FORM.3 Architects and team have been honored with a Regional Award in the Asia Pacific category at the Holcim Foundation Awards 2025. The firm has won the prestigious award for their project: โConservation of Old Dhaka Central Jail History, Historical Buildings & Development of Surroundings Areaโ.
The project reimagines a historic jail site in Old Dhaka as a vibrant public realm, merging adaptive reuse, passive design, and local craft to create a culturally rooted and economically viable model for sustainable urban renewal.
From the team of Form.3 Architects, the historical site served as a fort from ๐ฉ๐ซ๐-๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ before it turned into a jail in ๐๐๐๐ (and Lunatic asylum later) by the Britishers, and continued to serve as jail till 2016 after ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ. Every brick in the compound whispers the tale of Dhakaโs origin โ echoing the rise and fall of a region etched in time.
The new developments around the historical conservation area are intended to create ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ such as car parking, wider roads with footpaths, proposed new roads, parks, childrenโs parks, conserved waterbodies, experiential waterfront walkways, mosques, playgrounds, food courts and restaurants, traditional shops, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a cineplex, and multipurpose spaces โ all within one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world.
The Holcim Foundation Awards are the worldโs most significant competition celebrating sustainable design and construction โ spotlighting projects that are reshaping the built environment and driving transformation across the construction sector.
Founded in 2003, the Holcim Foundation has led the global movement for sustainable design and construction, guiding the global building industry with its visionary initiatives.
โThis yearโs 20 winners use the right materials in the right places, bring communities into the process from day one, and design with nature as an ally. The projects are inspiring because the solutions they offer are replicable and implementable – they set a credible path forward for industry,โ says Laura Viscovich, Executive Director, Holcim Foundation.
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has announced twenty winning projects for the 2025 Holcim Foundation Awards, spanning Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America with a prize pool of USD 1 million.
An event will be held in Venice on November 20, 2025, to showcase all the winners, with a global live stream for the worldwide audience.
Photo Credit City Syntax
