This master thesis explores the housing challenges of the Lakkatura Tea Garden community in Sylhet, Bangladesh, one of the country’s most marginalized and segregated populations. The project responds to critical issues such as overcrowding, poor housing conditions, lack of privacy, and limited access to essential services. It recognizes the historical and socio-political dynamics of segregation in Bangladesh.

The proposed design improves living conditions by addressing these inequalities while preserving traditional spatial and social structures. It introduces a flexible and inclusive masterplan comprising various dwelling types, communal spaces and tourist accommodations. The design emphasizes adaptability to accommodate family growth and varied needs, while promoting social cohesion and a strong sense of belonging through carefully structured communal, shared, and private spaces.

This project examines the entangled relationship between humanitarianism, colonial history, and the garment industry in Bangladesh. What began as a reflection on the ethics of foreign intervention and the power dynamics that continue to shape global labor systems evolved into a more specific exploration of housing for garment workers inside of these power dynamics. It questions how we, as outsiders, can meaningfully engage in contexts shaped by histories we did not live, but are nevertheless complicit in through the products we consume.
The research traces the path from Bangladesh’s rich textile heritage to the present-day realities of fast fashion, where exploitation persists under new names. It unpacks how colonial patterns of extraction have reconfigured into modern systems of labor and aid, where garment workers, often women from rural areas, are caught in cycles of migration, dependency, and vulnerability.
Against this backdrop, the project focuses on the reopening of the Sylhet Textile Mill as a site for reimagining housing for workers. Drawing from both rural housing traditions and lessons from existing factory environments, it proposes an alternative model that addresses the realistic conditions shaping workers’ lives, not as passive recipients of aid, but as people navigating a deeply uneven global system.

The trend of rapid urbanisation, a global phenomenon, is very prominent in Bangladesh and leads to the expansion of existing cities. Sylhet, a city in the north-east of the country, has been expanding in the past decades and can be expected to grow further, as it is still in the beginning of its urbanisation process. As these developments will affect the currently adjacent rural areas, this project was developed to answer the following question: How can rural areas of Sylhet be transformed according to the trend of rural-urban transition while maintaining crucial living qualities of rural populations? In proposing a housing scheme which can adapt over time to the increasing density of the area, this project aims to create a pilot project which can guide the future urban development of Sylhet City during the process of its expansion.

Housing for climate-displaced communities has long been limited to temporary solutions, often overlooking the long-term needs and realities of those affected. This thesis challenges that norm by proposing a new standard for permanent housing in the face of recurring displacement. Set in the flood-prone village of Shonatola, Bangladesh, the project engages directly with the lived experiences of vulnerable communities to offer a flexible, incremental housing model.
Designed to evolve with its residents, the proposal uses a hybrid structure that is centered around adaptability. Each home integrates pucca (permanent) and kutcha (temporary) components, allowing families to expand and modify their living spaces over time, based on need and resources.
More than just shelter, this project reimagines housing as a framework for long-term resilience—deeply rooted in local knowledge, environmentally responsive, and socially inclusive. It offers a path forward for rebuilding not just homes, but a community in the face of climate uncertainty.

This design phase builds on research, personal experience, and insights gathered during
our field trip to Bangladesh. Especially the homestay in Ekduaria gave me a deep understanding of how people in rural Bangladesh live, how they use space, value community, and adapt their homes to daily needs. These experiences shaped the foundation of the project. The research focused on finding affordable, adaptable, and community-oriented housing for rural-urban migrants in Sylhet. What became clear is that affordability is the top priority, but just as important are familiar qualities like green space, open low-rise layouts, a strong sense of community, and a clear transition from public to private spaces. To respond to these needs, I chose to work with the Open Building approach. This method allows for flexible, long-term housing solutions where residents can adapt their living spaces over time. A clear structure provides stability, while the interiors remain open for change. A minimum floor height of 3.5 meters, smart placement of service cores, and layered construction all support this flexibility. Smaller studies on climate, material choice, and construction techniques helped refine the design. Local materials, passive cooling, and rainwater collection are integrated to make the project more sustainable and context-specific. This project is not a fixed solution, but a flexible framework designed to grow and change with its users. It offers a future-proof way of living that connects the memory of the village with the possibilities of the city, and aims to reduce the affordable housing shortage in Sylhet in a way that feels both practical and personal.

This thesis explores self-build solutions in Bangladesh, a country experiencing rapid urbanisation, the erosion of rural building traditions, along with a shortage of qualified architects. It draws on rural construction practices and Christopher Alexander’s pattern theory to provide people with tools to build safely and competently for themselves, reducing the need for extensive input and oversight from architects. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and in urban areas, many are forced to live in informal settlements. According to a survey by the Commonwealth Association of Architects, there is only one architect per 50,000 people in Bangladesh. At the same time, rural traditions that once enabled self-building are being lost—or are no longer applicable—in dense urban contexts, where more modern materials and techniques are often necessary.

Bangladesh is undergoing a rapid urban transformation, with cities like Sylhet expanding at an unprecedented pace. This growth, however, often comes at the cost of ecological stability, spatial equity, and cultural continuity. This graduation project explores how sustainable urban expansion can be achieved in Sylhet by integrating vernacular architectural practices into contemporary planning.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, combining fieldwork, urban mapping, material research, and case study analysis, the project addresses the question: How can strategies for urban growth incorporate traditional knowledge to support environmental, economic, and cultural resilience in rapidly developing cities like Sylhet? Centered on Shonatola, a peri-urban village on Sylhet’s edge, the study exposes the risks of fragmented, plot-based development and the growing preference for industrial materials that disconnect communities from their environmental and cultural roots.

As an alternative, the project proposes a design framework that employs natural materials, bamboo, compressed earth blocks, and lime plaster, across all housing types and income levels. This material consistency challenges the social stigma surrounding vernacular construction and supports inclusive, low-carbon development. The proposal is anchored by a Community Land Trust (CLT) model that ensures affordability, collective land ownership, and long-term governance.

Rather than opposing urban growth, the project demonstrates how locally grounded design can steer it in a direction that is equitable, resilient, and reflective of cultural identity.