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Khudi Bari erected in Char Juan Satra, in the district of Kurigram. Dependent on agriculture and fishing, the char communities are highly sensitive to changes in the environment and the impacts of climate change.
Khudi Bari erected in Char Juan Satra, in the district of Kurigram. Dependent on agriculture and fishing, the char communities are highly sensitive to changes in the environment and the impacts of climate change.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Surrounding area near Char Shildaha, a shoal shaped by the ever-evolving "waterscape". Wooden boats are used to transport people, animals, and goods to and fro.

Surrounding area near Char Shildaha, a shoal shaped by the ever-evolving "waterscape". Wooden boats are used to transport people, animals, and goods to and fro.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Local residents building a Khudi Bari module in Char Shildaha, in the district of Jamalpur. The structure is easily assembled, disassembled and transported at low cost to these remote shoals.

Local residents building a Khudi Bari module in Char Shildaha, in the district of Jamalpur. The structure is easily assembled, disassembled and transported at low cost to these remote shoals.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

People living on these ephemeral shoals are vulnerable to floods and land erosion. The distinctive two-story Khudi Bari structure enables them to stay through the rainy season, transforming how they inhabit the char.

People living on these ephemeral shoals are vulnerable to floods and land erosion. The distinctive two-story Khudi Bari structure enables them to stay through the rainy season, transforming how they inhabit the char.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Khudi Bari is a modular space-frame structural system, which can be combined and scaled up to build larger structures. This example, located at Modhu Chhara Hub in Ukhiya, uses three modules.

Khudi Bari is a modular space-frame structural system, which can be combined and scaled up to build larger structures. This example, located at Modhu Chhara Hub in Ukhiya, uses three modules.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

The Khudi Bari solution was scaled up to build community centres for women. This Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, is comprised of four Khudi Bari modules.

The Khudi Bari solution was scaled up to build community centres for women. This Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, is comprised of four Khudi Bari modules.

© Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

The char communities that received the Khudi Baris relied on existing relationships with the community and the architect. MTA established the Foundation for Architecture and Community Equity (FACE), a non-profit that works with communities to facilitate the co-creation of these structures.

The char communities that received the Khudi Baris relied on existing relationships with the community and the architect. MTA established the Foundation for Architecture and Community Equity (FACE), a non-profit that works with communities to facilitate the co-creation of these structures.

© Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Aerial view of Char Shildaha in the district of Jamalpur, where twenty-three single units have been constructed from 2022 to 2023.

Aerial view of Char Shildaha in the district of Jamalpur, where 23 single units have been constructed from 2022 to 2023.

© Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Upper floor of a Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Upper floor of a Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Khudi Bari in Char Juan Satra.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Chevron-braced bamboo is joined together with specially designed steel connectors fabricated in a Dhaka foundry.

Chevron-braced bamboo is joined together with specially designed steel connectors fabricated in a Dhaka foundry.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Exterior view of MTA Residence in Modhu Chhara Hub, Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar. MTA use it as their base while working on the structures for the Rohingya Refugee camps.

Exterior view of MTA Residence in Modhu Chhara Hub, Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar. MTA use it as their base while working on the structures for the Rohingya Refugee camps.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

MTA has built community centers for women that use multiple modules of Khudi Bari. Exterior view of the Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

MTA has built community centers for women that use multiple modules of Khudi Bari. Exterior view of the Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Interior view of the Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

Interior view of the Women-Led Community Centre in the Rohingya Refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

View from the courtyard of the Women-Friendly Space in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

View from the courtyard of the Women-Friendly Space in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Bamboo is fast-growing and abundantly available across Bangladesh.

Bamboo is fast-growing and abundantly available across Bangladesh.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture / City Syntax (F. M. Faruque Abdullah Shawon, H. M. Fozla Rabby Apurbo)

Architectural drawing: exploded view of a Khudi Bari module.

Architectural drawing: exploded view of a Khudi Bari module.

© Marina Tabassum Architects

© Marina Tabassum Architects

Architectural drawing of the Women-Led Community Centre in Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar: Section AA.

© Marina Tabassum Architects

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Khudi Bari

Award Cycle: 2023-2025 Cycle

Status: Award Recipient

Country of origin: Bangladesh

Location: Various locations, Bangladesh

Client: Local population

Architect: Marina Tabassum Architects, Dhaka

Completed: Ongoing

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Khudi Bari is a simple space frame built with bamboo and steel connectors that responds to the rise of climate-driven displacement in Bangladesh. The affordable, modular structural system can be rapidly disassembled and reassembled by three people using simple tools. The Khudi Bari is resilient, with its rigid frame able to withstand lateral wind and water pressure. Nevertheless, the lightweight structure requires only a shallow foundation and anchor to the ground. The roofs are corrugated metal sheets for the ease of transport and maintenance. The façades can be made from any material sourced locally, and the Khudi Bari's architectural design echoes vernacular houses in the region. It is designed with two levels: the lower offers a social and private space, and the upper is used for sleeping and can double as a flood shelter. Khudi Bari units have been deployed in floods and thunderstorms.


Marina Tabassum Architects has worked with communities to share construction knowledge, and scaled up the structure, using it to build aggregation centres for woman farmers and community centres for women in Rohingya refugee camps.


BangladeshAga Khan Trust for CultureArchitecture