Sustaining Sylhet

Bangladesh is undergoing a rapid urban transformation, with cities like Sylhet expanding at an unprecedented pace. This growth, however, often comes at the cost of ecological stability, spatial equity, and cultural continuity. This graduation project explores how sustainable urban expansion can be achieved in Sylhet by integrating vernacular architectural practices into contemporary planning.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, combining fieldwork, urban mapping, material research, and case study analysis, the project addresses the question: How can strategies for urban growth incorporate traditional knowledge to support environmental, economic, and cultural resilience in rapidly developing cities like Sylhet? Centered on Shonatola, a peri-urban village on Sylhet’s edge, the study exposes the risks of fragmented, plot-based development and the growing preference for industrial materials that disconnect communities from their environmental and cultural roots.

As an alternative, the project proposes a design framework that employs natural materials, bamboo, compressed earth blocks, and lime plaster, across all housing types and income levels. This material consistency challenges the social stigma surrounding vernacular construction and supports inclusive, low-carbon development. The proposal is anchored by a Community Land Trust (CLT) model that ensures affordability, collective land ownership, and long-term governance.

Rather than opposing urban growth, the project demonstrates how locally grounded design can steer it in a direction that is equitable, resilient, and reflective of cultural identity.