Tareque Masud Memorial and Cultural Center

Tareque Masud Memorial and Cultural Center is a proposed thesis project to pay homage towards the pioneer filmmaker Tareque Masud.
An ambitious film director Tareque Masud was also a producer, a screenwriter and a lyricist of Bangladesh. He was a pioneer in his field and an inspiration for young filmmakers.
Through his works, he tried to introduce the young minds with the liberation war of Bangladesh, inspire and make them see the beauty of the country, the surroundings, the glorious past and the beauty of relationships between the creatures of the creator. Unfortunately, his journey came to an early end on 13th August, 2011 due to a tragic accident. After his death, the necessity of preserving his memory and works has drawn the attention. So, the Tareque Masud Memorial Trust has taken an initiative to preserve his works and memories and finish the unfinished works of him.
While going through his works, his books and movies I tried to understand his way of thinking, his philosophy. Tareque Masud had a great influence of artist S.M Sultan on his thinking. He was a very dedicated person and impulsive in nature. From his works, it resembles that he had a very strong impact of his childhood, his madrasa(Islamic schooling) life on his vision. Through his works, he tried to relate to his past, go back to his origin or his village. The project is driven by his philosophy, attitude towards life.

The proposed site (around 4.2 acre) of the project is Tareque Masud’s village home which is located at Nurpur, Bhanga along the Dhaka- Khulna highway in Faridpur district. The site is extensively rich in natural resources. It is surrounded by small ponds, paddy fields, villages huts. The very interesting feature of the site is that it has a low land in the front portion which is around 13’ below the road level and gets flooded in monsoon. The site consists the residence of Masud family and the grave of Tareque Masud and most importantly it holds the memory of him.
Despite having the family graveyard adjacent to the site, he was buried in the courtyard because it was a favourite place of him. From that, the importance of the site to be preserved can be understood.
A memorial is a place to preserve ones memory. Here, the site is the landscape of memory. From an architectural perspective, I tried to preserve the land and surroundings, the taste of a village, which inspired Tareque Masud. Through the design, I tried to merge the built forms with the landscape, creating a journey along with it which one might experience in different ways, but hed always feel the presence of an unbound soul. Most of the functions are organized in the lower front portion of the site considering the seasonal change of that portion and leave natural features of rest of the site untouched as much as possible. The light, shadow, reflections, seasonal changes etc. add a dramatic dimension to the project which enhances one’s experience through the project.

Kanij Fateema

Studio Guide:
Ar. Bijon Bihari Sharma,
Ar. Mahbubul Malik,
Ar. Sujaul Islam Khan,
Ar. Nujaba Binte Kabir