Excerpt: Sun and Cloud by Framework tells the story of a deep relationship between an architect and his client and their shared creation of a home that reconnects with village life, nature, and community. Rooted in Bangladeshi vernacular, the design balances light, shadow, and landscape. Centered around a neem tree and pond, the residence emerges from the ground like a rooted tree—humble, poetic, and in harmony with its surroundings.
Project Description
(“Text as submitted by architect”) The story of a profound relationship between an architect and a client—a doctor who once treated him—and the creation of ‘মেঘ রোদ”, a residence as it unfolded. Envisioned as a retirement home, the project was attempted a reflection of the client’s longing for reconnection with village life, nature, and community.
Bangladesh’s six distinct seasons shape its culture and environment with unique rhythms and colors. The name of the residence “মেঘ রোদ” reflects this seasonal harmony, embodying the architectural balance between light, shadow, and nature’s constant change. The architectural approach draws from the essence of Bangladeshi vernacular-rooted in climate, materials, culture, and rural lifestyles.
The site of the project is at Puthia Upazila, located in the Rajshahi District-widely known as Silk City of Bangladesh. Puthia has 52,922 households and total area 192,63 sq km, is a historical and traditional place- has experienced significant demographic and social changes between the 1991 and 2011 censuses. Over this 20-year period, the population reportedly decreased from 342,405 in 1991 to 207,490 in 2011—an unusual decline likely due to administrative boundary changes, migration etc. Despite the population drop, the literacy rate saw a substantial improvement, rising from 25.5% to 49.58%, reflecting progress in educational access and awareness. Overall, Puthia’s scenario shows encouraging trends in education but highlights challenges in urbanization, population stability, and inclusive development planning. Continued focus on infrastructure, education, and economic opportunities will be essential for balanced growth in the region.
Historically, homes in Bangladesh were extensions of agrarian life: multifunctional, self-sufficient, and deeply integrated with land and labor. However, the shift to an urban, post-industrial society has fractured this relationship. Modern life has reduced homes to spaces of consumption rather than production, detaching them from their cultural and ecological roots. This project seeks to address that disconnection through architectural memory and metaphor.
The client, who grew up in a village and later became part of urban consumer society, now dreams of returning – driven by nostalgia, a desire for connection, and a longing for nature. He wishes to sip morning tea in a courtyard, listen to the chirping of birds, gazing at stars and moonlight in the night sky, wants to see fireflies and listen to the trilling of crickets at night, the splash of fish in the pond and live amidst nature’s rhythm – experiences once shaped by the production-centric village life. The house serves multiple roles: a vacation home, a social gathering space, and a place for community learning and healing. Every Friday, the client visits to provide free medical consultations. In the future, there is a vision to transform the house into a rural hospital. It is not just a home, but a framework for evolving use – rooted in service, emotion, and memory.
In searching for a fine balance in-between, the design team was struggling and exercising to achieve an ‘adobe’ which emerges from the ground like a deeply rooted tree with firm dignity. Yet, one that gently reaches out to its surroundings with warmth and grace, embracing nature while forming intimate inner spaces. The building sits in the village context as an extension of the landscape. The concept of the house as a landscape element was explored. There’s an old neem tree at the site, around which the whole building is composed. The outer courtyard revolves around this living presence, making the tree both a spatial and symbolic anchor. Neem (Azadirachta indica) is considered as a blessing and often planted near homes for protection and healing. It purifies air by releasing a huge amount of oxygen and its fallen leaves act as natural insect repellent. From the very direction where neem tree stands, air flows into the house, weaving ecology and architecture into one seamless breath. The design does not merely preserve the tree- it orients life around it.
Thermally, they made an effort in design to convey the extreme climate through passive means: high thermal mass, compact form, small shaded windows, and strategic orientation. A stepped roof reduces solar gain, while airflow is choreographed through pond-side openings, double height voids, and window fins. The pond itself plays a vital climatic role-cooling the air in summer and releasing stored warmth in winter. Light reflections from water blend with the red hues of brick, adding poetic presence even when unseen. The pond’s presence is so strong in the mind that one doesn’t need to see it directly through the window. Even if it’s not visible, its presence is felt in the subconscious- and what does that presence mean? Coolness, water, a sense of calm. So even without a physical view, the psychological connection remains. That’s why the windows don’t always directly face the pond. It’s about exploring the landscape, not exposing it. A key feature is the “ghat” – a stepped platform and bridge that ties the home to the water body. Without it, the pond would remain separate; with it, the house and landscape merge into one spatial story. The ghat becomes a threshold, a gathering place, and a symbolic gesture toward the fluidity between architecture and nature.
Built entirely by local artisans using local materials, the house celebrates handwork, intuition, and low-tech intelligence. Every detail – from the tiled bottom part of toilet doors to the precise shaping of openings for breeze and scent – reflects lived experience. Nothing feels imposed or ornamental; all gestures arise from care and context. The project’s most profound gesture is its emotional openness. It neither seeks to impress nor to isolate. A passerby, even a daily laborer, is not meant to feel envy, but rather a quiet respect. The house offers dignity, not luxury. It negotiates monumentality with humility – strong in form but soft in spirit. It is not entirely private, nor fully public. It is layered – spatially, emotionally, symbolically. On the ground floor toilet, there is an open-to-sky shower, a bench to sit on, and a fragrant flowering plant. Even in this small space, there is a sense of romanticism. During rain, the earthy smell of wet soil drifts in. From behind the house, the aroma of ripening crops blends into the air, and in bloom, the delicate fragrance of Chatim (blackboard tree/ Alstonia scholaris) flowers lingers. These sensory experiences were not accidental; the orientation and airflow of the house were carefully designed to carry these familiar, grounding scents indoors.
On the upper floor, there are some hidden view corridors which allow visibility from one end to the other, even from top to bottom. This creates a playful experience. Even if all spaces are not fully visible from every angle, while being upstairs, one can sense the presence of people downstairs. Through all of this, the project explores an essential question: can architecture evoke emotion the way stories or songs do? Can a house make one feel nostalgic, comforted, or connected? This home endeavor to answer that question – not with spectacle, but with softness. It is a house of light and cloud, of memory and quiet gravity. It is, ultimately, a home where emotion and architecture are allowed to breathe together or not, with time answer will be uncovered.
“মেঘ রোদ” won the Third Place in the Best Implemented Project – Residential Architecture category at the esteemed VII Baku International Architecture Award 2025.
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