Creating dialogue among structures: A conversation with award-winning architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad
One of the principal designers and a director of DWm4 Intrends LTD, Architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad recently won the 'Architect of the Year' award in a competition organised by India's JK Cement Limited Company
Located in Narayanganj's Khanpur, Riaz Loft stands out among its neighbours. Constructed on a small plot of two and a half kathas, the modern 16ft x 65ft structure built entirely out of concrete is a unique sight, in an area mostly surrounded by older buildings and one-storey tin-shed structures with cookie-cutter designs.
However, to truly appreciate the architecture of the loft, you have to go inside. Once inside, get close to the big windows, and you will be greeted by the view of a big field. The open-air terrace on the second floor of the house also has a clear view of the field.
For the owner of the building, it was this field that mattered the most, and this was the primary briefing Architect Mahmudul Anwar Riyaad had to work with.
"The client reached out to me and said that he had been given a small piece of land beside his maternal grandmother's home and wanted to build something on it. He was emotionally attached to it, because he had lived there with his grandparents as a child. As the plot was small, he was not sure if we could build a house on it," said Riyaad, who ended up winning the 'Architect of the Year' award from India's JK Cement Limited Company for this very project.
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This competition has been organised for 34 years to recognise the region's best talents in the field of architecture. In the latest edition of this competition, Riyaad won the title of the best architect of the year in the foreign category, out of 250 submissions.
Commercial designs can be done well, but this idea of a building that says 'look at me' or an iconic building on a very expensive plot in the middle of the city does not appeal to me. I am not a 'look at me' type of person so I don't enjoy such designs.
Riyaad, who won this award once before in 2004 as well, made it a point to mention that he did not design the project alone, and that the only reason his name was on the award was because only one name could be submitted.
"His main demand was that the house be connected to the field it was facing, where he used to play as a child," the architect continued.
As the narrow structure would require a lot of concrete, the team decided to use concrete for the entire structure and not use bricks.
The lower level of the loft, including the basement, has been structured as more a public space to host events, or for people who want to meet the owner. Above that, there is a private suite that is slightly detached. There is a garden in front of the suite and a gallery that looks out to the field.
The field can be seen from every floor of the loft.
Asked if the size of the structure posed any challenges, Riyaad said no.
"Smaller structures are usually more beautiful in our country; even in neighbouring Sri Lanka or Vietnam. Plus, smaller structures require smaller teams. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed once said, small is beautiful, but big is necessary. I think we are suffering from that syndrome. However, the age of our architecture sector is young. There are companies abroad that only take on big international projects; but we have yet to reach that stage," he explained.
Where art and mathematics converge
On his father's side, Riyaad's relatives were involved with art.
"I could do art but I was also good at mathematics. Geometry was one of my favourite subjects. I sometimes wanted to study physics, but also wanted to do art. Then I realised that architecture was a mix of both worlds. And I never looked back. If I were born again and given a second chance, I would still want to be an architect. I never get tired of working!" he said.
One of the Principal Designers and a Director of DWm4 Intrends LTD, Riyaad graduated from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology [BUET] in 1995 and completed his Masters in Architectural Design from Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London in 1998.
He received post-graduate training at Lund University, Sweden in 1999 and participated in the Glenn Murcutt Master Class 2006 in Australia. He has also been involved in teaching at various renowned universities of Bangladesh.
Riyaad has also served in the Board of Architectural Education Bangladesh and the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) in various capacities. He is also one of the founders of Latitude-23, a leading architectural visualisation studio and Brainstation-23, one of the largest IT establishments of Bangladesh.
What he enjoys the most is designing educational institutes, or projects that benefit society — schools, recreation centres, etc. While designing an institute on a big piece of land, where there is more than one building, he can create a "dialogue" among the structures. But such opportunities are far and few.
"We designed a school for children a long time ago — Dhanmondi Junior Laboratory School. It was a very tight site. So, we designed a small building that feels big. We also designed the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, which I found to be an interesting project as well. It is satisfying when many people can get value from one of our projects," he said.
As for commercial buildings, Riyaad finds them "too artificial".
"Commercial designs can be done well, but this idea of a building that says 'look at me' or an iconic building on a very expensive plot in the middle of the city does not appeal to me. I am not a 'look at me' type of person so I don't enjoy such designs."
When it comes to homes, Riyaad has one philosophy: "Simple is good".
"The more natural light that can enter the house and the bigger the view of the outdoors from the house, the better. Once the house is built, it is better if no additional things such false ceilings or too much colour is included. Simplicity can give mental peace," he explained.
If it were a hotel or a resort for short stays, the design could have been different. "But at your home, mental peace should be the goal."
Riyaad quoted Italian architect Renzo Piano, who said to immediately improve one's home, they need to do three things: paint the house white, make the windows bigger, and use light furniture.
Along with Piano, Riyaad also mentioned many other architects as his inspiration.
"From Bangladesh, there is of course, Muzharul Islam. Contemporary architects in Bangladesh also do a lot of good work, such as Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, Marina Tabassum and Mustapha Khalid Palash. Many of my students too are very promising. From India, there is Charles Correa," he said, noting that there are many more who he is inspired by.
Perspective on Bangladesh's architecture scene
"A problem of today's architecture is that there are too many materials available to us," says Riyaad.
"Our situation is worse than the architects of our previous generation. Those after us will face even more difficulties. Architects should be wary about keeping their palettes in control. Restricting oneself to certain materials can help preserve the character of the project," he added.
Along with his role as the Principal Architect of DwM4, as a teacher, Riyaad has been able to closely observe the architecture scenario of Bangladesh.
"What I saw was that students in our country are very good. In the West, because the students have to pay a lot for education, they are very competitive and hard-working, whether that be in China, Europe or the US. Our students, on the other hand, are not as competitive," Riyaad said.
"Foreign students also get into discipline very easily through internships, etc. Bangladeshi students take longer to achieve that level of discipline and accountability. Our students also do not have the habit of reading outside their core textbooks. If you compare the number of books that an average Indian student reads in a year to the number of books that a Bangladeshi student reads over a year, the discrepancy will be clear," he further said.
There is also a lack of enough teachers.
"While teachers abroad have very narrow areas of specialisation, our ones have to focus on a broader subject matter, which leads to dilution," he said.
But Riyaad believes architecture in Bangladesh is still in a much better state than in many other countries.
"I think some fields are quite lucky. Cricket, for instance, has grown a lot in Bangladesh. And architecture has also been very lucky. The first architect of our country, Muzharul Islam; I don't see any future where we will have an architect better than him.
And not only in Bangladesh, but many countries do not have architects as good as him. Architects like him, like Shamsul Wares, have been able to influence young architects to a great degree."
Riyaad also credited the IAB for helping architecture progress to this extent in Bangladesh.
However, he also noted that despite the presence of brilliant architects in the country, they are not properly utilised by the public sector.
According to him, individual buildings can contribute to an urban area, but large, well-planned urban spaces can contribute more. But the challenges to large public projects are not entirely in terms of design, rather in terms of legality, ownership, jurisdiction, etc.
"Some of the architects I know and respect are mostly relegated to private projects. This way, some good projects will be done, but sporadically. Think of top surgeons or doctors in the country, the public can get access to their services due to government subsidies. You go to a government hospital, you will find that they are there," he explained.
"But there is no such framework for architects. Yes there are some government posts, but are we being able to utilise the best of architects?"
He noted that recently, however, architects of this generation have been able to take their service to the marginalised people in our society.
"You can see that in the Rohingya camps and other places as well. But they are doing it voluntarily. If the authorities do not come forward, then this cannot be continued just through volunteering. Volunteering cannot be done on a large scale. NGOs sometimes come forward, but building infrastructure, land issues… these are not in their hands.
"But I hope the government focuses on it some day and utilises the country's architectural workforce," Riyaad said.
