Meet the award-winning architect building flat-pack homes for flood victims

Rebecca Cairns, CNN | Kev Broad, Jane Sit, Mun Ng, Salman Saeed
Updated 8:59 PM EDT, Tue April 4, 2023
In the low-lying river deltas of Bangladesh, annual monsoons and tidal swells leave millions of people vulnerable to flooding. To help them, Dhaka-based architect Marina Tabassum has created a two-story "tiny home," called Khudi Bari, which is light and portable. It's the latest of the award-winning architect's projects -- <strong>look through the gallery to see more of her stunning work. </strong>
In the low-lying river deltas of Bangladesh, annual monsoons and tidal swells leave millions of people vulnerable to flooding. To help them, Dhaka-based architect Marina Tabassum has created a two-story "tiny home," called Khudi Bari, which is light and portable. It's the latest of the award-winning architect's projects -- look through the gallery to see more of her stunning work.
Asif Salman
Tabassum established her eponymous architecture firm in 2005, and her first commission was the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque (pictured), which she said has a "special place in her heart," as it was commissioned by Tabassum's grandmother, Sufia Khatun. Khatun was given 20 acres of land as part of a resettlement initiative after she fled India in 1947 with her family, and in 2006, wanted to give back to the community.
Tabassum established her eponymous architecture firm in 2005, and her first commission was the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque (pictured), which she said has a "special place in her heart," as it was commissioned by Tabassum's grandmother, Sufia Khatun. Khatun was given 20 acres of land as part of a resettlement initiative after she fled India in 1947 with her family, and in 2006, wanted to give back to the community.
Sandro Di Carlo Darsa
While distinctly modern in its minimalist style and form, the mosque uses terracotta brick as its principal material, drawing on a centuries-old Bengali architectural tradition. Using natural ventilation such as skylights and gaps in the brick walls to keep cool in the sweltering summer months, the mosque was recognized internationally for its innovative design and won the <a href="https://the.akdn/en/how-we-work/our-agencies/aga-khan-trust-culture/akaa/bait-ur-rouf-mosque" target="_blank" target="_blank">Aga Khan Award</a> in 2016.
While distinctly modern in its minimalist style and form, the mosque uses terracotta brick as its principal material, drawing on a centuries-old Bengali architectural tradition. Using natural ventilation such as skylights and gaps in the brick walls to keep cool in the sweltering summer months, the mosque was recognized internationally for its innovative design and won the Aga Khan Award in 2016.
Hasan Saifuddin Chandan
Steering clear of typical mosque design features, such as domes and minarets, Tabassum instead uses light as ornamentation in the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque: a constellation of holes in the ceiling creates an invisible chandelier, casting a kaleidoscope of light across the floor from April to September.
Steering clear of typical mosque design features, such as domes and minarets, Tabassum instead uses light as ornamentation in the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque: a constellation of holes in the ceiling creates an invisible chandelier, casting a kaleidoscope of light across the floor from April to September.
Sandro Di Carlo Darsa
With its red brick exterior, the Alfadanga Mosque bears many similarities to the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque. Situated next to a 250-year-old home in Faridpur district, around 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Dhaka, the mosque was designed to blend into its historic surroundings.
With its red brick exterior, the Alfadanga Mosque bears many similarities to the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque. Situated next to a 250-year-old home in Faridpur district, around 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of Dhaka, the mosque was designed to blend into its historic surroundings.
Asif Salman
Light plays an important role in the prayer halls of the Alfadanga Mosque, again acting as decoration in an otherwise simple interior. The mosque was commissioned by owners of the neighboring Maulovi Bari home, which has been in their family for generations. Renovations to restore the house began in 2018, and construction on the mosque began in 2021.
Light plays an important role in the prayer halls of the Alfadanga Mosque, again acting as decoration in an otherwise simple interior. The mosque was commissioned by owners of the neighboring Maulovi Bari home, which has been in their family for generations. Renovations to restore the house began in 2018, and construction on the mosque began in 2021.
Asif Salman
This 12-story residential building, called Comfort Reverie, was designed in 2006 and completed in 2011. Located in Banani, on the main road in Dhaka's bustling business district, the building's brick facade has a timeless look, while the angular "fins" create a modernist aesthetic.
This 12-story residential building, called Comfort Reverie, was designed in 2006 and completed in 2011. Located in Banani, on the main road in Dhaka's bustling business district, the building's brick facade has a timeless look, while the angular "fins" create a modernist aesthetic.
City Syntax
The fins are more than just decorative -- these openings face east and west, and are designed to channel air, as well as offer shade against the scorching summer sun. "I always focus on passive climate control," said Tabassum. "A building should not depend on artificial means of climate control. It should not be too dependent on technology -- it should be able to operate on its own."
The fins are more than just decorative -- these openings face east and west, and are designed to channel air, as well as offer shade against the scorching summer sun. "I always focus on passive climate control," said Tabassum. "A building should not depend on artificial means of climate control. It should not be too dependent on technology -- it should be able to operate on its own."
City Syntax
Designed in collaboration with her former business partner and fellow award-winning architect Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, the Museum of Independence and Independence Monument sits in the grounds of a former Mogul-era garden, turned colonial horse racing track, and then, a political meeting ground in the 1970s. The design was part of a national competition, which Tabassum and Chowdhury's firm, URBANA, won in 1997, although construction of the monument wasn't finished until 2013.
Designed in collaboration with her former business partner and fellow award-winning architect Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, the Museum of Independence and Independence Monument sits in the grounds of a former Mogul-era garden, turned colonial horse racing track, and then, a political meeting ground in the 1970s. The design was part of a national competition, which Tabassum and Chowdhury's firm, URBANA, won in 1997, although construction of the monument wasn't finished until 2013.
Asif Salman
The subterranean museum leaves space at ground level for a large fountain and public park around the monument, a tower of light comprised of stacked glass panes.
The subterranean museum leaves space at ground level for a large fountain and public park around the monument, a tower of light comprised of stacked glass panes.
Maruf Raihan
Tabassum's latest project, Khudi Bari, is designed to help low-income communities impacted by flooding. They are low-cost and easy to assemble, with the second floor 2 meters (6 feet) from the ground. "You can move your family and your belongings to the upper level so that you can save yourself," said Tabassum.
Tabassum's latest project, Khudi Bari, is designed to help low-income communities impacted by flooding. They are low-cost and easy to assemble, with the second floor 2 meters (6 feet) from the ground. "You can move your family and your belongings to the upper level so that you can save yourself," said Tabassum.
Asif Salman
Tabassum has also adapted the Khudi Bari structure to create larger community spaces at the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox's Bazaar in southeastern Bangladesh. Refugee camps are not allowed permanent structures with foundations, so the Khudi Bari offers a homely, but temporary, alternative. "Everybody has a right to good architecture," said Tabassum.
Tabassum has also adapted the Khudi Bari structure to create larger community spaces at the Rohingya refugee camp at Cox's Bazaar in southeastern Bangladesh. Refugee camps are not allowed permanent structures with foundations, so the Khudi Bari offers a homely, but temporary, alternative. "Everybody has a right to good architecture," said Tabassum.
City Syntax
The stunning designs of award-winning architect Marina Tabassum
CNN  — 

Among the stretching plains of Bangladesh’s river deltas, the Khudi Bari looks small.

The two-story structure resembles a free-standing treehouse, with a pitched roof covering a platform that balances on spindly legs. Its name means “tiny house” in Bengali, and its thin bamboo frame looks frail against the rolling yellow fields and the swirling tides splashing against the river bank.

While the humble dwelling looks fragile, it’s the landscape that is delicate. Along these river deltas, the map changes every few years, with riverbank erosion causing islands, known as chars, to rise and fall with the seasons.

“A lot of people lose their land. A lot of towns have vanished into the water,” said Marina Tabassum. The award-winning founder of Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) wanted to find a solution for these landless people, who are frequently forced to move to escape flooding.

“They need to move the moment the sand bed starts to vanish,” said Tabassum. “The idea was that they should be able to move with their structure.”

Lightweight and modular, the Khudi Bari is designed to be folded down, packed up and relocated, while still able to withstand heavy wind and rain – a steady presence in a transitory lifestyle.

Architect Marina Tabassum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 2023. For Growing Bangladesh sponsored series.
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This award-winning architect is building flat-pack, flood-proof homes
05:30 - Source: CNN

Tiny house, big impact

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, and experiences severe monsoons and flooding for several months every year.

“The coastal areas of Bangladesh, where we are facing the sea level rise and the changing biodiversity and ecology, those areas need a lot of attention,” said Tabassum.

She