Investigating place as architectural heritage identifier for Mid-Twentieth-Century modernist public architecture in Bangladesh

Abstract

This research investigates ordinary people’s engagement in place-making as the denominator of intangible aspects of Architectural Heritage for the modernist public architecture of the mid-20th century in Bangladesh. In Dhaka and all over the world, modern buildings fall victim to their once-revered properties and are susceptible to demolition in the name of development and expansion. Though these buildings have become a part of the collective memory and everyday narrative of the ordinary people through public participation, they should remain outside the generic comprehension of Architectural Heritage. This research examines how modernist buildings of the mid-20th century in Bangladesh have become a heritage of the common through their capacity to engage with the aspects of ordinary life, in addition to their artifact or stylistic value. The study is exploratory by nature and has adopted an interdisciplinary approach to examine the Teacher-Student Center (TSC) at Dhaka University by ConstantinosApostolouDoxiadis. The extent of indigenization of modernist ethos through the ordinary people’s everyday participation in TSC has been analyzed under the qualitative research paradigm by correlating the archival and ethnographic research findings. Data was collected through different ethnographic tactics such as open-ended interviews, observation, and visual research transcribed and analysed based on the theoretical framework of Henry Lefevre’s “Space Triad” and a key identifier of intangible cultural heritage “Placemaking”. This study will open up a new avenue to comprehend Modern architecture as Heritage and contribute to broadening the existing guideline for the enlistment, conservation, and management of Architectural Heritage in the broader context of Bangladesh.

Keywords: Modern Architectural Heritage, Indigenization, Space Triad, Placemaking, CA Doxiadis, TSC