The practice of architecture in Bangladesh has gone through several stages of growth. There are many examples of great architecture, such as those of Muzharul Islam, Louis Kahn and Bashirul Haq, but they are too few and far between. As a young nation, for many years we have been in what I term as “survival mode.” Engineer-like efficiency dictated our construction, which resulted in drab, lifeless colony quarters. But as our purchasing power increases so too does the desire for quality spaces become more of an option. The age of simply surviving is over.

07 March, 2016 /

It’s crazy how small the world has become over the last couple hundred years. Whether it be the coming of the telephone, air travel or internet, we are a much more accessible species, irrespective of location. Once upon a time, explorers would set out across what they thought was endless seas. It was the frontier for all great adventures. The planet was vast and uncharted, but its shrunk since then. [gallery link="none" size="full" ids="99,101,102" orderby="rand"] The Wright Brothers are credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. Since then, air travel has...

05 April, 2013 /

In 1901, MacDougall weighed six patients while they were in the process of dying from tuberculosis in an old age home. It was relatively easy to determine when death was only a few hours away, and at this point the entire bed was placed on an industrial sized scale which was sensitive to the gram. He took his results o support his hypothesis that the soul had mass, and when the soul departed the body, so did this mass. The determination of the soul weighing 21 grams was based on the average loss of mass in the six patients within moments...

19 March, 2013 /

Below is a working script for a short film I’d someday like to make.   SCENE 1 – EXT. STUCK IN TRAFFIC – DAY Guy and girl both stuck in frustrating back-to-back traffic, different cars. He’s sitting in front seat next to driver, drawing in sketchbook. She’s reading a book (English student). In the background the same song is playing on the radio in both cars. Their eyes meet. He smiles casually. She looks away shyly. SCENE 2 – EXT. ON CAMPUS –  AN HOUR LATER They reach campus at about the same time; they see each other but say nothing. Eyes meet again awkwardly. SCENE...

16 March, 2013 /

I’ve always been astounded by the world around me. Why do we make life so complicated? All of us engaged in a rat-race against each other, trying to get ahead. When can we just step back, look at our lives and realize that it’s enough. When will we be satisfied and recognize there’s no more that we could need or want? Always hungry to win, to succeed — but on whose terms? Who is it that dictates the image of success, and who put them in charge? I am the master of my life, the person who dictates my own...

16 March, 2013 /

A couple years ago I  was working an an application for The Boston Architectural College — I didn’t end up applying. However as part of it, I was asked to… On a separate sheet of paper no larger than 8.5” x 11” using both graphic and written media, tell us about yourself. This part of the exercise may be produced by hand or with the aid of computer programs. I came up with the following: I tried to represent myself with a picture of a desktop cluttered with objects that expressed who I was. As always, I was not satisfied. I did not apply and continue to regret...

08 March, 2013 /

Religion is something which dictates much of our lives. The values instilled in us from childhood carry on throughout our existence, and it even attempts to postulate what comes later, after death. What happens to us after we die is a question which has haunted many. It’s likely to be the most important question of all — one we’re unlikely to find an answer to (until it’s too late). Somehow, our religion, something so fickle and random, determines our level of comfort in the afterlife; where we go and the climate we’ll experience. What bothers me most about this is not...

28 February, 2013 /

I came to the Studio on the 16th of February in hopes of starting a new chapter. After a somewhat adventurous journey from Dhaka to Alibag, this is the first thing I saw as I entered the SMA compound. My first thought was, “Wow, I get to work here?” The next thing I saw was a massive workspace and library. It’s been about 2 weeks since I got here, and a lot has happened and I’ve seen several interesting things which I wanted to remember. These entries will initially be a little random and not in any chronological order, but I think...

28 February, 2013 /

After much deliberation and planning I’ve realized the best way to begin is to just start — plain and simple, without any expectations. This is a blog. A random string of chaotic posts pertaining to nothing and everything at the same time. It can be fluid and organic, but also sometimes (when possible) bouts of high-thought philosophy. My name is Amer Abdal Habib and I am random. The coming together of billions of molecules at a specific time in the history of the universe has resulted in what I am today. My thoughts, emotions, trials and tribulations are but a mere blip...

25 February, 2013 /