This graduation thesis is divided into four parts. The first part explores the existing culture, through local materials and an analysis of housing in Bangladesh. Then, it looks into which waste streams have potential for the construction industry, to then optimize existing local materials by incorporating these waste streams. Lastly, it explores how to use these optimized materials in the design of a high-density housing complex that can help address the housing crisis and be resilient to current and future climate challenges.

The thesis explores the feasibility and optimization of local materials in Bangladesh, focusing on three main categories: existing materials, raw materials, and innovative alternatives. The study places particular emphasis on the brick industry, a cornerstone of the country’s construction sector, which accounts for over 1% of global brick production and employs approximately 1.6 million people. However, this industry is also a major contributor to air pollution, topsoil depletion, and socio-economic vulnerabilities, particularly among rural cottage industries. Sustainability within affordable housing is a harder task to achieve as the people in need of affordable housing have more immediate needs. This makes it our responsibility as designers to design with social and environmental sustainability in mind, making sustainability a natural by-product instead of a separate challenge.

In Bangladesh, rapid urbanization, rural-to-urban migration, and climate change converge to intensify the vulnerability of slum residents, particularly in regions like Sylhet. Slums are characterized by overcrowding, substandard housing, and limited access to essential services, leaving residents highly exposed to disease, poverty, and natural disasters. Climate change compounds these challenges through rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and increasingly frequent floods and cyclones that destroy precarious housing and disrupt livelihoods. Despite the urgency, many government-led relocation and upgrading initiatives have been ineffective, often failing to account for local needs and causing further social and economic disruption.

This research explores the urgent need for affordable, climate-resilient housing solutions tailored to Sylhet’s slum residents, with a focus on in-situ development that avoids forced relocation. It examines how housing can be designed to be both culturally appropriate and adaptable to the residents’ livelihoods, using locally available materials and construction techniques that enhance flood resilience. The study seeks to define affordability in this context, identify design features that improve climate resilience, and propose implementation strategies that maintain community stability during construction. By centering the specific needs and aspirations of slum residents, this research aims to inform practical, sustainable, and inclusive housing models that strengthen community resilience to climate change while addressing urban poverty in Bangladesh.

This master’s thesis explores how adaptive architectural strategies can help address recurring overspill flooding in the pre-urban areas of Sylhet, Bangladesh. These regions face growing challenges due to the combined effects of climate change and rapid, unplanned urban expansion. Based on in-depth fieldwork in Shonatola Village, the project identifies key vulnerabilities—including seasonal flooding, weak infrastructure, and rising land pressures—and proposes design solutions that support long-term resilience, affordability, and community self-reliance.

At the village level, the project introduces a phased development strategy that enables gradual transformation without displacing existing residents. A cross-subsidisation model ensures financial sustainability: higher-income households contribute more, helping to fund affordable housing for lower-income groups. Land security is managed through a Community Land Trust (CLT), which protects collective ownership and keeps housing affordable over time.

On the cluster scale, housing is arranged into three types tailored to different user groups: seasonal workers, low-income families, and mid-income households. These clusters are organised around shared courtyards and integrate existing ponds and drainage systems to manage water during floods. This layout promotes both social interaction and environmental resilience.

At the level of individual units, three modular housing types are designed using local materials and simple, low-tech construction methods. Features such as raised floors, flexible layouts, and bamboo wall panels help residents adapt their homes over time and stay safe during floods. Decentralised water systems—including rainwater harvesting, greywater treatment, and biogas production—further reduce reliance on external infrastructure and strengthen community.

The research combines literature review, case study analysis, fieldwork, and iterative design to develop a grounded and practical architectural response. By working across different scales and embedding local knowledge and participation into the process, Rising Grounds offers a replicable approach for flood-prone regions. The project demonstrates how architecture can move beyond short-term fixes to support lasting resilience and social equity in vulnerable communities.

Throughout the course of the graduation the student developed a mixed-use building complex for the Hawkers Market site in the city center of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Working within the scope of the Global Housing studio, the focus was set on creating a building composed primarily of dwellings that works in the challenging climate and socio-economic context of the location. Within this scope special emphasis was laid on researching and designing the implementation of the architectural concept of “incremental housing” within a high-rise structure.

The results of the research into similar projects and relevant case studies informed the design. This design integrates a conventional “ready-built” portion, catering to middle- to high-income residents, with a more unconventional open-volume section designed for lower-income residents. The latter consists of completely empty duplex units stacked vertically, forming a series of unoccupied building plots in the sky. The innovation lies in how the two parts of the building are interconnected, benefiting one another while maintaining completely segregated circulation paths for different user groups.

Many people believe that urban children enjoy a higher quality of life than their rural counterparts. Paradoxically, impoverished urban children often face more severe living conditions and lower standards of living than rural children. Bangladesh has recently experienced rapid urbanization, with increasing numbers of families migrating from rural areas to cities. As a result, many poor urban children end up living in slums, where they are among the most vulnerable, directly affected by the harsh realities of slum life. These challenges not only impact their childhood but also limit their future opportunities as they grow older.
While many studies have addressed these problems from various perspectives, there has been little discussion about solutions, especially architectural ones. Additionally, most research has focused on Dhaka’s slums, even though cities like Sylhet face equally severe slum issues. Consequently, children in Sylhet’s slums suffer from dangerous living conditions, which have been largely overlooked.
This study prioritizes an architectural approach to solving the problems faced by urban poor children, focusing specifically on Sylhet city, to address the challenges of children living in non-capital city slums. Through the housing design research, the study aims to improve the overall well-being and living conditions of impoverished urban children, while ultimately providing better opportunities for their families. The goal of the research is to meet the need of children and create child-friendly neiborhoods through new housing design.

As Sylhet, Bangladesh, experiences unprecedented urban growth, the tension between rapid housing provision and cultural continuity becomes increasingly acute. This graduation project investigates how the adaptive intelligence of vernacular Sylheti architecture can be combined with modern construction techniques to create affordable, resilient, and culturally responsive housing.

Focusing on the redevelopment of the historic Hawkers Market, the project proposes a hybrid design framework that merges elevated, flood-resilient concrete structures with spatial features drawn from traditional homes, such as courtyards, verandas, and modular layouts that accommodate evolving family needs. By layering a clear hierarchy of spaces, from public commercial spines to private dwelling terraces, the proposal supports both community interaction and individual privacy.

Extensive research underpins the design, including fieldwork, climatic analysis, and case studies of contemporary housing models. Drawing on the principles of John Habraken’s open frameworks, the project challenges the rigidity of standardized construction by embedding opportunities for incremental adaptation and resident participation within a contemporary structural system.

A cross-subsidization strategy enables higher-income residential and commercial components to fund affordable housing units for low-income groups, fostering an inclusive urban fabric.

Ultimately, this project demonstrates how bridging vernacular architecture and modern construction can produce housing that is not only technically efficient and environmentally responsive but also socially rooted and capable of evolving with the lives of its residents.

Bangladesh, a riverine country shaped by the yearly monsoon, where dense cities continue to grow as people leave the flooded rural areas in search of shelter and income.

Situated along the Surma River in Sylhet, a city in the north of Bangladesh, this project explores how to design within an unfamiliar context, with the temporality of the monsoon in mind. The site, currently an informal settlement of Hindu and Muslim communities, floods each year as water flows into their houses and daily life moves onto the streets.

Acknowledging the position of being an outsider and the generations of experience in living with the monsoon, the research took a ‘learning from’-perspective. By analysing how people build, live, and adapt to the water, these practices were mapped in detail to understand patterns and principles. This became the foundation for the design; building in clusters with shared courtyards, keeping the dwellings close to the ground floor, integrating Bangladesh-specific elements into the floorplans and making room for the monsoon in the landscape. A raised plinth protects the buildings during high water, allowing life to continue even during wet season.

Rather than relying on imported resources, the design uses local materials so that the project’s investment flows directly into the community, supporting local economies and craftsmanship.

Bangladesh its housing crisis is fueled by rural-urban migration. Climate change stimulated the rural-urban transition, leading to rapid urbanisation and the formation of informal settlements. Focusing on the Shonatola village at the peri-urban transition near Sylhet, this thesis proposes a research-based design strategy that is incremental, flood-resilient, and fit for the socio-cultural context of Bangladesh.

Incrementality poses one of the most promising solutions for affordable housing in the Global South. Incremental housing strategies of the past, such as sites and services, can serve as lessons on their design and management to inform contemporary models that allow for new, scalable site-specific interventions. The key factors for a successful strategy rely on the security of tenure, qualitative urban design, a base scenario with proper infrastructure, foundations, and load-bearing elements, as well as a final-growth scenario that allows for a middle-class DNA. Furthermore, bottom-up, community-organised, participatory processes should be matched with top-down, citywide planning.

Combining architectural design, urban planning, and water management, the proposal unifies these principles into a scalable, participatory model for affordable housing. Through an extensive literature research, case study analysis, ethnographic research, and fieldwork in Bangladesh, a framework is developed to integrate construction techniques, spatial typologies, and social structures. The design proposal consists of a phased masterplan, flood-adaptive building typologies, and a community land trust-based management strategy.

The quality of life and dwelling conditions of the Shonatola village community, living in a peri-urban settlement outside of Sylhet city, is under significant threat. The Shonatola villagers experience significant housing challenges, infrastructural barriers and economic insecurity due to climate-induced environmental distress and the impacts of Sylhet city’s sprawling urban development on their way of life. This research investigates how a situated participatory housing design approach can be applied to improve dwelling conditions of the Shonatola village community. This project proposes a three phase design approach to address the defined research question. Phase one addresses infrastructural upgrades to the existing community; phase two confronts a reactive approach to in-situ housing improvements to the existing village and phase three proposes a proactive design approach to densify the Shonatola settlement by expanding west, beyond the current village limits. This results in three reactive and two proactive design schemes. This project provides a systematic method for development, by offering housing solutions which promote and uplift villagers within Shonatola by improving their current living conditions and supporting their ability to keep living on the land they have lived for generations, while also addressing the need for future expansion and densification of this peri-urban site.

In (South) Asian countries such as Bangladesh, spaces that ac¬centuate transition have been playing a far more crucial role in architecture than in most other cultures (Singh, 2015). This inter¬mediate or third space, holds a transitional quality and is therefore in architecture called the transition space. It’s defined by the rela¬tionship of the extreme zones it’s connecting, like private versus public or internal versus external zones. Since these in-between spaces are so frequently passed through, humans are often not even conscious of the themes it has been signifying for centu¬ries: welcomeness, auspiciousness and prominence.

The transition space is full of social and cultural meanings, shaping people’s environment and everyday behaviour. For instance, in rural parts of the predominantly Islamic country of Bangladesh, transition spaces like courtyards reinforce the seclusion and se¬gregation of women by influencing the female movement both in public and private spaces (Chowdhury, 1992). Men are able to move freely through the public streetscape, while women avoid open fields and roads. Instead they’re circulating via the more private courtyards (anginas) where most female activities take place, like cooking and interacting with other women. Another transition space that’s found in most of these dwellings, is the front porch (baithak) which is primarily used for receiving male guests. Women mostly don’t feel at home in this space although it is a prominent part of their homestead, and thus making an im¬pact on their habits. Like for females, transition spaces also nota¬bly influence the lifestyle of children and the elderly by offering a more private space for daily activities and social interactions.

Besides social and cultural importance, transition spaces are de¬signed to respond to climatic needs of the tropical monsoon cli¬mate (Singh, 2015). To illustrate, courtyards provide ventilation and therefore facades facing the street can contain fever ope¬nings, enabling more privacy and creating an open, yet private environment. Transition spaces like verandas offer a greater spa¬tial quality by providing protection from harsh sunlight and ra¬infall. In addition, the direct infiltration of heat and glare into the interior is being prevented by the extended roofs, keeping these indoor spaces cooler. Since the in-between space functions as a buffer zone for (severe) climate conditions, a more comfortable transition for the residents is created and the liveable quality of inside spaces is significantly improved.

Transition spaces are capable of either dividing or connecting spaces since they act as a link between public and private spa¬ces (Singh, 2015). For example, at one level it’s able to achieve privacy by not placing entrances in direct contact with exterior spaces. On the other level, interaction is being promoted when the space is enclosed through an in-between space like courty¬ards. In either way, transition spaces are inevitably at the heart of living in many (South) Asian cultures such as Bangladesh. Late Indian architect Charles Correa even believes that a transition space like an open to sky place can make a significant difference between a liveable habitat and claustrophobia in small (low in¬come) housing. Taking into account the importance of transition spaces in Bangladesh’ architecture is therefore crucial. People specific themes like gender, ethnicity, religion and income are all playing a key role in the creation of meaningful transition spaces which affect and operate on various scales: the scale of a dwel¬ling, community and city.

This thesis explores the pivotal role of women in the urban development of Sylhet, a city in the northeast of Bangladesh. It focuses on their participation in the planning and organizing a new urban project near a pond in an area characterized by diverse income levels and religious backgrounds. The central concept revolves around the formation of women-centric communities within this project. By empowering women to take the lead in establishing essential domestic functions and organizing their households, the study aims to highlight the potential for women to contribute significantly to creating cohesive and functional urban settlements. This approach addresses the immediate needs of providing shelter and essential amenities and fosters a sense of community and ownership among the inhabitants. The research underscores the importance of including women's perspectives in urban planning in Bangladesh to achieve sustainable and inclusive urban growth in Sylhet.

Bangladesh, characterized by its flat landscape and the dynamic Ganges Delta, faces severe climate change impacts, including devastating floods that threaten livelihoods and biodiversity. Urban expansion, particularly in cities like Sylhet, exacerbates environmental degradation, leading to the loss of green spaces, water basins, and biodiversity. This project focuses on the town of Bolawara, examining the conflicts between rural ecosystems and urban growth. The research aims to develop architectural and agricultural strategies that promote the coexistence of humans and nature during the rural-to-urban transition, addressing climate resilience, biodiversity preservation, and sustainable development.

The proposed architectural project presents an approach to urban housing, focusing on adaptability, sustainability, and community integration. The design emphasizes a strong core structure with a flexible, modular exterior, enabling incremental expansion to accommodate diverse income levels and evolving family needs. A standardized system ensures uniformity, efficient space use, and compatibility across housing types, promoting a cohesive community environment. The project integrates income-generating spaces within housing units, supporting economic stability. Additionally, shared community areas and sustainable practices, such as vertical farming and comprehensive waste management, foster social interaction, environmental stewardship, and self-sufficiency. The plan ultimately aims to create a culturally rich, self-sustaining community where architecture bridges people and nature, enhancing both individual and collective well-being.

In recent decades, Bangladesh has been facing a rapid spread of urbanization with significant growth of its population. This phenomenon has impacted the housing situation in metropolitan regions, leading to a surge in informal housing, overcrowding, and the establishment and expansion of slums. A tangible indicator of this urban development is the escalating waste issue, far from going unnoticed given the amount dumped on riverbanks and wasteland. Solid waste has become one of the most prominent environmental problem in developing countries.The waste production increases significantly in line with the growth in consumption. Consequently, regions with higher population density generate larger volumes of garbage, necessitating appropriate infrastructure for its management. Sylhet City, in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh, is grappling with these challenges due to uncontrolled and unplanned rapid urbanization. The municipality faces difficulties in collecting and disposing of increasing amounts of waste. Difficulties have been linked to various factors, including inadequate funding, a poor community involvement, and a lack of implementation of laws. The repercussions extend to social, economic, health, and environmental dimensions, with a particularly elevated vulnerability in informal settlements.This is exemplified in the slum build on the southwest banks of the Surma River, next to the Keane Bridge in Sylhet, reflecting a broader issue faced by Bangladesh and South Asia. This project aims to gain deeper understanding of the needs of riverine communities to explore how design and infrastructure interventions can enhance living conditions on riverbanks. By integrating recycled waste as building components and focusing on circular design principles, the project seeks to propose sustainable solutions for urban development and waste management.

Urbanization has had a significant impact on Bangladesh and will continue to do so in the coming decades, leading to a shortage of housing in urban area and consequent emergence and expansion of the ‘urban poor’. Among all the ‘urban poor’, children are more vulnerable. At an age when family support, education and other resources are needed, they often lack the most basic living conditions and sometimes even struggle to survive. Therefore, this project aims to explore the potential of housing design on alleviating the issue of urban poor children in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

The research focuses on the principles and features of an ideal child-centric community and children-friendly spaces, and the affordable housing practices in south Asia. In response to the research, the target area for the design project is in Sylhet city, on the south bank of the Surma River, next to the city icon Keane bridge. By adopting a mix-income model in residential building (lower floors for low-income group, upper floors for middle-income group), the design provides housing units and common spaces catering to different income groups as well as incorporating shared areas for activities, to balance the respect for lifestyles and social mix. Additionally, the project introduces diverse indoor and outdoor activity spaces for children at different scales, satisfying the needs of children of different ages, genders and economic backgrounds. Moreover, to adapt to the climate, the project adopts three main environmental strategies, namely green infrastructure, water conservation and climate resilience (particularly in terms of ventilation and solar protection).

Ultimately, the project aims to establish a model of an equitable, vibrant, environmentally adaptive and child-centric community that can be applied to other areas with similar issues of urban poor children.

An elderly-oriented affordable housing system in the context of Lakkatura tea garden, Sylhet, Bangladesh.