AMER ABDAL HABIB

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The Role of An Architect

May 7, 2016

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.   Aesthetics can be costly at times. The challenge is in knowing the appropriate amount, the justifications of where and when. To be economical and cost effective is paramount. It is a privilege to be an architect. The ability to visualize something better is engrained in us, but in a developing nation, it can also be

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Pride (or lack thereof) and the Prime Minister’s Motorcade

December 12, 2013

A few weeks ago while on my way back home from school, I noticed an increased number of security personnel lining the streets. Police were stationed at every intersection, with more in Toyota trucks and the RAB was patrolling in their Nissan Jeeps; the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina was about to go by. I was only intersecting with her route at one specific point, but I think it’s fair to assume her entire route is similarly lined with security. Just imagine how much unnecessary fanfare that is for one single person, EVERY DAY. The poor policemen (stuck in that jurisdiction) had to wake up early that day and be dressed in their very best uniform. Never mind the ripple effect stopping traffic would have. Never mind the waste of resources. Never mind about those things. That’s a rant for a later time. I want to talk about the Prime Minister’s

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Live Curious

November 12, 2013

If you are you breathe. If you breathe you talk. If you talk you ask. If you ask you think. If you think you search. If you search you experience. If you experience you learn. If you learn you grow. If you grow you wish. If you wish you find. And if you find you doubt. If you doubt you question. If you question you understand and if you understand you know. If you know you want to know more. If you want to know more you are alive.

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Celebrity Worship

November 12, 2013

Gone are the days when heroes were real. Gone are the days when people we looked up to were men and women of substance. Gone are the days… I don’t know history. I don’t know politics. I wouldn’t even be able to tell you my supposed representative to parliament. Did you know Bangladesh has had 10 different Prime Ministers since independence? No? Neither did I. And if you don’t believe me, I Wikipedia-d that shit. Do you know about all these notable Bangladeshi people? I honestly don’t. These are the people who (in)directly  affect my life. They run this country. They represent our nation in the global arena. Forget Bangladesh. How about some of the current top thinkers and leaders of the world today… mostly, no. But, I do know my celebrity gossip. I know Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, George Clooney, Shahrukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai, Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra.

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A Collective Global Consciousness

June 29, 2013

brain neurons or the universal structure? We are all connected, you and I, on a plane higher than we are aware of. At some metaphysical level we are all vibrating at the same frequency — a global consciousness.  Skeptical? So was I, but this unseen link which may seem unreal to you has been observed scientifically and recorded empirically. Worldwide there are 70 random number generators (RNGs) producing an unpredictable sequence of binary zeroes and ones, which generally has a 50-50 resultant; like the flipping of a coin, unbiased and random. However, ‘when a great event synchronizes the feelings of millions of people, our network of RNGs becomes subtly structured. The probability is less than one in a billion that the effect is due to chance. The evidence suggests an emerging noosphere, or the unifying field of consciousness described by sages in all cultures.‘ – Global Consciousness Project, Princeton University. What

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The Room of Doors

June 26, 2013

Do you remember the room of doors in Alice in Wonderland, the one she finds herself in after tumbling down the rabbit hole? Notice how our world doesn’t even get a door? Alice breaks through the bottom floor and ends up on the ceiling, only to crash down again, realigning herself with this holy place. The room of doors… what does it mean? Each a different style, a different size, leading to God knows where. Who made it and how? The door that takes Alice to Wunderland is small, hidden behind a curtain and requires for her to take a shrinking potion to fit through. Are these Gods secret backdoor accesses to the different realities of the universe? Is this how he gets from place to place thereby seeming omnipresent? In the Matrix Reloaded we see a similar concept in the form of a corridor of doors — programmer accesses to the different

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Like Waking from a Dream

June 18, 2013

I’m not a morbid person — quite the opposite actually. I do, however, tend to ponder life, death and the meaning of it all way more than what could be considered a healthy amount. What happens to us, our consciousness, experiences and memories after we die is a question I often contemplate. Inception (2010) is a movie about dreams, questioning the boundaries of reality. Among the many concepts shown in the film, one above all really struck a chord.

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Truman

June 17, 2013

The Truman Show is film about a man whose entire life is a reality television show, broadcast live to the world, without his knowledge. Born in to this entertainment-bondage, Truman (Jim Carrey) goes through life limited by the world created for the show; an entire set town fit with cameras at every angle — his every move watched by millions; every one he’s ever known a scripted character; his understanding of the world, his hopes, dreams and fears, all manipulated and limited to what’s determined by the director of the show. God? Like Truman, are we prisoners to the bubble around us, obscured and manipulated by the man behind the curtain?

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Eyes

June 17, 2013

Have you ever noticed the strange tingling feeling that comes with looking someone in the eyes, even if it’s for a short period of time? (If no, I have some bad news — you might be dead inside). It’s often been said that eyes are the windows in to the soul. I don’t know about the ethereal, spiritual life-force bit, but I definitely consider it to be a very personal thing. Being able to make and hold eye-contact gives a sense of connection and presence that is both moving and uneasy all at the same time. Do I keep looking? Do I turn away?

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Seaport, Airport, Spaceport

April 5, 2013

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. 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 exploded exponentially, and from what used to scattered seaports throughout the globe, we jumped into the future, creating massive architectural and technological marvels known as airports. Beijing Capital International Airport, currently the second most trafficked airport in the world, saw 81,929,359 passengers and 557,167 flights last year alone. As one travels around the globe, from

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Copper House II

March 23, 2013

The project begins by the making of an artesian well; soil from the excavation is used to create a high ground for the house in case of flooding in the heavy monsoon. The home sits in a clearing within a dense grove of mango trees. Rooms are loosely arranged around a central space to create a protected courtyard, securing the inhabitants while mediating the surrounding landscape. Thin copper sheet is used to make the structure waterproof from the rains, initially reflecting the landscape,and through the passage of time and seasons, patinas into a verdigris to be absorbed by the environment.

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The Weight of My Soul

March 19, 2013

For someone who’s been led to believe (all throughout school) that evidence is vital to support any hypothesis, the idea of a soul has always been of a big question mark. Above however, is empirical evidence in support of it. According to the basic laws of physics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It only converts from one form to another. Similarly, the force which perpetuates life and fills this shell is nothing but a source of energy (weighing 21 grams). Upon death it transforms onto another plane of existence. This concept bears close resemblance to the Chinese philosophy of Qi, which literally translates as ‘life-force’. I wonder where we’ll go.

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This Life Is What We Make It

March 16, 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 image. Why should I bend to the expectations of the masses? As it is, we’re failing as a species, continuing to destroy the only home we’ll ever know. I pray that we someday realize our flaws and mistakes and begin to change our ways. For the betterment of this world,

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About Yourself

March 8, 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 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 it every day.

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The Inheritance of Faith

February 28, 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 only does God have favorites but he predetermines and files (most of us) away before we’re alive. As far as I can tell, most of us are born into our religions. We follow our fathers, as they followed theirs before them. But every so often, a shift and conversion occurs.

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Studio Mumbai Architects

February 28, 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 my biographer will be able to figure it out. The Studio itself is a brilliantly rustic and simple series of sheds in a lush green compound filled with trees. Our main central workspace is open to the sky, shaded by a betel nut and coconut grove. On three

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A New Beginning

February 25, 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 in the grand scheme of things. To be remembered long after I am gone is something I yearn for. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s an ego thing. Regardless, here I am — chronicling, yet again. This time it will be different. This time I am determined to be

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