Two books written by architect Kashef Chowdhury were launched at the Edge Gallery in Gulshan, Dhaka on Wednesday.
The books titled 鈥楾he Consciousness of Place鈥� and 鈥楻ising Oceans & Spaces That Care鈥�, published by Quart Verlag Switzerland, were unveiled by prime minister鈥檚 education and cultural affairs adviser Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, professor emeritus of Dhaka University Syed Manzoorul Islam, founder and executive director of Friendship Runa Khan and Kashef Chowdhury.
Besides, the programme featured the inaugural ceremony of a photography exhibition titled 鈥楻ising Oceans & Spaces That Care鈥�. The exhibition is featuring 16 photographs taken by H茅l猫ne Binet showing Friendship Hospital designed by Kashef Chowdhury in Bangladesh. It bagged the 2022 RIBA International Prize.
The event began with a speech by Kashef Chowdhury who read an article titled 鈥業mpression鈥�. In the article, he shared his impressions of the largest delta in the world, the area covering the entire nation of Bangladesh and also shares what influences his architecture.
Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam said, 鈥榃e must reduce overusing everything. The buildings in the city become unliveable without electrical devices. On the other hand, these electrical devices generate heat. Kashef is turning architecture into an organic concept. He comprises air, lights, shadows and others in his projects.鈥�
鈥楬e understands the poetry of landscape. He is an artist who emphasises the relationship between man and nature,鈥� he added.
Runa Khan said, 鈥榃hen he first started working at the Friendship Hospital, he first thought about the mental wellbeing of people who would go there to receive treatment.鈥�
Kamal Naser Chowdhury said, 鈥楾he role of architecture is important in Bangladesh. The country鈥檚 structures are facing the effects of climate change nowadays. People who live in the coastal areas need strong and sustainable structures. We also need to reflect our culture through architecture.鈥�
The book titled 鈥楾he Consciousness of Place鈥� is Chowdhury鈥檚 philosophical engagement with his own understanding of architecture, based on his research and lectures. The book also comprises 52 photographs of his different projects.
The book 鈥楻ising Oceans & Spaces That Care鈥� offers insight into the design and construction process of Friendship Hospital. It contains articles by Kashef Chowdhury, Niklaus Graber and Tanja C Vollmer / Gemma along with a photo essay by H茅l猫ne Binet.
The exhibition will end on June 2.
