Bashirul Haq (24 June 1942 – 4 April 2020) was a Bangladeshi architect, town planner and educator. He is regarded as one of the most influential architects in South Asia.

Early life

Haq was born in

Brahmanbaria Brahmanbaria ( bn, ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, Brāhmaṇabāṛiẏā) is a city of Bangladesh and the capital of Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila as well as Brahmanbaria District. It is the second largest city after Cumilla ...

(now a district of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

). His father was a Deputy Collector from the

Sylhet district Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

and for that reason, Haq spent the majority of his childhood there. He completed his Bachelor of Architecture from the

National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview National College of Arts - A Federal Chartered Institute is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second oldest i ...

, in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1964. He received John Heinrich Tuition, Scholarship and Teaching Assistantship at

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, United States in 1971 and completed his masters in architecture from the university in 1975.

Career

After completing his master's degree, Haq started working for the firm Kallmann McKinnell. He was interested in returning to his homeland. However, another Bangladeshi-American engineer FR Khan discouraged him from returning to Bangladesh citing a newly independent war devastated nation. Khan, who was then the partner of SOM instead interviewed and advised Haq to join there. Khan suggested he visit Europe and return to the USA. But Haq flew to Bangladesh from Europe and started practicing architecture. He established Bashirul Haq & Associates in 1977. After several years of not visiting the United States, in 1989, he visited

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

as an invited design critic. In his 46.2 years of professional career, Haq has designed more than 300 buildings. According to Haq, the works of

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

and

Aldo Rossi Aldo Rossi (3 May 1931 – 4 September 1997) was an Italian architect and designer who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: architectural theory, drawing and design and also product design. He was one of the leading exponen ...

inspired him most.

Selected works

Residential

* Architect's Family Home and Studio, Indira Road, Dhaka * Bhatshala House (Architect's village home), Brahmanbaria * Ramna Apartment Complex, Moghbazar, Dhaka * Century Apartment Complex, Moghbazar, Dhaka * Century Tower, Moghbazar, Dhaka * Lake View Apartment Complex, Dhanmondi, Dhaka * Segunbagicha Apartment Complex, Segunbagicha, Dhaka * Kalindi Apartment Complex, 36 Indira Road, Dhaka * Gulshan Pride, Gulshan, Dhaka * Dhanshiri Apartment Complex, 35 Indira Road, Dhaka * Asra Apartments, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Office

* 20-storied Association for Social Advancement (ASA) Head Office Building * 20-storied Head Office Building of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Dilkusha C/A., Dhaka * 20-storied Head Office Building of People's Insurance Company Ltd. (PICL), Dilkusha C/A., Dhaka * Projects under Cyclone Related Disaster Preparedness Programme * Community Development Centre at Kutubdia, Moghnama and Moheshkhali and Cox's Bazar * German Red Cross Community Based Multipurpose Cyclone Shelters at Tolatoli, Kachubunia and Khandkar Para, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar * Cyclone resistant Housing in 6 Locations at Cox's Bazar district * MIDAS Center, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

Physical planning

* Physical Planning of 3 Nos.

Upazilas An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...

namely Katiadi, Kuliarchar &

Bajitpur Bajitpur ( bn, বাজিতপুর) is an administrative unit of Kishoreganj District in Bangladesh. Bajitpur was created by Baizid Kha. It was previously a Mohkuma(মহকুমা) of greater Mymensingh district, currently falls under the ...

under Kishoreganj District * Physical Planning of 3 Nos.

namely Nagarkanda, Alphadanga and Charvadrashan under Faridpur District * Physical Planning of

Faridpur District Faridpur District ( bn, ফরিদপুর জেলা) is a district in south-central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. It is bounded by the Padma River to its northeast. The district was named after Farīd-ud-Dīn Masʿūd, ...

Institutes

* Facilities for American International and Secondary School, Baridhara, Dhaka * Hostel cum-Seminar Facilities Hosted People's Health Assembly * Shabuj Shona Center, Manikgonj * Training Center for Nijerakori, Bogra * Chhayanaut Bhaban, Dhanmondi, Dhaka * Sunbeams School, Uttara, Dhaka * East West University, Dhaka * Drik-Pathshala, Panthapath, Dhaka

Consultancy

* Central Diesel Workshop and Housing Project for Bangladesh Railway * US Chancery Building, Dhaka.

Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Kallmann McKinnell & Wood is an architectural design firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1962 as Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles by Gerhard Kallmann (1915-2012), Michael McKinnell (1935–2020), and Edward Knowles. Histo ...

, USA * Rail II Project for Bangladesh Railway. Dhaka, Parbatipur, Pahartali, Ishurdi. International Rail Consultant, Canada. * GMP Standard Factory Design at Tongi for Beximco Pharmaceutical Ltd. Tongi. CMPS&F Pty Ltd., Australia.

Awards and honors

Aga Khan Award for Architecture The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields ...

, shortlisted in 1980, 1992 and 2001 * Member, Board of Trustees,

Fazlur Rahman Khan Fazlur Rahman Khan ( bn, ফজলুর রহমান খান, ''Fozlur Rôhman Khan''; 3 April 1929 – 27 March 1982) was a Bangladeshi-American structural engineer and architect, who initiated important structural systems for skyscrape ...

Foundation, Dhaka * Became part of an International Exhibit Entitled ''5000 years of Pakistan'' * Chairman of the jury board, Holcim Green Built Bangladesh Award

Publications

* 1994 “Battling the Storm – Study on Cyclone Resistance Housing“. Published by the German Red Cross, 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haq, Bashirul 2020 deaths 1942 births Bangladeshi architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Modernist architects 20th-century American architects 21st-century Bangladeshi architects National College of Arts alumni University of New Mexico alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty