Bangladesh’s first “Civic Centre” will be built in Dhaka’s Gulshan, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam said in an award ceremony in the capital on Wednesday. The award ceremony for the “Open Design Competition for Dhaka North City Corporation Civic Centre”, organised by the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) was held at IAB Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka.
A 30-storey city centre and a 20-storey Civic Centre will be erected as per the winning model, said the mayor. Md Sharif U Ahmed’s model won the first place. 39 architects and architecture entities submitted their designs in the competition. Civic centres are a popular concept in many countries where a building offers various facilities to the citizens. It can act as a place to hold meetings, entertainment, games, and will also offer government services.
As Bangladesh doesn’t yet have a civic centre, the one to be constructed at Gulshan would be the very first and it would provide the inhabitants of Dhaka with entertainment, the mayor mentioned.
“I was told to hire a foreign architect to design this building But our own architects are working all over the world and gaining goodwill. Then why would I need to hire someone from another country?” Mayor Atiqul said. “Bangladeshi architects will make this building. Foreigners will see it and wonder who made it,” he concluded.
