Conceptual proposal Thesis and studio project
Redevelopment of Chawk Bazar Market Complex as an Impressionistic Museum of Memory Lane
Chawk Bazar, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh Documented 2023
Reimagines Old Dhaka’s historic Chawk Bazar as a layered spatial narrative, merging memory, commerce and community.
Abstract plate Editorial summary Awaiting the founder’s approval Compiled from the cited sources
01 Context and background
Chawk Bazar is a centuries-old marketplace in Old Dhaka, described in the founder’s account as pulsating with informal commerce, dense habitation and irreplaceable heritage structures (Reza 2025). The proposal is described as a thesis project in the caption of the 2025 essay and as a student design studio project in its text; a 2023 caption attributes it to BRAC University students (Reza 2023b; Reza 2025).
02 Research questions
Awaiting documentation Not yet documented. This section will be completed with material supplied or approved by the project’s authors.
03 Conditions
Historical
The proposal addresses the market’s heritage structures and the memories attached to it, reimagining it as a layered spatial narrative that merges memory, commerce and community (Reza 2025).
Social
The design draws on the area’s social, cultural and economic significance (Reza 2025).
Cultural
Not yet documented.
Ecological
Not yet documented.
04 Analytical process
Awaiting documentation Not yet documented. This section will be completed with material supplied or approved by the project’s authors.
05 Design response
Applying New Contextualist principles led to strategies focused on phased interventions, integrating livelihoods, adaptive reuse of historic buildings and contextually sensitive materials and forms. The aim is to enhance functionality and safety while preserving ‘the unique, vibrant chaos that defines its identity’ (Reza 2025).
06 Outcomes and critical reflections
Awaiting documentation Not yet documented. This section will be completed with material supplied or approved by the project’s authors.
07 Contributors and references
Athena Rahman, as credited in the published sources.
- Reza 2023bReza, Mohammad Habib. 2023b. “New contextualism: A path to a sustainable and equitable future.” The Business Standard, December 19, 2023. https://www.tbsnews.net/features/habitat/new-contextualism-path-sustainable-and-equitable-future-760366. Record
- Reza 2025Reza, Mohammad Habib. 2025. “New Contextualism: An architectural philosophy for deltaic Bangladesh.” The Daily Star, April 23, 2025. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/focus/news/new-contextualism-architectural-philosophy-deltaic-bangladesh-3878456. Record
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