How a 42-year-old architectural classic evolved over the years
Architect Bashirul Haq, one of the pioneers of modern architecture in Bangladesh, built ‘Architect's Family Home and Studio’ in 1982. Located in one of the busiest areas of the capital, Farmgate, it seems like an oasis tucked away from the outside world for four decades
It is the skylight and the enormous wooden panel underneath that caught my attention. Made by wood artisans of Faridpur from Bangla year 1320, this wooden panel was discovered by Kalidas Karmakar, a Bangladeshi artist prominent for his viscosity prints.
"The panel was spotted at a zamindar palace in Faridpur and Kalidas asked Bashir if he wanted it. Look how lucky we got!" said Professor Firdous Azim, Bashirul Haq's spouse.
The black wood panel with vintage flower motifs and detailing sits perfectly in that spot, under the skylight with a backdrop of the iconic red brick wall of architect Bashirul Haq, giving the modern architectural space a perfect contrast. And it does not end there.
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With marvellous colourful tapestries by artist Rashid Choudhury, a very special piece by S M Sultan gifted by Sultan himself, and sculptures by artist Mahabub Zamal Shamim, these pieces blend seamlessly with the space.
The red brick walls, the modern geometric and minimalist structure of the building with similar sharp-edged industrial furniture pieces, and the red leather of the dining room chairs — all seem to be cosying up without any clash, as if to prove that the architect's home is a celebration of his craft.
Architect Bashirul Haq, one of the pioneers of modern architecture in Bangladesh, built this building, 'Architect's Family Home and Studio', as a residence for his family and also his studio in 1982. The family started living there in 1983. Situated in one of the busiest areas of the capital, Farmgate, the home in Niribili Housing seems like an oasis, with birds chirping and no noise from the roads.
Firdous Azim, professor of English and chair of the Department of English and Humanities at BRAC University, and I started the journey from the living room on the ground floor, which stretches to one and a half more floors on a piece of land measuring 670 square metres. The home was planned within a 10.2m X 10.2m space with two floors and the area of the studio measures 6m X 13.7m, with a mezzanine floor, situated right above the garage.
The two-and-a-half-story building was initially a three-bedroom residence on the south with a studio wing on the east. However, the upper floor of the studio section was later transformed into two more bedrooms, while the ground floor was rented out to some other organisation after the death of Bahirul Haq in 2020.
Now Firdous stays in this five-bedroom residence by herself, and on vacations, her sons come with their families to spend time with their mother and the memories of their father.
"When Bashir was designing this home, I asked him why he was building such a huge house. He replied, 'One day the kids will come and play in this courtyard.' Just imagine, that year my son came with his girlfriend. And now they come with their children and stay," Firdous said, smiling.
How the space evolved over the years
The house has evolved over 42 years. The major changes happened to the structure of the studio section. The design of the building was perceived as L-shaped to channel south-east prevailing wind into the building and to create a sense of privacy between the home and office areas.
The upper floor of the office wing had a print-making room, which has been transformed into a toilet and two office rooms were converted into two bedrooms.
"Bashir always preferred simple designs, without any fuss. He wanted to build spaces that required less energy. For many years, we did not have any air conditioning in the house," added Firdous.
She pointed to the beige living room curtains saying, "Can you believe we had bamboo screens here before? [It's] because he preferred as many natural components as possible. We had no sofa or couch, basically, any furniture that had any kind of height," Firdous said.
With time, as they aged, the couple realised the room needed more cushioning to support their aching bones. So two comfortable couches were added, and fabric curtains replaced the bamboo screens.
Through that curtain, a slither of sunlight enters the living room crossing the backyard, adding warmth to the cool brick-walled room.
"There was a time when the entire courtyard was filled with sunlight and ample airflow. We had several seasonal fruit and flower plants there. Now as the surrounding lands are occupied with tall buildings, this is the most we get from the backyard and that is why the greens have also changed," she added.
The backyard has ornamental plants with monstera, pothos, ferns, succulents and other strings of leaves.
The structure is very low maintenance. The exposed brick walls do not need painting so it is minimalist at the very core. However, the roof needs repairing every other year. "Bashir incorporated Jolchaad to reduce heat from above. So I have to repair the layers," Firdaus said.
And it has been over several years now that she is thinking of breaking the kitchen wall and expanding it a bit more. "But I am not sure if I should do that," she laughed, adding, "Our dining chairs have red covers now, earlier it was a brown one, an earthy tone; very minimalistic. That year when my son came from abroad, the very first thing he asked me was, 'Ma, would Baba approve of this?'"
"Now I wish I could ask Bashir, 'Would you approve of the kitchen renovation?'"
How the living space and the studio are separated
The visual separation between the two sections was created by the mezzanine space, which is the study. The staircase provides access to the office below.
The study is almost a library now, with industrial furniture pieces designed by Haq, his original hand-drawn designs mounted on the wall, and of course, his very own book collection on the shelf.
Two sculptures by artist Mahabub Zamal Shamim stand on two corners of the study, and the master bedroom is placed just beside the study, where a massive Sultan piece reigns the wall.
"It was not finished when SM Sultan gave it to Bashir. All the painter told Bashir is that, 'fast, take it with you. Otherwise, someone else will come and take it away,'" Firdous said.
A brick wall encloses the built form having a solid wall on the west and small openings on the east wall. The North and South walls have wooden windows. However, the facade has an opening having enough depth to protect the windows from rain and to bring in light and air.
"The windows have gotten a bit crumbly, especially the North windows have shrunk and small openings let dust inside. I am also thinking of changing these, but then again, I don't know whether I should do this," Firdous said. She seems to be in a dilemma.
There is a void separation between the home and office with a connected corridor. The void has a skylight on the roof and from the living room, the void can be perceived through light and climate at different times of the day, where we began our journey.
