Feature

'Conservation and Young Minds'

Mahbubur Rahman, PhD

I thank Durdana Ghias for the StarCampus Spotlight article 'Conservation stirring up young minds' on November 12, which brought up stories of dedication and love of few young architects and students working for the cause of architectural conservation. She admitted at the beginning that there are other groups or individuals working on the same issue while she could speak to few 'enthusiastic rookies' only. Despite many conceptual and factual errors in the write up it was a timely piece that can only inspire those who are involved and also make others aware. I shall like to point out only a couple of them which otherwise may send partial information to the readers.

The issue of conservation is of several hundred years old initiated in Europe. In Bangladesh it began with a search for the form of a true architecture rooted in our soil when a group of young architects and students formed the 'Chetana' study group around pioneer master architect of the region Muzharul Islam in 1981. When we were graduating in 1983 from BUET, there were student projects undertaken at thesis level primarily due to their insistence, inspiration or enthusiasm to challenge the unknown. The 1985 Second Aga Khan Conference on Regional Architecture held in Dhaka was an eye opener for many which was followed by a 1989 Workshop funded by the Aga Khan and UNESCO. The workshop participated by different professionals gave glimpses of study and project preparations for conservation, including Panam and Ruplal House, guided by international experts.

By that time in the late-1980s, primarily due to the wishes of the Head of the State, the government Department of Architecture has attempted several conservation projects, which culminated into the Ahsan Manjil being awarded the 'ARCASIA Gold Medal' in 1990. These inspired more study and documentation projects taken up by various bodies like BUET and Chetana. Students also in increasing number started to concentrate on such projects and value of architectural heritage was gradually being appreciated. Recognising the shift and the need, we at BUET introduced Conservation as an elective subject in 1992, offered usually at senior levels. Most other private universities in Bangladesh eventually followed this. Besides the theory courses, considering conservation for studio assignment is also common now.

For example in 1993, my students at BUET Year 4 took up a project on Nimtali Deory within the Asiatic Society premise that ultimately led to an exhibition, seminar and the first local book on architectural conservation in Bangladesh. Chetana's endeavour also fruited into a huge book 'Pundranagar to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar'. Half a decade on, Asiatic Society published a triplet of books, one of them on Sonargaon- the most comprehensive architectural study on 'Panam'. In deed Panam has been very popular among the graduating architects who have done many theses on the settlement (not a city). Other such heritage buildings or settlements are Shankharibazaar, Tantibazaar, Farashganj, Ruplal House, Reboti Mohon Shaha's house, Bulbul Academy, etc. The student projects are gradually becoming popular for academic exercises and often been recognised internationally too.

We at the North South University are much aware of issues of architectural heritage and conservation, and try to instil the same among the young minds at the very onset. In addition to the entire B.Arch. program and the approach we take towards teaching being unique in the local context, there are courses and activities that familiarise the students with architectural heritage and conservation, and methods and techniques of documentation, study and actual conservation early so that they do not have to wait till late, or see in local dailies, to learn about a particular example of traditional architecture. For instant, they take a course on Bengal Society and Culture in the first semester, followed by Indian and Bengal Architecture in late-second year. Also in first year they learn and apply the techniques of field study, documentation and preparation of measured drawings, and start developing digital archives.

Specifically in 'Observation and Documentation' course, the students identify examples of traditional architecture that should have become our heritage, which have not been studied or documented, and prepare measured drawings.

Through this course in over a year, the students of the North South University Architecture School have already developed a Digital Archive consisting of drawings and photographs of more than 60 heritage buildings in and around Dhaka, some of them hitherto unknown or rare, as few have been demolished since documentation. Two distinct features of the program are that this has created an informed consciousness of the value of the old among our students from the beginning, and we are building up library of information virtually at no cost, that can later be shared. The Department is planning to go for an exhibition of the students work, in a small scale next week and in a larger scale in late-spring 2007.

These several courses are tied together and have the common agenda of growing awareness and skill among the students. I know of a somewhat similar approach taken at the Khulna University in the late-1990s when documentations were done on colonial buildings in the region by using the students at various level and in various courses. There have been other studies taken either by individual architects or their groups. Examples are the recent studies on Carzon's Dhaka by Chetana, Shankharibazzar by Urban Study Group, and old mosques and palaces by Dr. Abu Syed and Ali Naqi.

The other important aspect follows from the above. All these projects that Star Campus highlighted, or I mentioned above, were mostly academic exercises. Pursuing higher studies and then disseminating gathered knowledge in pertinent areas is still rare. Many architects are good at documentation and presentation, most of which unfortunately did not materialise into something real (project). Handful of actual conservation work was done by trial and error by professionals often with no prior experience or knowledge on architectural conservation (architects are trained to build new, not preserve the old). From Ms. Ghias's write up, the readers might be misled to believe that the projects were real when they were in fact studies that in most cases do not lead to implementation except for adding to the greater body of data and
knowledge.

On the contrary North South University students are doing the work with some definite intentions in mind besides those mentioned above- to use the materials for a real conservation, awareness and public participation project. We have an outline of the possible project in mind with which we are negotiating with concerned people and bodies, and want to do it with minimum cost to set an example how the university can serve a community and reciprocate their confidence.

In another example, the efforts by the Urban Study Group led by the architect couple Taimur and Homaira Islam, are extremely laudable as they have studied and documented Shankharibazaar, and is trying to save the centuries old traditional quarter from demolition by the city authority and developers through generation of economy and tourist as a part of a sustainable area conservation project. It will be the duty of the civil society, policy makers and relevant professionals to join hand, encourage and actively assist all these young minds. I have experienced in my last more than two decades of teaching at home and abroad, once introduced to the beauty of traditional architecture, the students become infatuated by them and take up the issue as a life long passion. Creative people need that passion of love and dedication to contribute in society building, and we are only there to prepare them.

The writes in Professor & Chairman Department of Architecture, North South University

This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; had his sweetheart die when he was age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52.
This man was Abraham Lincoln.

According to Tom Watson Sr., of IBM, “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

Efadul Huq
(Compiled from the internet)

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