Marina Tabassum

Marina Tabassum
Tabassum in Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich (2023)
Born1968 or 1969 (age 56–57)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma materBangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
OccupationArchitect
AwardsSee full list
Websitemtarchitekts.com

Marina Tabassum (born 1968 or 1969)[1] is a Bangladeshi architect.[2] She is the principal architect of Marina Tabassum Architects.

Tabassum won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture twice - in 2016, for the design of Bait-ur-Rouf Mosque in Dhaka and in 2025, for the design of Khudi Bari, in various locations in Bangladesh.[3][4] In 2020, Tabassum was listed by Prospect as the third-greatest thinker for the COVID-19 era, with the magazine writing: "At the forefront of creating buildings in tune with their natural environments, this Bangladeshi architect is also embracing the design challenges posed by what we are collectively doing to the planet."[5] Tabassum was the first South Asian to receive the "Lisbon Triennale Lifetime Achievement Award" (2022). She was named on Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2024.[6] In 2026, she was awarded with the Ekushe Padak, for her special contribution to architecture.[7][8]

Early life and education

Tabassum was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the daughter of an oncologist. Her family migrated to Dhaka, Bangladesh from India during the partition of Bengal in 1947. She attended Holy Cross Girls School and College. She then graduated in architecture from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 1994.[9]

Career

In 1995, Tabassum founded URBANA, an architecture practice based in Dhaka, Bangladesh with Kashef Chowdhury.[10][11] The firm designed a number of projects for about ten years.

In 2005, Tabassum established Marina Tabassum Architects, and she serves as its principal architect.[9]

Tabassum designed the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, completed in 2012.[12] She won her first Aga Khan Award for Architecture for this project in 2016.[13]

As of 2025, Tabassum is a professor of Architectural Design for Climate Adaptation at the Department of Architecture at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.[14] She held the Gehry Chair at the University of Toronto during 2022–2023.[9] She taught in Harvard Graduate School of Design, University of Texas, Bengal Institute and BRAC University.[15]

Tabassum chairs Foundation for Architecture and Community Equity (F.A.C.E) and Prokritee, a fare trade organization.[9] She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).[9]

Notable works

  • 1997–2006: Museum of Independence, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2001: A5 Residence, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2006–2011: Comfort Reverie, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2009: Vacation House at Faridabad, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2012: Baitur Rouf Mosque, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2018: Panigram Eco Resort and Spa, Jashore, Bangladesh
  • 2020: Khudi Bari, Chars in the coastal areas of Bangladesh
  • 2025: 24th Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, London.[16]

Awards and honors

Exhibitions

  • Marina Tabassum Architects: In Bangladesh (2023)[23]

References

  1. ^ "The Soane Medal 2021". YouTube. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Architecture fuses engineering, arts". The Daily Star. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ Fixsen, Anna (3 October 2016). "BIG, Zaha Hadid Architects Among 2016 Aga Khan Award Recipients". Architectural Record. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2025 winners". Aga Khan Development Network. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  5. ^ "The world's top 50 thinkers for the Covid-19 age" (PDF). Prospect. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Time 100 Most Influential People 2024". Time. 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Warfaze, nine individuals get Ekushey Padak | The Daily Star". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  8. ^ BSS (26 February 2026). "Govt will establish liberal democratic state system to promote knowledge, science: PM". Prothomalo. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Home | MTA". marinatabassumarchitects.com. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  10. ^ Hockin, Rowena (17 June 2014). "Marina Tabassum: Ideas over gender". ArchitectureAu. Architecture AU. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  11. ^ Mortuza, Shamsad (5 April 2008). "'New styles of Architecture, a change of heart'". The Daily Star. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b Karim, Naimul (17 June 2016). "Marina Tabassum: An architect in search of roots". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  13. ^ Frearson, Amy (9 May 2016). "Zaha Hadid among architects shortlisted for 2016 Aga Khan Award". De Zeen.
  14. ^ "Prof. M. Tabassum". Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  15. ^ "Marina Tabassum". Bengal Institute. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Serpentine Pavilion 2025 by Marina Tabassum". Serpentine Galleries. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Nishorgo Architectural Competition Winners awarded". The Daily Star. 10 August 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Marina Tabassum Awarded the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize by The American Academy of Arts and Letters". Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  19. ^ "The Soane Medal 2021". YouTube. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Received the prestigious Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Lifetime Achievement Award". ArchDaily. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Marina Tabassum wins Aga Khan Award for architecture for second time". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Tarique to confer Ekushey Padak tomorrow". The Business Standard. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Marina Tabassum Architects: In Bangladesh". www.architekturmuseum.de. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  • Media related to Marina Tabassum at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.