Ehyaa: The Cultural Reclamation Trail, Meherpur, Bangladesh | Bachelors Design Thesis on Cultural Architecture

Site Context

At the core of the site stands a precolonial torture cell, a relic of trauma and silence. In Ehyaa, this structure is transformed into the Escape Museum, redefining it as a space of resilience and reflection. The project extends from this landmark into a sequence of public and cultural nodes—the Village Bazaar, Pottery Hub, and Ghaat—each reinterpreting traditional systems of livelihood, exchange, and ritual.

A key design move was the reintroduction of the diagonal axes connecting the heritage structure, canal edge, and mosque, ensuring spatial fluidity and visual continuity across the site. The Cultural Complex, proposed by the state, is integrated within this trail, aligning institutional ambition with community narratives. Together, these interventions reweave the socio-spatial fabric, creating a dynamic cultural landscape rooted in belonging and collective pride.

Design Process

The design process for Ehyaa: The Cultural Reclamation Trail began with in-depth research on Meherpur’s historical evolution, socio-cultural patterns, and loss of public spaces. Primary and secondary data—including community interviews, urban morphology, heritage mapping, movement patterns, and seasonal water behavior—helped identify cultural nodes that once structured communal life.

Early explorations focused on uncovering existing layers rather than imposing new ones. Lost pedestrian trails, abandoned ghats, and unused courtyards were mapped as catalysts for activating the public realm. Concept development evolved through analytical diagrams, program clustering, circulation studies, and experiential sketches. Form generation prioritized low-rise permeable structures that merge with the landscape, allowing shaded walkways, open courts, and porous edges between built and natural systems.

Climate-sensitive strategies such as bioswales, passive cooling, brick jaali screens, and vegetated buffers shaped spatial behavior. Physical models, iterative site plans, and feedback-based revisions strengthened the architectural language. The design matured into a continuous trail—threading together heritage, economy, water, and craft—transforming a fragmented site into a socio-cultural spine.

Final Outcome

The final proposal presents a living cultural corridor that restores the spatial and emotional memory of Meherpur. At its heart, a precolonial torture cell is reimagined as the Escape Museum—transforming a site of trauma into a space of resilience and collective strength. Surrounding it, a network of community-based programs—the Village Bazaar, Pottery Hub, Cultural Complex, and revitalized Ghaat—reestablishes traditional systems of gathering, exchange, craft, and ritual.

Rather than treating architecture as isolated objects, the project operates as a landscape-based framework. Continuous shaded paths, water edges, and semi-open pavilions create a flexible environment for seasonal festivals, markets, workshops, and everyday social life. Vernacular materials, passive cooling techniques, and rain-fed bioswales contribute to an environmentally responsive system that regenerates rather than consumes.

The heritage courtyard stands as the symbolic core of Ehyaa, transforming the torture cell into a dual-purpose space: a tributary monument and an Escape Museum. As the physical and narrative anchor of the project, it honors suppressed histories while inviting active engagement. Reflective zones, preserved structural fragments, interpretive installations, and shaded gathering areas narrate stories of resistance and survival.

Within this layered setting, the Escape Museum unfolds through curated exhibits and sensory trails that connect memory with movement. The space accommodates cultural events, workshops, and guided tours—activating the heritage site as a living archive and civic platform for remembrance, learning, and community expression.

Collectively, these interventions root development in tradition while reinforcing a sense of belonging. The state-proposed Cultural Complex is reframed along the trail, aligning national ambitions with community-centered narratives. Strategies of vernacular construction, climate responsiveness, and sustainable infrastructure—such as rainwater harvesting and shaded pedestrian corridors—promote ecological and social resilience alongside cultural preservation.

Conclusion: Ultimately, Ehyaa reclaims Meherpur’s cultural spine by grounding future development in heritage and collective memory. Economically, it supports micro-entrepreneurship and local craftsmanship; socially, it rebuilds pride and continuity; environmentally, it restores water ecologies and thermal comfort. The project positions architecture as a tool for healing and resilience—restoring dignity to overlooked spaces, sustaining traditions, and creating a cultural landmark that strengthens identity and belonging for generations to come.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]