaan
Dissonance Of Debris
From May 17th to 31st, the solo painting exhibition titled “Debris” by Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed adorned the walls of La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi. The two-week-long, thought-provoking exhibition featured nearly 30 works on board paper, providing spectators with a glimpse into the artist’s most recent studies. Remembering is a kind of rebellion in Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed’s universe. His solo exhibition, “Debris,” was an uncompromising documentation of human vulnerability. The artist’s recollections of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War seep into modern tragedies—Gaza’s annihilation, the Rohingya exodus, and Kashmir’s stifled cries. The paintings didn’t merely show ruins; they also resurrected spirits. Ahmed’s life had several eras of turmoil. Born within a world transformed by partition and war, his early work in the 1980s was abstract, but the twenty-first century tightened his emphasis. The song “Debris” captures this progression. Each piece is a palimpsest, with layers of pigment representing the strata of history, where erasure and evidence fight silently. Ahmed’s use of board paper as canvas makes a statement in and of itself. Board paper repels, as opposed to ordinary canvas, which absorbs, forcing the artist to handle surface tension. The resulting sculptures have a temporary quality, as if they would disintegrate like the makeshift shelters in Cox’s Bazar’s refugee camps. Though anchored in Bangladeshi stories, “Debris” speaks to a lexicon of global migration. The exhibition’s centerpiece, “Babel Fragment” (2024), depicts the mythological tower as a jagged silhouette against a sulfurous hue. Its shattered planes evoke both bombed-out Aleppo and the decaying tenements of Old Dhaka. Ahmed, who has flown from Paris to Islamabad, appears to imply that rubbish knows no boundaries. In “Eclipse of Return” (2024), a skeletal stairway rises into the emptiness, its steps fractured like vertebrae. Nearby, “Archive of Dust” displays a child’s sneaker half-buried in a thick texture that mimics charred dirt “The utter erasure of Gaza, which was once full of life; the ongoing miseries of people in Kashmir; or the hopelessness faced by displaced Rohingyas attempting to make a living in camps in Chattogram—all of this jostles the mind as one attempts to ponder the future of the human race. Furthermore, it is difficult to leave behind the legacy of Bangladesh’s repeated failures to shape a future. The people’s desire for political stability has always been a never-fulfilled dream in our country. The demise of the authoritarian dictatorship has undoubtedly allowed everyone to focus on a future beyond the current system, but it appears that things are still breaking apart, leaving us with only emotional rubble,” observed famous art critic Mustafa Zaman. The intimacy of “Debris” sets it apart from other forms of protest art. In “Letters Unsent,” bits of Urdu and Bangla letters emerge behind layers of gray, like voices muted by time. The piece is similar to Ahmed’s 2018 series on refugee diaries, but the language is virtually illegible—a metaphor for history’s selective memories. Written By Shahbaz Nahian
