Marina Tabassum 'Building with the Delta'

The exhibition Marina Tabassum: building with the Delta explores the work of Marina Tabassum, an architect whose practice is profoundly connected to the social and environmental dynamics of Bangladesh. Since gaining independence in 1971, the country—located at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers—has confronted challenges such as climate disasters, population displacement, and rapid urbanization. Tabassum’s projects reflect a landscape in constant flux and stand as significant responses to these challenges.

Organized into three chapters—Water, Shelter, and City—this exhibition highlights key moments in Tabassum's career, from symbolic national landmarks to her innovative housing solutions for vulnerable communities. Her architecture draws on local materials, traditional techniques, and community-driven processes, always with a focus on how the built environment can strengthen social resilience.

Whether through low-cost modular facilities for Rohingya refugees from Myanmar or civic projects like the Museum of Independence, Tabassum’s work merges architecture with social responsibility, offering valuable examples for a world facing environmental and humanitarian crises.

Through models, drawings, and audiovisual documentation, this exhibition opens a window into the cultural and environmental richness of Bangladesh, shaped by the country’s waterscapes and the lives they sustain. The works on display not only showcase Marina Tabassum’s significant contributions to architecture but also convey a message of resilience and hope from Bangladesh, demonstrating how architecture—as well as Indigenous Intelligence(s)—can address both environmental and social challenges.